Cellular autophagy machinery is not required for vaccinia virus replication and maturation.
The origin of the primary membrane of the vaccinia virus, a double-membrane structure that surrounds the immature virions (IV), is not fully understood. Here we investigated whether the primary membrane originates from the autophagic membrane. Morphologic studies by electron microscopy (EM) showed no apparent difference in viral maturation in the autophagy-deficient cell lines, the atg5(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and the beclin1(-/-) embryonic stem (ES) cells, compared to their isogenic wild-type counterparts. Moreover, viral growth curves demonstrated that vaccinia viruses replicate and mature in the autophagy-deficient cell lines as efficiently as they do in their isogenic wild type counterpart cells. This study indicates that the cellular autophagy machinery is not required for the life-cycle of vaccinia virus, suggesting that the primary vaccinia viral membrane does not originate from the autophagic membrane.
Zhang
Haiyan
H
Department of Pharmacology, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA. jinsh@umndnj.edu
Monken
Claude E
CE
Zhang
Yong
Y
Lenard
John
J
Mizushima
Noboru
N
Lattime
Edmund C
EC
Jin
Shengkan
S
D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D000071187:Autophagy-Related Protein 5; D000071186:Beclin-1; D002460:Cell Line; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C495773:Atg5 protein, mouse; D000071187:Autophagy-Related Protein 5; D000071186:Beclin-1; C115010:Becn1 protein, mouse; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D011506:Proteins