Suppression of Fas-mediated apoptosis via steric shielding by filovirus glycoproteins.
Apoptotic death of virus-infected cells is generally thought to be a defense mechanism to limit the spread of infectious virions by eliminating virus-producing cells in host animals. On the other hand, several viruses have been shown to have anti-apoptotic mechanisms to facilitate efficient viral replication and transmission. In this study, we found that the filovirus glycoprotein (GP) expressed on cell surfaces formed a steric shield over the Fas molecule and that GP-expressing cells showed resistance to cell death induced by a Fas agonistic antibody. These results suggest that filovirus GP-mediated steric shielding may interfere with the Fas-induced apoptotic signal transduction in infected cells and serve as an immune evasion mechanism for filoviruses.
Division of Global Epidemiology, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
Osamu
O
Noyori
Eri
E
Nakayama
Junki
J
Maruyama
Reiko
R
Yoshida
Ayato
A
Takada
D017209:Apoptosis; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014779:Virus Replication; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology
D006023:Glycoproteins; D019014:fas Receptor
Apoptosis; Fas; Filovirus; Glycoprotein; Steric shielding