Ekaterina E. Heldwein

Entry of herpesviruses into mammalian cells

Abstract.The mechanism that herpesviruses use to enter cells is one of the most complex viral entry mechanisms studied so far. This complexity seems to mount as new participants, both cellular receptors and viral glycoproteins, are identified. Recent structural work on entry glycoproteins gD and gB from herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 has illuminated the functional roles of these glycoproteins in the process of entry. In doing so, it provided information on the mechanism of two critical steps of HSV entry: receptor-mediated activation and membrane fusion. Remarkably, it is becoming clear that herpesviruses have a lot in common with other, simpler viruses.

Crystal structure of the transcription activator BmrR bound to DNA and a drug.

The efflux of chemically diverse drugs by multidrug transporters that span the membrane is one mechanism of multidrug resistance in bacteria. The concentrations of many of these transporters are controlled by transcription regulators, such as BmrR in Bacillus subtilis, EmrR in Escherichia coli and QacR in Staphylococcus aureus . These proteins promote transporter gene expression when they bind toxic compounds. BmrR activates transcription of the multidrug transporter gene, bmr, in response to cellular invasion by certain lipophilic cationic compounds (drugs). BmrR belongs to the MerR family, which regulates response to stress such as exposure to toxic compounds or oxygen radicals in bacteria. MerR proteins have homologous amino-terminal DNA-binding domains but different carboxy-terminal domains, which enable them to bind specific ‘coactivator’ molecules. When bound to coactivator, MerR proteins upregulate transcription by reconfiguring the 19-base-pair spacer found between the -35 and -10 promoter elements to allow productive interaction with RNA polymerase. Here we report the 3.0 Å resolution structure of BmrR in complex with the drug tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP) and a 22-base-pair oligodeoxynucleotide encompassing the bmr promoter. The structure reveals an unexpected mechanism for transcription activation that involves localized base-pair breaking, and base sliding and realignment of the -35 and -10 operator elements.

Crystal structure of the conserved herpesvirus fusion regulator complex gH–gL

Herpesviruses, which cause many incurable diseases, infect cells by fusing viral and cellular membranes. Whereas most other enveloped viruses use a single viral catalyst called a fusogen, herpesviruses, inexplicably, require two conserved fusion-machinery components, gB and the heterodimer gH–gL, plus other nonconserved components. gB is a class III viral fusogen, but unlike other members of its class, it does not function alone. We determined the crystal structure of the gH ectodomain bound to gL from herpes simplex virus 2. gH–gL is an unusually tight complex with a unique architecture that, unexpectedly, does not resemble any known viral fusogen. Instead, we propose that gH–gL activates gB for fusion, possibly through direct binding. Formation of a gB–gH–gL complex is critical for fusion and is inhibited by a neutralizing antibody, making the gB–gH–gL interface a promising antiviral target.

Mutational Evidence of Internal Fusion Loops in Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein B

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein B (gB) is one of four glycoproteins necessary and sufficient for HSV cellular entry. Recently, the crystal structures of HSV-1 gB and vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein G were determined. Surprisingly, the two proteins share remarkable structural homology. Both proteins are homotrimeric and center about a long alpha-helix, features reminiscent of class I fusion proteins, such as influenza virus hemagglutinin or paramyxovirus F. However, these structures revealed that G has internal fusion loops, similar to the fusion loops of the class II fusion proteins, and that these loops are structurally conserved in gB. To examine whether these putative fusion loops are important for gB function, we mutated potential membrane-interacting (hydrophobic) residues to charged amino acids. Of most interest were mutant gB proteins that were expressed on the cell surface and were recognized by monoclonal antibodies against conformational epitopes but lacked the ability to function in cell-cell fusion assays. We find that three of the five hydrophobic amino acids targeted in these loops, tryptophan 174, tyrosine 179, and alanine 261, are integral in the function of gB. Our data suggest that they are part of an important functional domain. We hypothesize that two loops in domain 1 of HSV gB function as fusion loops. Our data are further evidence that gB is a viral fusogen and suggest clues as to how gB may function.

Antigenic and Mutational Analyses of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein B Reveal Four Functional Regions

ABSTRACT Glycoprotein B (gB), along with gD, gH, and gL, is essential for herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry. The crystal structure of the gB ectodomain revealed it to be an elongated multidomain trimer. We generated and characterized a panel of 67 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Eleven of the MAbs had virus-neutralizing activity. To organize gB into functional regions within these domains, we localized the epitopes recognized by the entire panel of MAbs and mapped them onto the crystal structure of gB. Most of the MAbs were directed to continuous or discontinuous epitopes, but several recognized discontinuous epitopes that showed some resistance to denaturation, and we refer to them as pseudo-continuous. Each category contained some MAbs with neutralizing activity. To map continuous epitopes, we used overlapping peptides that spanned the gB ectodomain and measured binding by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To identify discontinuous and pseudocontinuous epitopes, a purified form of the ectodomain of gB, gB(730t), was cleaved by α-chymotrypsin into two major fragments comprising amino acids 98 to 472 (domains I and II) and amino acids 473 to 730 (major parts of domains III, IV, and V). We also constructed a series of gB truncations to augment the other mapping strategies. Finally, we used biosensor analysis to assign the MAbs to competition groups. Together, our results identified four functional regions: (i) one formed by residues within domain I and amino acids 697 to 725 of domain V; (ii) a second formed by residues 391 to 410, residues 454 to 475, and a less-defined region within domain II; (iii) a region containing residues of domain IV that lie close to domain III; and (iv) the first 12 residues of the N terminus that were not resolved in the crystal structure. Our data suggest that multiple domains are critical for gB function.

Membrane deformation and scission by the HSV-1 nuclear egress complex

The nuclear egress complex (NEC) of herpesviruses such as HSV-1 is essential for the exit of nascent capsids from the cell nucleus. The NEC drives nuclear envelope vesiculation in cells, but the precise budding mechanism and the potential involvement of cellular proteins are unclear. Here we report that HSV-1 NEC alone is sufficient for membrane budding in vitro and thus represents a complete membrane deformation and scission machinery. It forms ordered coats on the inner surface of budded vesicles, suggesting that it mediates scission by scaffolding the membrane bud and constricting the neck to the point of scission. The inward topology of NEC-mediated budding in vitro resembles capsid budding into the inner nuclear membrane during HSV-1 infection and nuclear envelope vesiculation in NEC-transfected cells. We propose that the NEC functions as minimal virus-encoded membrane-budding machinery during nuclear egress and does not require additional cellular factors.

Structural basis of local, pH-dependent conformational changes in glycoprotein B from herpes simplex virus type 1.

ABSTRACT Herpesviruses enter cells by membrane fusion either at the plasma membrane or in endosomes, depending on the cell type. Glycoprotein B (gB) is a conserved component of the multiprotein herpesvirus fusion machinery and functions as a fusion protein, with two internal fusion loops, FL1 and FL2. We determined the crystal structures of the ectodomains of two FL1 mutants of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) gB to clarify whether their fusion-null phenotypes were due to global or local effects of the mutations on the structure of the gB ectodomain. Each mutant has a single point mutation of a hydrophobic residue in FL1 that eliminates the hydrophobic side chain. We found that neither mutation affected the conformation of FL1, although one mutation slightly altered the conformation of FL2, and we conclude that the fusion-null phenotype is due to the absence of a hydrophobic side chain at the mutated position. Because the ectodomains of the wild-type and the mutant forms of gB crystallized at both low and neutral pH, we were able to determine the effect of pH on gB conformation at the atomic level. For viruses that enter cells by endocytosis, the low pH of the endosome effects major conformational changes in their fusion proteins, thereby promoting fusion of the viral envelope with the endosomal membrane. We show here that upon exposure of gB to low pH, FL2 undergoes a major relocation, probably driven by protonation of a key histidine residue. Relocation of FL2, as well as additional small conformational changes in the gB ectodomain, helps explain previously noted changes in its antigenic and biochemical properties. However, no global pH-dependent changes in gB structure were detected in either the wild-type or the mutant forms of gB. Thus, low pH causes local conformational changes in gB that are very different from the large-scale fusogenic conformational changes in other viral fusion proteins. We propose that these conformational changes, albeit modest, play an important functional role during endocytic entry of HSV.

Crystal Structure of the Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a dsDNA, enveloped virus, is a ubiquitous pathogen that establishes lifelong latent infections and caused disease in persons with compromised immune systems, e.g., organ transplant recipients or AIDS patients. HCMV is also a leading cause of congenital viral infections in newborns. Entry of HCMV into cells requires the conserved glycoprotein B (gB), thought to function as a fusogen and reported to bind signaling receptors. gB also elicits a strong immune response in humans and induces the production of neutralizing antibodies although most anti-gB Abs are non-neutralizing. Here, we report the crystal structure of the HCMV gB ectodomain determined to 3.6-Å resolution, which is the first atomic-level structure of any betaherpesvirus glycoprotein. The structure of HCMV gB resembles the postfusion structures of HSV-1 and EBV homologs, establishing it as a new member of the class III viral fusogens. Despite structural similarities, each gB has a unique domain arrangement, demonstrating structural plasticity of gB that may accommodate virus-specific functional requirements. The structure illustrates how extensive glycosylation of the gB ectodomain influences antibody recognition. Antigenic sites that elicit neutralizing antibodies are more heavily glycosylated than those that elicit non-neutralizing antibodies, which suggest that HCMV gB uses glycans to shield neutralizing epitopes while exposing non-neutralizing epitopes. This glycosylation pattern may have evolved to direct the immune response towards generation of non-neutralizing antibodies thus helping HCMV to avoid clearance. HCMV gB structure provides a starting point for elucidation of its antigenic and immunogenic properties and aid in the design of recombinant vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies.

Data publication with the structural biology data grid supports live analysis

Access to experimental X-ray diffraction image data is fundamental for validation and reproduction of macromolecular models and indispensable for development of structural biology processing methods. Here, we established a diffraction data publication and dissemination system, Structural Biology Data Grid (SBDG; data.sbgrid.org), to preserve primary experimental data sets that support scientific publications. Data sets are accessible to researchers through a community driven data grid, which facilitates global data access. Our analysis of a pilot collection of crystallographic data sets demonstrates that the information archived by SBDG is sufficient to reprocess data to statistics that meet or exceed the quality of the original published structures. SBDG has extended its services to the entire community and is used to develop support for other types of biomedical data sets. It is anticipated that access to the experimental data sets will enhance the paradigm shift in the community towards a much more dynamic body of continuously improving data analysis.

Membrane Requirement for Folding of the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 gB Cytodomain Suggests a Unique Mechanism of Fusion Regulation

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) enters cells by fusion of its envelope with a host cell membrane, which requires four viral glycoproteins and a cellular receptor. Viral fusion glycoprotein B (gB) mediates membrane fusion through the action of its ectodomain, while its cytoplasmic domain (cytodomain) regulates fusion from the opposite face of the membrane by an unknown mechanism. The gB cytodomain appears to restrict fusion, because point or truncation mutations within it increase the extent of fusion (syn mutations). Previously, we showed that the hyperfusion phenotype correlated with reduced membrane binding in gB syn truncation mutants and proposed that membrane binding was important in regulating fusion. Here, we extended our analysis to three syn point mutants: A855V, R858H, and A874P. These mutations produce local conformational changes, with some affecting membrane interaction, which suggests that while syn mutants may deregulate fusion by somewhat different mechanisms, maintaining the wild-type (WT) conformation is critical for fusion regulation. We further show that the presence of a membrane is necessary for the cytodomain to achieve its fully folded conformation and propose that the membrane-bound form of the cytodomain represents its native conformation. Taken together, our data suggest that the cytodomain of gB regulates fusion by a novel mechanism in which membrane interaction plays a key role.