Identification and Characterization of Human Norovirus NTPase Regions Required for Lipid Droplet Localization, Cellular Apoptosis, and Interaction with the Viral P22 Protein.

The human norovirus (HuNV)-encoded nucleoside-triphosphatase (NTPase) is a multifunctional protein critically involved in viral replication and pathogenesis. Previously, we have shown that the viral NTPase is capable of forming vesicle clusters in cells, interacting with other viral proteins such as P22, and promoting cellular apoptosis. Herein, we demonstrate that NTPase-associated vesicle clusters correspond to lipid droplets (LDs) wrapped by the viral protein and show that NTPase-induced apoptosis is mediated through both caspase-8- and caspase-9-dependent pathways. Deletion analysis revealed that the N-terminal 179-amino-acid (aa) region of NTPase encompasses two LD-targeting motifs (designated LTM-1 and LTM-2), two apoptosis-inducing motifs, and multiple regulatory regions. Interestingly, the identified LTM-1 and LTM-2, which are located from aa 1 to 50 and from aa 51 to 90, respectively, overlap with the two apoptosis-inducing motifs. Although there was no positive correlation between the extent of LD localization and the degree of cellular apoptosis for NTPase mutants, we noticed that mutant proteins defective in LD-targeting ability could not induce cellular apoptosis. In addition to LD targeting, the amphipathic LTM-1 and LTM-2 motifs could have the potential to direct fusion proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Furthermore, we found that the LTM-1 motif is a P22-interacting motif. However, P22 functionally augmented the proapoptotic activity of the LTM-2 fusion protein but not the LTM-1 fusion protein. Overall, our findings propose that NTPase may participate in multiple cellular processes through binding to LDs or to the ER via its N-terminal amphipathic helix motifs. IMPORTANCE Human noroviruses (HuNVs) are the major agent of global gastroenteritis outbreaks. However, due to the lack of an efficient cell culture system for HuNV propagation, functions of the viral-encoded proteins in host cells are still poorly understood. In the current study, we present that the viral NTPase is a lipid droplet (LD)-associated protein, and we identify two LD-targeting motifs, LTM-1 and LTM-2, in its N-terminal domain. In particular, the identified LTM-1 and LTM-2 motifs, which contain a hydrophobic region and an amphipathic helix, are also capable of delivering the fusion protein to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), promoting cellular apoptosis, and physically or functionally associating with another viral protein P22. Since LDs and the ER have been linked to several biological functions in cells, our study therefore proposes that the norovirus NTPase may utilize LDs or the ER as replication platforms to benefit viral replication and pathogenesis.

Nucleotide triphosphatase and RNA chaperone activities of murine norovirus NS3.

Modulation of RNA structure is essential in the life cycle of RNA viruses. Immediate replication upon infection requires RNA unwinding to ensure that RNA templates are not in intra- or intermolecular duplex forms. The calicivirus NS3, one of the highly conserved nonstructural (NS) proteins, has conserved motifs common to helicase superfamily 3 among six genogroups. However, its biological functions are not fully understood. In this study we report the oligomeric state and the nucleotide triphosphatase (NTPase) and RNA chaperone activities of the recombinant full-length NS3 derived from murine norovirus (MNV). The MNV NS3 has an Mg2+-dependent NTPase activity, and site-directed mutagenesis of the conserved NTPase motifs blocked enzyme activity and viral replication in cells. Further, the NS3 was found via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based assays to destabilize double-stranded RNA in the presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+ in an NTP-independent manner. However, the RNA destabilization activity was not affected by mutagenesis of the conserved motifs of NTPase. These results reveal that the MNV NS3 has an NTPase-independent RNA chaperone-like activity, and that a FRET-based RNA destabilization assay has the potential to identify new antiviral drugs targeting NS3.

Modulation of enzymatic activity of dengue virus nonstructural protein NS3 nucleoside triphosphatase/helicase by poly(U).

The nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) appears to be the most promising target for anti-flavivirus therapy because of its multiple enzymatic activities that are indispensable for virus replication. NS3 of dengue virus type 2 (DEN2) is composed of two domains, a serine protease in the N-terminal domain (NS3pro) and RNA-stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase)/RNA helicase at the C-terminus (NS3h). NS3 plays an important role in viral replication and the coordinated regulation of all the catalytic activities in the full-length NS3 protein. In this study, a plasmid harboring the NS3 helicase domain (NS3h) was constructed by PCR. The 56.5 kDa NS3h protein was purified by metal-chelate affinity chromatography followed by renaturation, mediated by artificial chaperone-assisted refolding, which yielded the active helicase. NTPase activity was assayed with Malachite Green. The NTPase activity in the presence of poly(U) showed a higher turnover number (kcat) and a lower Km value than without poly(U). The activity increased approximately fourfold in the presence of polynucleotides. This indicates that NTPase activity of dengue NS3 can be stimulated by polynucleotides. A helicase assay based on internal fluorescence quenching was conducted using short internally quenched DNA oligonucleotides as substrates. Significant fluorescence signaling increase was observed in the absence of polynucleotides such as poly(U). No unwinding activity was observed with addition of poly(U). The approach we describe here is useful for the further characterization of substrate specificity and for the design of high-throughput assays aimed at discovery of inhibitors against NS3 NTPase/helicase activities.

[Purification and properties of a catalytically active fragment of soluble nucleoside triphosphatase from bovine kidney].

A catalytic fragment of soluble NTPase has been isolated from bovine kidneys.The 236-fold purification was carried out to obtain the preparation with a specific activity of 37.7 U/mg of protein. The purification scheme included the enzyme extraction followed by four column chromatography steps. The catalytic fragment was activated with divalent metal ions, had a pH optimum of 7.0, and possessed specificity for ITP, GTP, UTP and XTP. The apparent K(m) for Mg-ITP, Mg-GTP and Mg-UTP complexes were calculated from Hanes plots to be 1.70 mM, 0.93 mM and 0.48 mM, respectively. As estimated by gel filtration and SDS-PAAGE, the catalytic fragment has Mw 54.7 kDa being composed of two identical polypeptide chains. Our results suppose soluble NTPase from bovine kidney to consist of regulatory and catalytic structural units.

Functional characterization of the α- and ß-subunits of a group II chaperonin from Aeropyrum pernix K1.

We isolated and functionally characterized the α- and ß- subunits (ApCpnA and ApCpnB) of a chaperonin from Aeropyrum pernix K1. The constructed vectors pET3d- ApCpnA and pET21a-ApCpnB were transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3), BL21 (DE3), or CodonPlus (DE3) cells. The expression of ApCpnA (60.7 kDa) and ApCpnB (61.2 kDa) was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis. Recombinant ApCpnA and ApCpnB were purified by heat-shock treatment and anion-exchange chromatography. ApCpnA and ApCpnB were able to hydrolyze not only ATP, but also CTP, GTP, and UTP, albeit with different efficacies. Purified ApCpnA and ApCpnB showed the highest ATPase, CTPase, UTPase, and GTPase activities at 80°C. Furthermore, the addition of ApCpnA and ApCpnB effectively protected citrate synthase (CS) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from thermal aggregation and inactivation at 43°C and 50°C, respectively. In particular, the addition of ATP or CTP to ApCpnA and ApCpnB resulted in the most effective prevention of thermal aggregation and inactivation of CS and ADH. The ATPase activity of the two chaperonin subunits was dependent on the salt concentration. Among the ions we examined, potassium ions were the most effective at enhancing the ATP hydrolysis activity of ApCpnA and ApCpnB.

NTPase and 5' to 3' RNA duplex-unwinding activities of the hepatitis E virus helicase domain.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a causative agent of acute hepatitis, and it is the sole member of the genus Hepevirus in the family Hepeviridae. The open reading frame 1 (ORF1) protein of HEV encodes nonstructural polyprotein with putative domains for methyltransferase, cysteine protease, helicase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. It is not yet known whether ORF1 functions as a single protein with multiple domains or is processed to form separate functional units. On the basis of amino acid conserved motifs, HEV helicase has been grouped into helicase superfamily 1 (SF-1). In order to examine the RNA helicase activity of the NTPase/helicase domain of HEV, the region (amino acids 960 to 1204) was cloned and expressed as histidine-tagged protein in Escherichia coli (HEV Hel) and purified. HEV Hel exhibited NTPase and RNA unwinding activities. Enzyme hydrolyzed all rNTPs efficiently, dATP and dCTP with moderate efficiency, while it showed less hydrolysis of dGTP and dTTP. Enzyme showed unwinding of only RNA duplexes with 5' overhangs showing 5'-to-3' polarity. We also expressed and purified two HEV Hel mutants. Helicase mutant I, with substitution in the nucleotide-binding motif I (GKS to GAS), showed 30% ATPase activity. Helicase mutant II, with substitutions in the Mg(2+) binding motif II (DEAP to AAAP), showed 50% ATPase activity. Both mutants completely lost ability to unwind RNA duplexes with 5' overhangs. These findings represent the first report demonstrating NTPase/RNA helicase activity of the helicase domain of HEV ORF1.

Purification and characteristics of functional properties of soluble nucleoside triphosphatase (apyrase) from bovine brain.

Soluble NTPase, differing in its properties from known proteins exhibiting NTPase activity, was purified from bovine brain to homogeneity. The enzyme has pH optimum at 7.5 and shows absolute dependence on bivalent cations and broad substrate specificity towards nucleoside-5 -tri- and -diphosphates, characteristics of apyrases. The NTPase follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the range of investigated substrate concentrations, the apparent K(m) values for UTP, ITP, GTP, CTP, CDP, and ATP being 86, 25, 41, 150, 500, and 260 microM, respectively. According to gel-filtration and SDS-PAGE data, the molecular mass of the enzyme is 60 kD. The NTPase is localized in the cytosol fraction and expressed in different bovine organs and tissues. Total NTPase activity of extracts of bovine organs and tissues decreases in the following order: liver > heart > skeletal muscle > lung > brain > spleen > kidney ~ small intestine. The enzyme activity can be regulated by acetyl-CoA, alpha-ketoglutarate, and fructose-1,6-diphosphate acting as activators in physiological concentrations, whereas propionate exhibits an inhibitory effect.

[Substrate specificity and kinetic properties of a soluble nucleoside triphosphatase from bovine kidneys].

Soluble nucleoside triphosphatase differing in its properties from all known proteins with NTPase activity was partially purified from bovine kidneys. The enzyme has pH optimum of 7.5, molecular mass of 60 kDa, as estimated by gel chromatography, and shows an absolute dependence on divalent metal ions. NTPase obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the range of substrate concentration tested from 45 to 440 microM; the apparent Km for inosine-5'-triphosphate was calculated to be 23.3 microM. The enzyme was found to possess a broad substrate specificity, being capable of hydrolyzing various nucleoside-5'-tri- as well as diphosphates.

Insights into the oligomerization state-helicase activity relationship of West Nile virus NS3 NTPase/helicase.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a member of the Flaviviridae family of positive-strand RNA viruses. Its viral RNA is translated to produce a polyprotein precursor that is further processed into three structural and seven non-structural proteins. The non-structural protein 3 (NS3) possess both protease and helicase activities. The C-terminal portion of the NS3 contains the ATPase/helicase domain presumably involved in viral replication. This domain has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified in soluble form and structurally characterized. As judged by analytical centrifugation and size exclusion chromatography, the purified enzyme behaves as a monomer in solution. It has ATPase activity that is stimulated by the presence of RNA and single-stranded DNA molecules (ssDNA). However, we were unable to detect helicase activity at protein concentrations up to 500nM. It has been reported that longer constructions of NS3 helicase domains from other flavivirus, like those which include residues of the linker region between the protease and the helicase domains, have helicase activity. Since all the conformational features of the purified WNV NS3 domain are those of a native protein, it is tempting to assume that the linker region plays a critical role in determining the protein-protein interactions that leads to the formation of the active oligomer.

Identification and characterization of the NTPase activity of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) expressed in bacteria.

The nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of members of the family Flaviviridae possesses multiple enzyme activities that are likely to be essential for viral replication. Here, we cloned and expressed full-length CSFV NS3 protein (NS3FL) and its N-terminal truncated version (ntNS3) in E. coli. NTPase activities of the purified NS3FL and ntNS3 proteins and their reaction conditions were investigated. The results showed that CSFV NS3FL and ntNS3 proteins contained a specific polynucleotide-stimulated NTPase acitivity. Characterization of ntNS3 NTPase activity showed that optimal reaction conditions with respect to pH, MgCl2 and monovalent cations were similar to those of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Site-directed mutagenesis analysis demonstrated that the GxGK(232)T to GxGAT mutation in the conserved motif I abolished the NTPase activity of ntNS3, whereas substitution of TATPA(354) for TATPV in the motif III had no effect on the enzyme activity. Moreover, the kinetic properties (K(m) and k(cat)) of CSFV NS3 were more similar to those of BVDV. Our results provide insight into the structure-function relationship of CSFV NS3 and facilitate our understanding of its role in the replication cycle of CSFV.

Gene ytkD of Bacillus subtilis encodes an atypical nucleoside triphosphatase member of the Nudix hydrolase superfamily.

Gene ytkD of Bacillus subtilis, a member of the Nudix hydrolase superfamily, has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein has been characterized as a nucleoside triphosphatase active on all of the canonical ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates. Whereas all other nucleoside triphosphatase members of the superfamily release inorganic pyrophosphate and the cognate nucleoside monophosphate, YtkD hydrolyses nucleoside triphosphates in a stepwise fashion through the diphosphate to the monophosphate, releasing two molecules of inorganic orthophosphate. Contrary to a previous report, our enzymological and genetic studies indicate that ytkD is not an orthologue of E. coli mutT.

Nucleoside and RNA triphosphatase activities of orthoreovirus transcriptase cofactor mu2.

The mammalian Orthoreovirus (mORV) core particle is an icosahedral multienzyme complex for viral mRNA synthesis and provides a delimited system for mechanistic studies of that process. Previous genetic results have identified the mORV mu2 protein as a determinant of viral strain differences in the transcriptase and nucleoside triphosphatase activities of cores. New results in this report provided biochemical and genetic evidence that purified mu2 is itself a divalent cation-dependent nucleoside triphosphatase that can remove the 5' gamma-phosphate from RNA as well. Alanine substitutions in a putative nucleotide binding region of mu2 abrogated both functions but did not affect the purification profile of the protein or its known associations with microtubules and mORV microNS protein in vivo. In vitro microtubule binding by purified mu2 was also demonstrated and not affected by the mutations. Purified mu2 was further demonstrated to interact in vitro with the mORV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, lambda3, and the presence of lambda3 mildly stimulated the triphosphatase activities of mu2. These findings confirm that mu2 is an enzymatic component of the mORV core and may contribute several possible functions to viral mRNA synthesis.