title: Conserved eukaryotic fusogens can fuse viral envelopes to cells.
abstract: Caenorhabditis elegans proteins AFF-1 and EFF-1 [C. elegans fusion family (CeFF) proteins] are essential for developmental cell-to-cell fusion and can merge insect cells. To study the structure and function of AFF-1, we constructed vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) displaying AFF-1 on the viral envelope, substituting the native fusogen VSV glycoprotein. Electron microscopy and tomography revealed that AFF-1 formed distinct supercomplexes resembling pentameric and hexameric "flowers" on pseudoviruses. Viruses carrying AFF-1 infected mammalian cells only when CeFFs were on the target cell surface. Furthermore, we identified fusion family (FF) proteins within and beyond nematodes, and divergent members from the human parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis and the chordate Branchiostoma floridae could also fuse mammalian cells. Thus, FF proteins are part of an ancient family of cellular fusogens that can promote fusion when expressed on a viral particle.
authors: Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors: Ori
authors: O
authors: Avinoam
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Fridman
authors: Clari
authors: C
authors: Valansi
authors: Inbal
authors: I
authors: Abutbul
authors: Tzviya
authors: T
authors: Zeev-Ben-Mordehai
authors: Ulrike E
authors: UE
authors: Maurer
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Sapir
authors: Dganit
authors: D
authors: Danino
authors: Kay
authors: K
authors: Grünewald
authors: Judith M
authors: JM
authors: White
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Podbilewicz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000737:chemistry; D005075:Biological Evolution; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000737:chemistry; D037302:Ctenophora / Q000737:chemistry; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016848:Naegleria fowleri / Q000737:chemistry; D009348:Nematoda / Q000737:chemistry; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C520081:AFF-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C470734:EFF-1 protein, C elegans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins