Charles J. Russell

The receptor-binding domain of influenza virus hemagglutinin produced in Escherichia coli folds into its native, immunogenic structure.

ABSTRACT The hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein promotes influenza virus entry and is the key protective antigen in natural immunity and vaccines. The HA protein is a trimeric envelope glycoprotein consisting of a globular receptor-binding domain (HA-RBD) that is inserted into a membrane fusion-mediating stalk domain. Similar to other class I viral fusion proteins, the fusogenic stalk domain spontaneously refolds into its postfusion conformation when expressed in isolation, consistent with this domain being trapped in a metastable conformation. Using X-ray crystallography, we show that the influenza virus HA-RBD refolds spontaneously into its native, immunogenic structure even when expressed in an unglycosylated form in Escherichia coli. In the 2.10-Å structure of the HA-RBD, the receptor-binding pocket is intact and its conformational epitopes are preserved. Recombinant HA-RBD is immunogenic and protective in ferrets, and the protein also binds with specificity to sera from influenza virus-infected humans. Overall, the data provide a structural basis for the rapid production of influenza vaccines in E. coli. From an evolutionary standpoint, the ability of the HA-RBD to refold spontaneously into its native conformation suggests that influenza virus acquired this domain as an insertion into an ancestral membrane-fusion domain. The insertion of independently folding domains into fusogenic stalk domains may be a common feature of class I viral fusion proteins.

Influenza virus hemagglutinin concentrates in lipid raft microdomains for efficient viral fusion

Lipid raft microdomains are enriched in sphingomyelin and cholesterol and function as platforms for signal transduction and as the site of budding of several enveloped viruses, including influenza virus. The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein, which mediates both viral-cell attachment and membrane fusion, associates intrinsically with lipid rafts. Residues in the HA transmembrane (TM) domain are important for raft association as sequence substitutions in the HA TM domain ablate HA association with rafts (nonraft HA). Cells expressing either WT or nonraft HA cause complete fusion (lipid mixing and content mixing) over widely varying HA expression levels. However, the number of fusion events measured for nonraft HA mutant protein at all HA surface densities was reduced to ≈55% of the events for WT HA protein. Mutant influenza viruses were generated that contain the nonraft HA TM domain alterations. Electron microscopy experiments showed that WT HA was distributed at the cell surface in clusters of 200–280 nm in diameter, whereas nonraft HA was distributed mostly randomly at the plasma membrane. Nonraft HA virus showed reduced budding, contained reduced amounts of HA protein, was greatly reduced in infectivity, and exhibited decreased virus–membrane fusion activity. Cholesterol depletion of virus did not affect the ability of virions to cause either virus–cell lipid mixing or virus-mediated hemolysis, a surrogate for content mixing. Taken together, the data suggest that HA clusters in rafts to provide a sufficient concentration of HA in budding virus to mediate efficient virus–cell fusion.

Membrane fusion machines of paramyxoviruses: capture of intermediates of fusion

Peptides derived from heptad repeat regions adjacent to the fusion peptide and transmembrane domains of many viral fusion proteins form stable helical bundles and inhibit fusion specifically. Paramyxovirus SV5 fusion (F) protein‐mediated fusion and its inhibition by the peptides N‐1 and C‐1 were analyzed. The temperature dependence of fusion by F suggests that thermal energy, destabilizing proline residues and receptor binding by the hemagglutinin–neuraminidase (HN) protein collectively contribute to F activation from a metastable native state. F‐mediated fusion was reversibly arrested by low temperature or membrane‐incorporated lipids, and the resulting F intermediates were characterized. N‐1 inhibited an earlier F intermediate than C‐1. Co‐expression of HN with F lowered the temperature required to attain the N‐1‐inhibited intermediate, consistent with HN binding to its receptor stimulating a conformational change in F. C‐1 bound and inhibited an intermediate of F that could be detected until a point directly preceding membrane merger. The data are consistent with C‐1 binding a pre‐hairpin intermediate of F and with helical bundle formation being coupled directly to membrane fusion.

The Genesis of a Pandemic Influenza Virus

Pandemic influenza viruses pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. In a recent Nature paper, Taubenberger et al. (2005) now report remarkable similarities between the polymerase genes of the influenza virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic and those of avian influenza viruses. Meanwhile, Tumpey et al. (2005) reporting in Science show that the reconstructed 1918 Spanish influenza virus kills mice faster than any other influenza virus so far tested.

Influenza HA Subtypes Demonstrate Divergent Phenotypes for Cleavage Activation and pH of Fusion: Implications for Host Range and Adaptation

The influenza A virus (IAV) HA protein must be activated by host cells proteases in order to prime the molecule for fusion. Consequently, the availability of activating proteases and the susceptibility of HA to protease activity represents key factors in facilitating virus infection. As such, understanding the intricacies of HA cleavage by various proteases is necessary to derive insights into the emergence of pandemic viruses. To examine these properties, we generated a panel of HAs that are representative of the 16 HA subtypes that circulate in aquatic birds, as well as HAs representative of the subtypes that have infected the human population over the last century. We examined the susceptibility of the panel of HA proteins to trypsin, as well as human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT) and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Additionally, we examined the pH at which these HAs mediated membrane fusion, as this property is related to the stability of the HA molecule and influences the capacity of influenza viruses to remain infectious in natural environments. Our results show that cleavage efficiency can vary significantly for individual HAs, depending on the protease, and that some HA subtypes display stringent selectivity for specific proteases as activators of fusion function. Additionally, we found that the pH of fusion varies by 0.7 pH units among the subtypes, and notably, we observed that the pH of fusion for most HAs from human isolates was lower than that observed from avian isolates of the same subtype. Overall, these data provide the first broad-spectrum analysis of cleavage-activation and membrane fusion characteristics for all of the IAV HA subtypes, and also show that there are substantial differences between the subtypes that may influence transmission among hosts and establishment in new species.

Novel Inhibitors of Influenza Virus Fusion: Structure-Activity Relationship and Interaction with the Viral Hemagglutinin

ABSTRACT A new class of N-(1-thia-4-azaspiro[4.5]decan-4-yl)carboxamide inhibitors of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA)-mediated membrane fusion that has a narrow and defined structure-activity relationship was identified. In Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells infected with different strains of human influenza virus A/H3N2, the lead compound, 4c, displayed a 50% effective concentration of 3 to 23 μM and an antiviral selectivity index of 10. No activity was observed for A/H1N1, A/H5N1, A/H7N2, and B viruses. The activity of 4c was reduced considerably when added 30 min or later postinfection, indicating that 4c inhibits an early step in virus replication. 4c and its congeners inhibited influenza A/H3N2 virus-induced erythrocyte hemolysis at low pH. 4c-resistant virus mutants, selected in MDCK cells, contained either a single D112N change in the HA2 subunit of the viral HA or a combination of three substitutions, i.e., R220S (in HA1) and E57K (in HA2) and an A-T substitution at position 43 or 96 of HA2. The mutants showed efficiency for receptor binding and replication similar to that of wild-type virus yet displayed an increased pH of erythrocyte hemolysis. In polykaryon assays with cells expressing single-mutant HA proteins, the E57K, A96T, and D112N mutations resulted in 4c resistance, and the HA proteins containing R220S, A96T, and D112N mutations displayed an increased fusion pH. Molecular modeling identified a binding cavity for 4c involving arginine-54 and glutamic acid-57 in the HA2 subunit. Our studies with the new fusion inhibitor 4c confirm the importance of this HA region in the development of influenza virus fusion inhibitors.

A dual-functional paramyxovirus F protein regulatory switch segment: activation and membrane fusion

Many viral fusion–mediating glycoproteins couple α-helical bundle formation to membrane merger, but have different methods for fusion activation. To study paramyxovirus-mediated fusion, we mutated the SV5 fusion (F) protein at conserved residues L447 and I449, which are adjacent to heptad repeat (HR) B and bind to a prominent cavity in the HRA trimeric coiled coil in the fusogenic six-helix bundle (6HB) structure. These analyses on residues L447 and I449, both in intact F protein and in 6HB, suggest a metamorphic region around these residues with dual structural roles. Mutation of L447 and I449 to aliphatic residues destabilizes the 6HB structure and attenuates fusion activity. Mutation of L447 and I449 to aromatic residues also destabilizes the 6HB structure despite promoting hyperactive fusion, indicating that 6HB stability alone does not dictate fusogenicity. Thus, residues L447 and I449 adjacent to HRB in paramyxovirus F have distinct roles in fusion activation and 6HB formation, suggesting this region is involved in a conformational switch.

The pH of Activation of the Hemagglutinin Protein Regulates H5N1 Influenza Virus Pathogenicity and Transmissibility in Ducks

ABSTRACT While the molecular mechanism of membrane fusion by the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein has been studied extensively in vitro, the role of acid-dependent HA protein activation in virus replication, pathogenesis, and transmission in vivo has not been characterized. To investigate the biological significance of the pH of activation of the HA protein, we compared the properties of four recombinant viruses with altered HA protein acid stability to those of wild-type influenza virus A/chicken/Vietnam/C58/04 (H5N1) in vitro and in mallards. Membrane fusion by wild-type virus was activated at pH 5.9. Wild-type virus had a calculated environmental persistence of 62 days and caused extensive morbidity, mortality, shedding, and transmission in mallards. An N114K mutation that increased the pH of HA activation by 0.5 unit resulted in decreased replication, genetic stability, and environmental stability. Changes of +0.4 and −0.5 unit in the pH of activation by Y23H and K58I mutations, respectively, reduced weight loss, mortality, shedding, and transmission in mallards. An H24Q mutation that decreased the pH of activation by 0.3 unit resulted in weight loss, mortality, clinical symptoms, and shedding similar to those of the wild type. However, the HA-H241Q virus was shed more extensively into drinking water and persisted longer in the environment. The pH of activation of the H5 HA protein plays a key role in the propagation of H5N1 influenza viruses in ducks and may be a novel molecular factor in the ecology of influenza viruses. The data also demonstrate that H5N1 neuraminidase activity increases the pH of activation of the HA protein in vitro.

Continuing progress towards a unified nomenclature for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses: Divergence of clade 2·2 viruses

Correspondence: Dr Ruben O. Donis, Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch, Influenza Division, NCIRD, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS-G16, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. Email: rvd6@cdc.gov Dr Gavin Smith, State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. E-mail: gjsmith@hku.hk *WHO ⁄ OIE ⁄ FAO H5N1 Evolution Working Group members and collaborators can be found in the Appendix.

Amino Acid Residues in the Fusion Peptide Pocket Regulate the pH of Activation of the H5N1 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Protein

ABSTRACT The receptor specificity and cleavability of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein have been shown to regulate influenza A virus transmissibility and pathogenicity, but little is known about how its pH of activation contributes to these important biological properties. To identify amino acid residues that regulate the acid stability of the HA protein of H5N1 influenza viruses, we performed a mutational analysis of the HA protein of the moderately pathogenic A/chicken/Vietnam/C58/04 (H5N1) virus. Nineteen HA proteins containing point mutations in the HA2 coiled-coil domain or in an HA1 histidine or basic patch were generated. Wild-type and mutant HA plasmids were transiently transfected in cell culture and analyzed for total protein expression, surface expression, cleavage efficiency, pH of fusion, and pH of conformational change. Four mutations to residues in the fusion peptide pocket, Y23H and H24Q in the HA1 subunit and E105K and N114K in the HA2 subunit, and a K58I mutation in the HA2 coiled-coil domain significantly altered the pH of activation of the H5 HA protein. In some cases, the magnitude and direction of changes of individual mutations in the H5 HA protein differed considerably from similar mutations in other influenza A virus HA subtypes. Introduction of Y23H, H24Q, K58I, and N114K mutations into recombinant viruses resulted in virus-expressed HA proteins with similar shifts in the pH of fusion. Overall, the data show that residues comprising the fusion peptide pocket are important in triggering pH-dependent activation of the H5 HA protein.