Elsevier

Virology

Volume 416, Issues 1–2, 20 July–1 August 2011, Pages 16-25
Virology

The protease-sensitive loop of the vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein is involved in virus assembly and protein translation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2011.04.013Get rights and content
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Abstract

To study the contribution of the protease-sensitive loop of the VSV M protein in virus assembly we recovered recombinant VSV (rVSV) with mutations in this region and examined virus replication. Mutations in the highly conserved LXD motif (aa 123–125) resulted in reduced virion budding, reduced virus titers and enhanced M protein exchange with M-ribonucleocapsid complexes (M-RNPs), suggesting that the mutant M proteins were less tightly associated with RNP skeletons. In addition, viral protein synthesis began to decrease at 4 h post-infection (hpi) and was reduced by ~ 80% at 8 hpi for the mutant rVSV-D125A. The reduced protein synthesis was not due to decreased VSV replication or transcription; however, translation of a reporter gene with an EMCV IRES was not reduced, suggesting that cap-dependent, but not cap-independent translation initiation was affected in rVSV-D125A infected cells. These results indicate that the LXD motif is involved in both virus assembly and VSV protein translation.

Keywords

Vesicular stomatitis virus
Matrix protein
Virus assembly
Virus protein translation

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1

Current address: University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0610, USA.