Ebola virus VP24 proteins inhibit the interaction of NPI-1 subfamily karyopherin alpha proteins with activated STAT1

J Virol. 2007 Dec;81(24):13469-77. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01097-07. Epub 2007 Oct 10.

Abstract

The Zaire ebolavirus protein VP24 was previously demonstrated to inhibit alpha/beta interferon (IFN-alpha/beta)- and IFN-gamma-induced nuclear accumulation of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 (PY-STAT1) and to inhibit IFN-alpha/beta- and IFN-gamma-induced gene expression. These properties correlated with the ability of VP24 to interact with the nuclear localization signal receptor for PY-STAT1, karyopherin alpha1. Here, VP24 is demonstrated to interact not only with overexpressed but also with endogenous karyopherin alpha1. Mutational analysis demonstrated that VP24 binds within the PY-STAT1 binding region located in the C terminus of karyopherin alpha1. In addition, VP24 was found to inhibit PY-STAT1 binding to both overexpressed and endogenous karyopherin alpha1. We assessed the binding of both PY-STAT1 and the VP24 proteins from Zaire, mouse-adapted Zaire, and Reston Ebola viruses for interaction with all six members of the human karyopherin alpha family. We found, in contrast to previous studies, that PY-STAT1 can interact not only with karyopherin alpha1 but also with karyopherins alpha5 and alpha6, which together comprise the NPI-1 subfamily of karyopherin alphaS. Similarly, all three VP24s bound and inhibited PY-STAT1 interaction with karyopherins alpha1, alpha5, and alpha6. Consistent with their ability to inhibit the karyopherin-PY-STAT1 interaction, Zaire, mouse-adapted Zaire, and Reston Ebola virus VP24s displayed similar capacities to inhibit IFN-beta-induced gene expression in human and mouse cells. These findings suggest that VP24 inhibits interaction of PY-STAT1 with karyopherins alpha1, alpha5, or alpha6 by binding within the PY-STAT1 binding region of the karyopherins and that this function is conserved among the VP24 proteins of different Ebola virus species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Ebolavirus / genetics
  • Ebolavirus / metabolism*
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • STAT1 Transcription Factor / drug effects*
  • STAT1 Transcription Factor / genetics
  • STAT1 Transcription Factor / metabolism*
  • Transfection
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Proteins / metabolism*
  • Viral Proteins / pharmacology
  • alpha Karyopherins / drug effects*
  • alpha Karyopherins / genetics
  • alpha Karyopherins / metabolism*

Substances

  • KPNA1 protein, human
  • STAT1 Transcription Factor
  • VP24 protein, Ebola virus
  • Viral Proteins
  • alpha Karyopherins