This grant proposes experiments to resolve critical viral DNA packaging initiation and translocation issues. Bacteriophage T4 DNA packaging mechanisms are widely shared among comparable phages packed with dsDNA through a prohead portal by comparable motor proteins (2), where the large terminase subunit (TerL) is responsible for translocation and the small terminase (TerS) for packaging initiation-cutting of the concatemer.
Specific Aim 1 will establish the large gp17 (TerL) translocation mechanism. We propose a DNA crunching linear motor mechanism that employs a grip-and-release transient spring-like compression of B- to A-form- DNA. Our FRET measurements directly support this mechanism in a packaging stalled Y-DNA substrate in vitro that show a decrease in distance from terminase to portal; furthermore, there is a decrease in distance between closely positioned dye pairs in the Y-stem DNA that conforms to B- and A- structure. In normal translocation the TerL motor expels all B-form tightly binding YOYO-1 dye that cannot bind A-form. The motor cannot package A-form dsRNA or A-form DNA:RNA heteroduplexes. Our work shows that addition of helper B- form DNA:DNA (D:D) 20mers allows (D:R) packaging of heteroduplex A-form DNA:RNA 20mers (D:R), additional evidence for a B- to A-form spring motor. Additionally, kinetic analyses of fluorescent dye release, TerL cross-linking of photo-linkable dye, and high resolution structural data will provide support and insight into this proposed B-form to A-form motor mechanism. Crystallography and cryo-EM of TerL domains docked to proheads, portals, and to a clip region of the portal will confirm that the C-terminal nuclease domain of the terminase docks to the portal, as shown by FRET and SDM analysis.
Specific Aim 2 will establish the role of the small terminase subunit gp16 (TerS) of phage T4 in DNA pac site interaction and in packaging initiation by a twin TerS ring mechanism. FRET measurements and superresolution microscopy will confirm that the T4 TerS protein acts in a double ring form to initiate packaging. Functional TerS-GFP and TerS-mCherry fusion proteins in vitro and in vivo serve as standards. FRET work shows that a ts mutant form of the TerS protein forms rings at low but not high temperature, showing ring formation is required for function. How do the double 22mer and single 11mer rings found in TerS protein-only preparations relate to DNA packaging? Strong genetic evidence supports synapsis of two homologous pac DNAs by a twin ring form of the TerS that opposes a four stranded pac DNA structure to judge by Holliday junction strand swapping DNA concatemer maturation for packaging initiation.
This project builds upon several years of studies from our laboratory that have focused on virus assembly and structure. The central aim is to understand viral DNA packaging, a process where currently major mechanistic problems remain unsolved. We have proposed a novel torsional compression translocation model for the linear packaging motor using bacteriophage T4 as a model system. B-form DNA compression is important for the packaging motor, and the proposed experiments will demonstrate that the packaging motor transiently compresses B-form to A-form DNA. Our recent evidence supports a double protein ring-double DNA synapsis model for control of packaging initiation that may apply to all the pac site phages and explain the variety of ring structures found among them. Comparable motor proteins act among phages, herpes- and adenoviruses, although only the phage motors can thus far be studied in vitro. Our studies will provide a better understanding of the packaging motor mechanism, thus are relevant to the broad mission of the NIH as our findings may be of medical importance in developing antivirals and other interventions that protect human health.
| Thomas, Julie A; Orwenyo, Jared; Wang, Lai-Xi et al. (2018) The Odd ""RB"" Phage-Identification of Arabinosylation as a New Epigenetic Modification of DNA in T4-Like Phage RB69. Viruses 10: |
