75 research outputs found
The nonstructural proteins of the hepatitis C virus: Structure and functions
No full textThe hepatitis C virus is the major causative agent of nonA-nonB hepatitis worldwide. Although this virus cannot be cultivated in cell culture, several of its features have been elucidated in the past few years. The viral genome is a single-stranded, 9.5kb long RNA molecule of positive polarity, The viral genome is translated into a single polyprotein of about 3000 amino acids. The virally encoded polyprotein undergoes proteolytic processing by a combination of cellular and viral proteolytic enzymes in order to yield all the mature viral gene products, The gene order of HCV has been determined to be C-E1-E2-p7-NS2-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B. The mature structural proteins, C, E1 and E2 have been shown to arise from the viral polyprotein via proteolytic processing by host signal peptidases. Conversely, generation of the mature nonstructural proteins relies on the activity of viral proteases. Thus, cleavage at the NS2/NS3 junction is accomplished by a metal-dependent autoprotease encoded within NS2 and the N-terminus of NS3. The remaining cleavages downstream from this site are effected by a serine protease contained within the N-terminal region of NS3. Besides the protease domain, NS3 also contains an RNA helicase domain at its C-terminus. NS3 forms a heterodimeric complex with NS4A, The latter is a membrane protein that has been shown to act as a cofactor of the protease. Whereas the NS5B protein has been shown to be the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, no function has yet been attributed to NS4B and NS5A, The latter is a cytoplasmic phosphoprotein and appears to be involved in mediating the resistance of the hepatitis C virus to the action of interferon
Hepatitis C virus-specific directly acting antiviral drugs
No full textThe major targets for direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are the NS3/4A protease, the NS5A protein, and the NS5B polymerase. The latter enzyme offers several target sites: the catalytic domain for nucleoside/nucleotide analogs and different allosteric sites for non-nucleoside inhibitors. Two protease inhibitors have already been approved and more than 40 new NS3/4A, NS5A, or NS5B inhibitors are in development pipeline. Not only these agents can achieve very high cure rates when combined with PEG-IFN and RBV, but have also started to provide promising results when combined in IFN-free, all-oral combinations. In addition to the more canonical drug targets, new alternative viral targets for small molecule drug development are emerging, such as p7 or NS4B. Current research is focusing on defining the most efficacious DAA combination regimens, i.e., those which provide the highest rates of viral eradication, broadest spectrum of action, minimal or no clinical resistance, shortest treatment duration, and good tolerability
Oxysterol-binding protein is a phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase effector required for HCV replication membrane integrity and cholesterol trafficking
No full textBackground & Aims Positive-sense RNA viruses remodel intracellular membranes to generate specialized membrane compartments for viral replication. Several RNA viruses, including poliovirus and hepatitis C virus (HCV), require phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4-kinases for their replication. However, it is not known how PI 4-kinases and their product, PI(4)P, facilitate host membrane reorganization and viral replication. In addition, although the HCV replication compartment, known as the membranous web, is believed to be cholesterol enriched, the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been elucidated. We aimed to identify and characterize a PI 4-kinase effector in HCV replication. Methods We used a combination of microscopic and biochemical methods to study HCV replication, web morphology, the distribution of intracellular protein and PI(4)P, along with cholesterol trafficking in HCV-infected cells. PI 4-kinase and oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP) were inhibited using RNA interference or small molecules in cells expressing a full-length genotype 1b replicon or infected with the JFH-1 strain of HCV. Results OSBP was required for HCV replication and membranous web integrity. OSBP was recruited to membranous webs in a PI 4-kinase-dependent manner, and both these factors were found to regulate cholesterol trafficking to the web. We also found OSBP to be required for poliovirus infection but dispensable for dengue virus. Conclusions OSBP is a PI 4-kinase effector in HCV infection, and contributes to the integrity and cholesterol enrichment of the membranous web. OSBP might also be a PI 4-kinase effector in poliovirus infection and could be involved in replication of other viruses that require PI 4-kinases
Hepatitis C virus NS5A is a direct substrate of casein kinase I-α, a cellular kinase identified by inhibitor affinity chromatography using specific NS5A hyperphosphorylation inhibitors
No full textThe hepatitis C virus encodes a single polyprotein that is processed by host and viral proteases to yield at least 10 mature viral proteins. The nonstructural (NS) protein 5A is a phosphoprotein, and experimental data indicate that the phosphorylation state of NS5A is important for the outcome of viral RNA replication. We were able to identify kinase inhibitors that specifically inhibit the formation of the hyperphosphorylated form of NS5A (p58) in cells. These kinase inhibitors were used for inhibitor affinity chromatography in order to identify the cellular targets of these compounds. The kinases casein kinase I (CKI), p38 MAPK, CIT (Citron Rho-interacting kinase), GAK, JNK2, PKA, RSK1/2, and RIPK2 were identified in the high affinity binding fractions of two NS5A hyperphosphorylation inhibitors (NS5A-p58-i). Even though these kinases are targets of the NS5A-p58-i, the only kinase showing an effect on NS5A hyperphosphorylation was confirmed to be CKI-α. Although this finding does not exclude the possibility that other kinase(s) might be involved in basal or regulatory phosphorylation of NS5A, we show here that NS5A is a direct substrate of CKI-α. Moreover, in vitro phosphorylation of NS5A by CKI-α resulted for the first time in the production of basal and hyperphosphorylated forms resembling those produced in cells. In vitro kinase reactions performed with NS5A peptides show that Ser-2204 is a preferred substrate residue for CKI-α after pre-phosphorylation of Ser-2201
A novel, inducible, eukaryotic gene expression system based on the quorum‐sensing transcription factor TraR
No full textBacteria adapt their pattern of gene expression in response to a variety of external cues, including fluctuations in population density. This type of bacterial cell-to-cell communication is referred to as quorum-sensing. Quorum-sensing systems are present in many bacterial species and constitute a large collection of ligands and cognate receptors. The availability of such diversity offers interesting opportunities for biotechnological exploitation. We describe here the transformation of the quorum-sensing system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens into a transcription regulatory system that works in mammalian cells. The A. tumefaciens TraR protein was fused to the eukaryotic activation domain of NF-kappaB p65, generating a novel chimaeric transcriptional activator that stimulates gene transcription in different human cell lines from a minimal promoter containing the TraR DNA recognition sequence in the presence of the Agrobacterium quorum-sensing signal molecule N-(3-oxo-octanoyl)homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C-8-HSL). The basal level of transcription was low in the absence of 3-oxo-C-8-HSL, and gene expression was stimulated up to 1,000-fold at a saturating concentration of 3-oxo-C-8-HSL
The alpha isoform of protein kinase CKI is responsible for hepatitis C virus NS5A hyperphosphorylation
No full textHepatitis C virus (HCV) has been the subject of intensive studies for nearly two decades. Nevertheless, some aspects of the virus life cycle are still a mystery. The HCV nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) has been shown to be a modulator of cellular processes possibly required for the establishment of viral persistence. NS5A is heavily phosphorylated, and a switch between a basally phosphorylated form of NS5A (p56) and a hyperphosphorylated form of NS5A (p58) seems to play a pivotal role in regulating HCV replication. Using kinase inhibitors that specifically inhibit the formation of NS5A-p58 in cells, we identified the CKI kinase family as a target. NS5A-p58 increased upon overexpression of CKI-α, CKI-δ, and CKI-ε, whereas the RNA interference of only CKI-α reduced NS5A hyperphosphorylation. Rescue of inhibition of NS5A-p58 was achieved by CKI-α overexpression, and we demonstrated that the CKI-α isoform is targeted by NS5A hyperphosphorylation inhibitors in living cells. Finally, we showed that down-regulation of CKI-α attenuates HCV RNA replication
The crystal structure of the quorum sensing protein TraR bound to its autoinducer and target DNA
No full textThe quorum sensing system allows bacteria to sense their cell density and initiate an altered pattern of gene expression after a sufficient quorum of cells has accumulated. In Agrobacterium tumefaciens, quorum sensing controls conjugal transfer of the tumour- inducing plasmid, responsible for plant crown gall disease. The core components of this system are the transcriptional regulator TraR and its inducing ligand N-(3-oxo-octanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone. This complex binds DNA and activates gene expression. We have determined the crystal structure of TraR in complex with its autoinducer and target DNA (PDB code 1h0m). The protein is dimeric, with each monomer composed of an N-terminal domain, which binds the ligand in an enclosed cavity far from the dimerization region, and a C-terminal domain, which binds DNA via a helix-turn-helix motif. The structure reveals an asymmetric homodimer, with one monomer longer than the other. The N-terminal domain resembles GAF/PAS domains, normally fused to catalytic signalling domains. In TraR, the gene fusion is between a GAF/PAS domain and a DNA-binding domain, resulting in a specific transcriptional regulator involved in quorum sensing
Reduction of hepatitis C virus NS5A hyperphosphorylation by selective inhibition of cellular kinases activates viral RNA replication in cell culture
No full textEfficient replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) subgenomic RNA in cell culture requires the introduction of adaptive mutations. In this report we describe a system which enables efficient replication of the Con1 subgenomic replicon in Huh7 cells without the introduction of adaptive mutations. The starting hypothesis was that high amounts of the NS5A hyperphosphorylated form, p58, inhibit replication and that reduction of p58 by inhibition of specific kinase(s) below a certain threshold enables HCV replication. Upon screening of a panel of kinase inhibitors, we selected three compounds which inhibited NS5A phosphorylation in vitro and the formation of NS5A p58 in cell culture. Cells, transfected with the HCV Con1 wild-type sequence, support HCV RNA replication upon addition of any of the three compounds. The effect of the kinase inhibitors was found to be synergistic with coadaptive mutations in NS3. This is the first direct demonstration that the presence of high amounts of NS5A-p58 causes inhibition of HCV RNA replication in cell culture and that this inhibition can be relieved by kinase inhibitors
Probing the elusive catalytic activity of vertebrate class IIa histone deacetylases
No full textIt has been widely debated whether class IIa HDACs have catalytic deacetylase activity, and whether this plays any part in controlling gene expression. Herein, it has been demonstrated that class IIa HDACs isolated from mammalian cells are contaminated with other deacetylases, but can be prepared cleanly in Escherichia coli. These bacteria preparations have weak but measurable deacetylase activity. The low efficiency can be restored either by: mutation of an active site histidine to tyrosine, or by the use of a non-acetylated lysine substrate, allowing the development of assays to identify class IIa HDAC inhibitors
Martensitic stainless steel : evolution of austenite during low temperature annealing and design of press hardening alloys
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