Unconserved C terminal of human cytomegalovirus tegument protein pUL76 elicits nuclear aggresome formation and induces DNA damage in transfected cells.
BACKGROUND
The HCMV UL76 gene is a member of UL24 family in herpes virus and encodes a highly conserved herpes virus protein. Inherited from common ancestor, members of Herpes_UL24 family encode proteins with a conserved N terminal and varied in C terminal region. To define which region (conserved N terminal or unconserved C terminal) of UL76 was responsible for its ability to induce DNA damage and aggresome formation, the wild-type UL76 gene and two deletion mutants were transfected to cells and analyzed by immunofluorescent staining, Western blotting and comet assay.


RESULTS
We report that the EGFP-fusion proteins present as globular aggresomes and colocalize with γ-H2AX in cells transfected with either pEGFP-UL76 or pEGFP-UL76C. The relative expression level of γ-H2AX and percentage of cells with comet tails were elevated in pEGFP-UL76 or pEGFP-UL76C transfection groups compared to the control.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that the unconserved C terminal (not the conserved N terminal) of pUL76 was sufficient to induce DNA damage and aggresome formation in transfected cells.
Department of Microbiology, Anhui Medical University, 81st Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China. zwc2511109@163.com.
Wenchang
W
Zhang
Department of Microbiology, Anhui Medical University, 81st Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China. 463998133@qq.com.
Yao
Y
Yao
Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, 10032, USA. jc28@columbia.edu.
Jingxian
J
Chen
Department of Microbiology, Anhui Medical University, 81st Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China. mingliwang@ahmu.edu.cn.
Mingli
M
Wang
D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004249:DNA Damage; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*
D015534:Trans-Activators; C415646:UL76 protein, cytomegalovirus