Enveloped RNA viruses are the etiological agents for many human diseases-ranging from yellow fever, the first human disease attributable to a virus (1902), to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, caused by the retrovirus HTLVIII/LAV (1984). Although these two viruses, as well as other enveloped RNA viruses, differ importantly in their genomic structure, composition and mechanisms for gene expression, they have some activities in common in their replication cycle and all synthesize virus-specific transmembranal glycoproteins that interact with virus nucleoprotein structures during virus assembly. Experiments in this proposal are focused on this common activity but employ a simple """"""""model"""""""" enveloped RNA virus-cell system, Sindbis virus replication in tissue culture cells. These projects constitute an ongoing research program whose goal is the elucidation of critical biochemical events in glycoprotein processing and assembly of enveloped RNA viruses. The work proposed here will utilize recombinant DNA technology to obtain site-specific mutations in a specific region of this virus' glycoprotein to determine what factors are required to achieve the highly selective interaction between the transmembranal virus """"""""spike"""""""" proteins and nucleocapsid of the virus. Systems to measure binding between nucleocapsids and glycoproteins will also be sought. Of particular interest is what role fatty acylation, a modification present in many virus and cell glycoproteins, may play in virus assembly. In vitro mutagenesis will be used further to analyze a small region in the Sindbis genome required for processing and insertion of glycoprotein into the cell's membrane. Our ability to detect effects of directed glycoprotein changes on virus assembly are now feasible because a cDNA capable of transcription into an infectious RNA has been developed.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01AI019494-15
Application #
3128837
Study Section
Experimental Virology Study Section (EVR)
Project Start
1982-04-01
Project End
1989-12-31
Budget Start
1987-01-01
Budget End
1987-12-31
Support Year
15
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
062761671
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
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Harrison, S C; Strong, R K; Schlesinger, S et al. (1992) Crystallization of Sindbis virus and its nucleocapsid. J Mol Biol 226:277-80
Collier, N C; Knox, K; Schlesinger, M J (1991) Inhibition of influenza virus formation by a peptide that corresponds to sequences in the cytoplasmic domain of the hemagglutinin. Virology 183:769-72
Gaedigk-Nitschko, K; Schlesinger, M J (1991) Site-directed mutations in Sindbis virus E2 glycoprotein's cytoplasmic domain and the 6K protein lead to similar defects in virus assembly and budding. Virology 183:206-14
Gaedigk-Nitschko, K; Ding, M X; Levy, M A et al. (1990) Site-directed mutations in the Sindbis virus 6K protein reveal sites for fatty acylation and the underacylated protein affects virus release and virion structure. Virology 175:282-91
Gaedigk-Nitschko, K; Schlesinger, M J (1990) The Sindbis virus 6K protein can be detected in virions and is acylated with fatty acids. Virology 175:274-81
Ding, M X; Schlesinger, M J (1989) Evidence that Sindbis virus NSP2 is an autoprotease which processes the virus nonstructural polyprotein. Virology 171:280-4
Wen, D; Ding, M X; Schlesinger, M J (1986) Expression of genes encoding vesicular stomatitis and Sindbis virus glycoproteins in yeast leads to formation of disulfide-linked oligomers. Virology 153:150-4
Wen, D Z; Schlesinger, M J (1986) Regulated expression of Sindbis and vesicular stomatitis virus glycoproteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 83:3639-43