Tegument Proteins Help Route Herpesvirus
Mar 29, 2005 - 5:50:00 PM
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The researchers found that the tegument proteins are the key components of the capsid transport complex; when tegument proteins were associated with the capsid, the viral particles moved toward the axon (anterograde motion).
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By PNAS,
[RxPG] Tegument proteins, which lie between the viral capsid and membrane envelope, route herpesviruses to either the cell bodies or axon terminals of neurons, according to Gant Luxton et al.
The α-herpesviruses, which cause cold sores and shingles, enter sensory neurons, where they take up lifelong residence. When the viruses become reactivated, the progeny virus particles travel down axons to the periphery, resulting in physical symptoms.
The viral proteins associated with the microtubule motors that allow this transport remain unknown. To determine which viral proteins were involved in trafficking, Luxton et al. used correlative motion analysis to simultaneously track fluorescently labeled capsid and tegument proteins in living neurons.
The researchers found that the tegument proteins are the key components of the capsid transport complex; when tegument proteins were associated with the capsid, the viral particles moved toward the axon (anterograde motion). Conversely, when tegument proteins were removed, viral particles moved toward the cell body (retrograde motion). Identifying tegument proteins as an important component of the capsid transport complex reveals a key mechanistic step in the infectious cycle of human herpesvirus.
Publication:
"Targeting of herpesvirus capsid transport in axons is coupled to association with specific sets of tegument proteins" by G. W. Gant Luxton, Sarah Haverlock, Kelly Elizabeth Coller, Sarah Elizabeth Antinone, Andrew Pincetic, and Gregory Allan Smith
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The articles in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report original research by independent authors and do not necessarily represent the view of the National Academies. PNAS and PNAS Online are both copyrighted © 2004 by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
PNAS is one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serials. Since its establishment in 1914, it continues to publish cutting-edge research reports, commentaries, reviews, perspectives, colloquium papers, and actions of the Academy. Coverage in PNAS spans the biological, physical, and social sciences. PNAS is published weekly in print, and daily online in PNAS Early Edition. The PNAS impact factor is 10.3 for 2003. PNAS is available by subscription.
PNAS is abstracted and/or indexed in: Index Medicus, PubMed Central, Current Contents, Medline, SPIN, JSTOR, ISI Web of Science, and BIOSIS.
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