- Award ID(s):
- 1639244
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10067985
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology
- Volume:
- 84
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 0099-2240
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
ABSTRACT Alphaherpesviruses such as herpes simplex virus and pseudorabies virus (PRV) are neuroinvasive double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that establish lifelong latency in peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons of their native hosts. Following reactivation, infection can spread back to the initial mucosal site of infection or, in rare cases, to the central nervous system, with usually serious outcomes. During entry and egress, viral capsids depend on microtubule-based molecular motors for efficient and fast transport. In axons of PNS neurons, cytoplasmic dynein provides force for retrograde movements toward the soma, and kinesins move cargo in the opposite, anterograde direction. The dynamic properties of virus particles in cells can be imaged by fluorescent protein fusions to the small capsid protein VP26, which are incorporated into capsids. However, single-color fluorescent protein tags fail to distinguish the virus inoculum from progeny. Therefore, we established a dual-color system by growing a recombinant PRV expressing a red fluorescent VP26 fusion (PRV180) on a stable cell line expressing a green VP26 fusion (PK15-mNG-VP26). The resulting dual-color virus preparation (PRV180G) contains capsids tagged with both red and green fluorescent proteins, and 97% of particles contain detectable levels of mNeonGreen (mNG)-tagged VP26. After replication in neuronal cells, all PRV180G progeny exclusively contain monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP)-VP26-tagged capsids. We used PRV180G for an analysis of axonal capsid transport dynamics in PNS neurons. Fast dual-color total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, single-particle tracking, and motility analyses reveal robust, bidirectional capsid motility mediated by cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin during entry, whereas egressing progeny particles are transported exclusively by kinesins. IMPORTANCE Alphaherpesviruses are neuroinvasive viruses that infect the peripheral nervous system (PNS) of infected hosts as an integral part of their life cycle. Establishment of a quiescent or latent infection in PNS neurons is a hallmark of most alphaherpesviruses. Spread of infection to the central nervous system is surprisingly rare in natural hosts but can be fatal. Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a broad-host-range swine alphaherpesvirus that enters neuronal cells and utilizes intracellular transport processes to establish infection and to spread between cells. By using a virus preparation with fluorescent viral capsids that change color depending on the stage of the infectious cycle, we find that during entry, axons of PNS neurons support robust, bidirectional capsid motility, similar to cellular cargo, toward the cell body. In contrast, progeny particles appear to be transported unidirectionally by kinesin motors toward distal egress sites.more » « less
-
Chloroviruses are large dsDNA, plaque-forming viruses that infect certain chlorella-like green algae; the algae are normally mutualistic endosymbionts of protists and metazoans and are often referred to as zoochlorellae. The viruses are ubiquitous in inland aqueous environments throughout the world and occasionally single types reach titers of thousands of plaque-forming units per ml of native water. The viruses are icosahedral in shape with a spike structure located at one of the vertices. They contain an internal membrane that is required for infectivity. The viral genomes are 290 to 370 kb in size, which encode up to 16 tRNAs and 330 to ~415 proteins, including many not previously seen in viruses. Examples include genes encoding DNA restriction and modification enzymes, hyaluronan and chitin biosynthetic enzymes, polyamine biosynthetic enzymes, ion channel and transport proteins, and enzymes involved in the glycan synthesis of the virus major capsid glycoproteins. The proteins encoded by many of these viruses are often the smallest or among the smallest proteins of their class. Consequently, some of the viral proteins are the subject of intensive biochemical and structural investigation.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus-1 (PBCV-1) is a large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus that infects the unicellular green alga Chlorella variabilis NC64A. Unlike many other viruses, PBCV-1 encodes most, if not all, of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of the glycans attached to its major capsid protein. Importantly, these glycans differ from those reported from the three domains of life in terms of structure and asparagine location in the sequon of the protein. Previous data collected from 20 PBCV-1 spontaneous mutants (or antigenic variants) suggested that the a064r gene encodes a glycosyltransferase (GT) with three domains, each with a different function. Here, we demonstrate that: domain 1 is a β- l -rhamnosyltransferase; domain 2 is an α- l -rhamnosyltransferase resembling only bacterial proteins of unknown function, and domain 3 is a methyltransferase that methylates the C-2 hydroxyl group of the terminal α- l -rhamnose (Rha) unit. We also establish that methylation of the C-3 hydroxyl group of the terminal α- l -Rha is achieved by another virus-encoded protein A061L, which requires an O-2 methylated substrate. This study, thus, identifies two of the glycosyltransferase activities involved in the synthesis of the N -glycan of the viral major capsid protein in PBCV-1 and establishes that a single protein A064R possesses the three activities needed to synthetize the 2-OMe-α- l -Rha-(1→2)-β- l -Rha fragment. Remarkably, this fragment can be attached to any xylose unit.more » « less
-
Sandri-Goldin, Rozanne M. (Ed.)ABSTRACT Most icosahedral viruses condense their genomes into volumetrically constrained capsids. However, concurrent genome biosynthesis and packaging are specific to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses. ssDNA genome packaging combines elements found in both double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and ssRNA systems. Similar to dsDNA viruses, the genome is packaged into a preformed capsid. Like ssRNA viruses, there are numerous capsid-genome associations. In ssDNA microviruses, the DNA-binding protein J guides the genome between 60 icosahedrally ordered DNA binding pockets. It also partially neutralizes the DNA’s negative phosphate backbone. ϕX174-related microviruses, such as G4 and α3, have J proteins that differ in length and charge organization. This suggests that interchanging J proteins could alter the path used to guide DNA in the capsid. Previously, a ϕXG4J chimera, in which the ϕX174 J gene was replaced with the G4 gene, was characterized. It displayed lethal packaging defects, which resulted in procapsids being removed from productive assembly. Here, we report the characterization of another inviable chimera, ϕXα3J. Unlike ϕXG4J, ϕXα3J efficiently packaged DNA but produced noninfectious particles. These particles displayed a reduced ability to attach to host cells, suggesting that internal DNA organization could distort the capsid’s outer surface. Mutations that restored viability altered J-coat protein contact sites. These results provide evidence that the organization of ssDNA can affect both packaging and postpackaging phenomena. IMPORTANCE ssDNA viruses utilize icosahedrally ordered protein-nucleic acids interactions to guide and organize their genomes into preformed shells. As previously demonstrated, chaotic genome-capsid associations can inhibit ϕX174 packaging by destabilizing packaging complexes. However, the consequences of poorly organized genomes may extend beyond the packaging reaction. As demonstrated herein, it can lead to uninfectious packaged particles. Thus, ssDNA genomes should be considered an integral and structural virion component, affecting the properties of the entire particle, which includes the capsid’s outer surface.more » « less
-
Background Viruses strongly influence microbial population dynamics and ecosystem functions. However, our ability to quantitatively evaluate those viral impacts is limited to the few cultivated viruses and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viral genomes captured in quantitative viral metagenomes (viromes). This leaves the ecology of non-dsDNA viruses nearly unknown, including single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses that have been frequently observed in viromes, but not quantified due to amplification biases in sequencing library preparations (Multiple Displacement Amplification, Linker Amplification or Tagmentation).
Methods Here we designed mock viral communities including both ssDNA and dsDNA viruses to evaluate the capability of a sequencing library preparation approach including an Adaptase step prior to Linker Amplification for quantitative amplification of both dsDNA and ssDNA templates. We then surveyed aquatic samples to provide first estimates of the abundance of ssDNA viruses.
Results Mock community experiments confirmed the biased nature of existing library preparation methods for ssDNA templates (either largely enriched or selected against) and showed that the protocol using Adaptase plus Linker Amplification yielded viromes that were ±1.8-fold quantitative for ssDNA and dsDNA viruses. Application of this protocol to community virus DNA from three freshwater and three marine samples revealed that ssDNA viruses as a whole represent only a minor fraction (<5%) of DNA virus communities, though individual ssDNA genomes, both eukaryote-infecting Circular Rep-Encoding Single-Stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses and bacteriophages from the
Microviridae family, can be among the most abundant viral genomes in a sample.Discussion Together these findings provide empirical data for a new virome library preparation protocol, and a first estimate of ssDNA virus abundance in aquatic systems.