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Crystal structures of alphavirus nonstructural protein 4 (nsP4) reveal an intrinsically dynamic RNA-dependent RNA polymerase fold
Structural highlights
FunctionPOLN_SINDV P123 and P123' are short-lived polyproteins, accumulating during early stage of infection. P123 is directly translated from the genome, whereas P123' is a product of the cleavage of P1234. They localize the viral replication complex to the cytoplasmic surface of modified endosomes and lysosomes. By interacting with nsP4, they start viral genome replication into antigenome. After these early events, P123 and P123' are cleaved sequentially into nsP1, nsP2 and nsP3/nsP3'. This sequence of delayed processing would allow correct assembly and membrane association of the RNA polymerase complex. nsP1 is a cytoplasmic capping enzyme. This function is necessary since all viral RNAs are synthesized in the cytoplasm, and host capping enzymes are restricted to the nucleus. The enzymatic reaction involves a covalent link between 7-methyl-GMP and nsP1, whereas eukaryotic capping enzymes form a covalent complex only with GMP. nsP1 capping would consist in the following reactions: GTP is first methylated and then forms the m7GMp-nsP1 complex, from which 7-methyl-GMP complex is transferred to the mRNA to create the cap structure. Palmitoylated nsP1 is remodeling host cell cytoskeleton, and induces filopodium-like structure formation at the surface of the host cell. nsP2 has two separate domain with different biological activities. The N-terminal section is part of the RNA polymerase complex and has RNA trisphosphatase and RNA helicase activity. The C-terminal section harbors a protease that specifically cleaves and releases the four mature proteins. Also inhibits cellular transcription by inducing rapid degradation of POLR2A, a catalytic subunit of the RNAPII complex. The resulting inhibition of cellular protein synthesis serves to ensure maximal viral gene expression and to evade host immune response. nsP3 and nsP3' are essential for minus strand and subgenomic 26S mRNA synthesis. nsP4 is an RNA dependent RNA polymerase. It replicates genomic and antigenomic RNA by recognizing replications specific signals. Transcribes also a 26S subgenomic mRNA by initiating RNA synthesis internally on antigenomic RNA. This 26S mRNA codes for structural proteins. nsP4 is a short-lived protein regulated by several ways: the opal codon readthrough and degradation by ubiquitin pathway. Publication Abstract from PubMedAlphaviruses such as Ross River virus (RRV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Sindbis virus (SINV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) are mosquito-borne pathogens that can cause arthritis or encephalitis diseases. Nonstructural protein 4 (nsP4) of alphaviruses possesses RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity essential for viral RNA replication. No 3D structure has been available for nsP4 of any alphaviruses despite its importance for understanding alphaviral RNA replication and for the design of antiviral drugs. Here, we report crystal structures of the RdRp domain of nsP4 from both RRV and SINV determined at resolutions of 2.6 A and 1.9 A. The structure of the alphavirus RdRp domain appears most closely related to RdRps from pestiviruses, noroviruses, and picornaviruses. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods showed that in solution, nsP4 is highly dynamic with an intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain. Both full-length nsP4 and the RdRp domain were capable to catalyze RNA polymerization. Structure-guided mutagenesis using a trans-replicase system identified nsP4 regions critical for viral RNA replication. Crystal structures of alphavirus nonstructural protein 4 (nsP4) reveal an intrinsically dynamic RNA-dependent RNA polymerase fold.,Tan YB, Lello LS, Liu X, Law YS, Kang C, Lescar J, Zheng J, Merits A, Luo D Nucleic Acids Res. 2022 Jan 25;50(2):1000-1016. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkab1302. PMID:35037043[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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