Accelerated induction of apoptosis in insect cells by baculovirus-expressed SARS-CoV membrane protein.
It has been shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3a and 7a proteins, but not membrane (M) protein, induce apoptosis in mammalian cells. Upon expression of SARS-CoV M protein using the baculovirus/insect cell expression system, however, we found that the expressed M protein triggered accelerated apoptosis in insect cells, as characterized by rapid cell death, elevated cytotoxicity, cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation. Conversely, the M protein expressed in mammalian cells did not induce apoptosis. This is the first report describing the induction of apoptosis by SARS-CoV M protein in animal cells and possible implications are discussed.
Lai
Chia-Wei
CW
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
Chan
Zun-Ren
ZR
Yang
Ding-Gang
DG
Lo
Wen-Hsin
WH
Lai
Yiu-Kay
YK
Chang
Margaret Dah-Tsyr
MD
Hu
Yu-Chen
YC
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D002470:Cell Survival; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014709:Vero Cells; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins