title: The intermediate filament network protein, vimentin, is required for parvoviral infection.
abstract: Intermediate filaments (IFs) have recently been shown to serve novel roles during infection by many viruses. Here we have begun to study the role of IFs during the early steps of infection by the parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM). We found that during early infection with MVM, after endosomal escape, the vimentin IF network was considerably altered, yielding collapsed immunofluorescence staining near the nuclear periphery. Furthermore, we found that vimentin plays an important role in the life cycle of MVM. The number of cells, which successfully replicated MVM, was reduced in infected cells in which the vimentin network was genetically or pharmacologically modified; viral endocytosis, however, remained unaltered. Perinuclear accumulation of MVM-containing vesicles was reduced in cells lacking vimentin. Our data suggests that vimentin is required for the MVM life cycle, presenting possibly a dual role: (1) following MVM escape from endosomes and (2) during endosomal trafficking of MVM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4.
authors.forename: Nikta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fay
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Panté
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008915:Minute Virus of Mice / Q000502:physiology*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D014746:Vimentin
keywords: Endosomal trafficking; Intermediate filaments; Minute virus of mice; Parvovirus; Vimentin