Aquareovirus NS80 Initiates Efficient Viral Replication by Retaining Core Proteins within Replication-Associated Viral Inclusion Bodies

PLoS One. 2015 May 4;10(5):e0126127. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126127. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Viral inclusion bodies (VIBs) are specific intracellular compartments for reoviruses replication and assembly. Aquareovirus nonstructural protein NS80 has been identified to be the major constituent for forming globular VIBs in our previous study. In this study, we investigated the role of NS80 in viral structural proteins expression and viral replication. Immunofluorescence assays showed that NS80 could retain five core proteins or inner-capsid proteins (VP1-VP4 and VP6), but not outer-capsid proteins (VP5 and VP7), within VIBs in co-transfected or infected cells. Further co-immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed that NS80 could interact with each core protein respectively. In addition, we found that newly synthesized viral RNAs co-localized with VIBs. Furthermore, time-course analysis of viral structural proteins expression showed that the expression of NS80 was detected first, followed by the detection of inner shell protein VP3, and then of other inner-capsid proteins, suggesting that VIBs were essential for the formation of viral core frame or progeny virion. Moreover, knockdown of NS80 by shRNA not only inhibited the expression of aquareovirus structural proteins, but also inhibited viral infection. These results indicated that NS80-based VIBs were formed at earlier stage of infection, and NS80 was able to coordinate the expression of viral structural proteins and viral replication.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Viral
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies, Viral / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Transport
  • RNA Transport
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reoviridae / physiology*
  • Vero Cells
  • Viral Core Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Core Proteins / metabolism*
  • Viral Structural Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Structural Proteins / metabolism
  • Virus Replication*

Substances

  • RNA, Viral
  • Viral Core Proteins
  • Viral Structural Proteins

Grants and funding

The work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China 31172434, 31372565, and 31370190.