title: The interaction between the hepatitis C proteins NS4B and NS5A is involved in viral replication.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicates in membrane associated, highly ordered replication complexes (RCs). These complexes include viral and host proteins necessary for viral RNA genome replication. The interaction network among viral and host proteins underlying the formation of these RCs is yet to be thoroughly characterized. Here, we investigated the association between NS4B and NS5A, two critical RC components. We characterized the interaction between these proteins using fluorescence resonance energy transfer and a mammalian two-hybrid system. Specific tryptophan residues within the C-terminal domain (CTD) of NS4B were shown to mediate this interaction. Domain I of NS5A, was sufficient to mediate its interaction with NS4B. Mutations in the NS4B CTD tryptophan residues abolished viral replication. Moreover, one of these mutations also affected NS5A hyperphosphorylation. These findings provide new insights into the importance of the NS4B-NS5A interaction and serve as a starting point for studying the complex interactions between the replicase subunits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Naama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Yakey
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yaffe
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Lior
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hagoel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Menashe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elazar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, United States; Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Glenn
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Koret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirschberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Electronic address: sklan@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Ella H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Sklan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C080107:NS4B protein, flavivirus; C087036:NS-5 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
keywords: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER); Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET); Hepatitis C virus; Protein–protein interaction; Viral replication