Infection of naive target cells with virus-like particles: implications for the function of ebola virus VP24.
Infectious virus-like particle (iVLP) systems have recently been established for several negative-strand RNA viruses, including the highly pathogenic Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV), and allow study of the viral life cycle under biosafety level 2 conditions. However, current systems depend on the expression of viral helper nucleocapsid proteins in target cells, thus making it impossible to determine whether ribonucleoprotein complexes transferred by iVLPs are able to facilitate initial transcription, an indispensable step in natural infection. Here we describe a ZEBOV iVLP system which overcomes this limitation and show that VP24 is essential for the formation of a functional ribonucleoprotein complex.
Hoenen
Thomas
T
Institut für Virologie, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Groseth
Allison
A
Kolesnikova
Larissa
L
Theriault
Steven
S
Ebihara
Hideki
H
Hartlieb
Bettina
B
Bamberg
Sandra
S
Feldmann
Heinz
H
Ströher
Ute
U
Becker
Stephan
S
D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
D036022:Capsid Proteins; C446938:VP24 protein, Ebola virus; D014764:Viral Proteins