title: The putative pocket protein binding site of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus BV/ODV-C42 is required for virus-induced nuclear actin polymerization.
abstract: Nuclear filamentous actin (F-actin) is essential for nucleocapsid morphogenesis of lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses. Previously, we had demonstrated that Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) BV/ODV-C42 (C42) is involved in nuclear actin polymerization by recruiting P78/83, an AcMNPV orf9-encoded N-WASP homology protein that is capable of activating an actin-related-protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex to initiate actin polymerization, to the nucleus. To further investigate the role of C42 in virus-induced actin polymerization, the recombinant bacmid vAc(p78/83nls-gfp), with a c42 knockout, p78/83 tagged with a nuclear localization signal coding sequence, and egfp as a reporter gene under the control of the Pp10 promoter, was constructed and transfected to Sf9 cells. In the nuclei of vAc(p78/83nls-gfp)-transfected cells, polymerized F-actin filaments were absent, whereas other actin polymerization elements (i.e., P78/83, G-actin, and Arp2/3 complex) were present. This in vivo evidence indicated that C42 actively participates in the nuclear actin polymerization process as a key element, besides its role in recruiting P78/83 to the nucleus. In order to collect in vitro evidence for the participation of C42 in actin polymerization, an anti-C42 antibody was used to neutralize the viral nucleocapsid, which is capable of initiating actin polymerization in vitro. Both the kinetics of pyrene-actin polymerization and F-actin-specific staining by phalloidin indicated that anti-C42 can significantly attenuate the efficiency of F-actin formation compared to that with control antibodies. Furthermore, we have identified the putative pocket protein binding sequence (PPBS) on C42 that is essential for C42 to exert its function in nuclear actin polymerization.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huimin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Chunchen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xinwen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017924:Nucleopolyhedroviruses / Q000502:physiology*; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D018411:Spodoptera; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins