title: Rhabdovirus matrix protein structures reveal a novel mode of self-association.
abstract: The matrix (M) proteins of rhabdoviruses are multifunctional proteins essential for virus maturation and budding that also regulate the expression of viral and host proteins. We have solved the structures of M from the vesicular stomatitis virus serotype New Jersey (genus: Vesiculovirus) and from Lagos bat virus (genus: Lyssavirus), revealing that both share a common fold despite sharing no identifiable sequence homology. Strikingly, in both structures a stretch of residues from the otherwise-disordered N terminus of a crystallographically adjacent molecule is observed binding to a hydrophobic cavity on the surface of the protein, thereby forming non-covalent linear polymers of M in the crystals. While the overall topology of the interaction is conserved between the two structures, the molecular details of the interactions are completely different. The observed interactions provide a compelling model for the flexible self-assembly of the matrix protein during virion morphogenesis and may also modulate interactions with host proteins.
authors.affiliation: Division of Structural Biology and Oxford Protein Production Facility, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Assenberg
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.forename: Chiraz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Talbi
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grimes
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bourhy
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D055503:Protein Multimerization / Q000502:physiology*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012703:Serotyping; D054260:Vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins