Glycoprotein G from pseudorabies virus binds to chemokines with high affinity and inhibits their function.
Pseudorabies virus (PRV), also known as suid herpesvirus, is the aetiological agent of Aujeszky's disease in swine. In other animals, except higher-order primates, PRV infection is often fatal. The mechanisms of PRV pathogenesis and immune modulation are largely unknown. PRV codes for 11 glycoproteins. Among them, glycoprotein G (gG) is the most abundant PRV protein found in the supernatant of PRV-infected cell cultures. PRV-gG has low amino acid sequence similarity with gG from other animal alphaherpesviruses and its function is unknown. gG from other animal alphaherpesviruses, with the exception of at least equine herpesvirus 4, binds to chemokines. We show here that PRV-gG binds to the human chemokine CL1 and several CC and CXC human chemokines with high affinity. Chemokine-binding activity can be detected in the supernatants of PRV-infected cell cultures, and insertional inactivation of the gene encoding gG from the PRV genome results in loss of chemokine-binding activity. Binding of PRV-gG to chemokines inhibits chemokine-mediated cell migration, suggesting a role for PRV-gG in immune evasion.
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Nicolás Cabrera 1, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Abel
A
Viejo-Borbolla
Ana
A
Muñoz
Enrique
E
Tabarés
Antonio
A
Alcamí
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D018925:Chemokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D018925:Chemokines; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C042966:pseudorabies virus glycoproteins