title: Replication of murine coronavirus requires multiple cysteines in the endodomain of spike protein.
abstract: A conserved cysteine-rich motif located between the transmembrane domain and the endodomain is essential for membrane fusion and assembly of coronavirus spike (S) protein. Here, we proved that three cysteines within the motif, but not dependent on position, are minimally required for the survival of the recombinant mouse hepatitis virus. When the carboxy termini with these mutated motifs of S proteins were respectively introduced into a heterogeneous protein, both incorporation into lipid rafts and S-palmitoylation of these recombinant proteins showed a similar quantity requirement to cysteine residues. Meanwhile, the redistribution of these proteins on cellular surface indicated that the absence of the positively charged rather than cysteine residues in the motif might lead the dramatic reduction in syncytial formation of some mutants with the deleted motifs. These results suggest that multiple cysteine as well as charged residues concurrently improves the membrane-associated functions of S protein in viral replication and cytopathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Qianqian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry*; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D003545:Cysteine