The N terminus of Rift Valley fever virus nucleoprotein is essential for dimerization

J Virol. 2005 Sep;79(18):11974-80. doi: 10.1128/JVI.79.18.11974-11980.2005.

Abstract

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a Phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family. The nucleoprotein N is the most abundant component of the virion; numerous copies of N associate with the viral RNA genome and form pseudohelicoidal ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) circularized by a panhandle structure formed by the base-paired RNA sequences at the 3' and 5' termini. These structures play a central role in transcription and replication. We investigated the intermolecular interactions of the RVFV N protein and found that after chemical cross-linking treatment, the nucleoprotein from purified RNPs migrates mainly as dimers. The N-N interaction was studied using the yeast two-hybrid system, the GST pull-down method, and mutational analysis. We demonstrated that the N terminus from residue 1 to 71, and particularly Tyr 4 and Phe 11, which are conserved among phlebovirus N sequences, are involved in the interaction. The C-terminal region did not seem to be essential for the N-N interaction. Moreover, we showed that N(TOS), the N protein of the related Toscana phlebovirus, interacts with itself and forms heterodimers with N(RVF), suggesting that the dimeric form of N may be a conserved feature in phlebovirus RNPs.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Dimerization
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Nucleocapsid Proteins / chemistry*
  • Nucleocapsid Proteins / genetics
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Rift Valley fever virus / chemistry*
  • Rift Valley fever virus / genetics
  • Sandfly fever Naples virus / chemistry
  • Sandfly fever Naples virus / genetics
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Species Specificity
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques
  • Vero Cells

Substances

  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Nucleocapsid Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins