Proteolytic processing of the Ebola virus glycoprotein is not critical for Ebola virus replication in nonhuman primates.
Enveloped viruses often require cleavage of a surface glycoprotein by a cellular endoprotease such as furin for infectivity and virulence. Previously, we showed that Ebola virus glycoprotein does not require the furin cleavage motif for virus replication in cell culture. Here, we show that there are no appreciable differences in disease progression, hematology, serum biochemistry, virus titers, or lethality in nonhuman primates infected with an Ebola virus lacking the furin recognition sequence compared to those infected with wild-type virus. We conclude that glycoprotein cleavage by subtilisin-like endoproteases is not critical for Ebola virus infectivity and virulence in nonhuman primates.
Neumann
Gabriele
G
Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Geisbert
Thomas W
TW
Ebihara
Hideki
H
Geisbert
Joan B
JB
Daddario-DiCaprio
Kathleen M
KM
Feldmann
Heinz
H
Kawaoka
Yoshihiro
Y
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014774:Virulence; D014779:Virus Replication
D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C113189:envelope glycoprotein, Ebola virus