All positive-strand RNA viruses reorganize host intracellular membranes to assemble their viral replication complexes (VRCs); however, how these viruses modulate host lipid metabolism to accommodate such membrane proliferation and rearrangements is not well defined. We show that a significantly increased phosphatidylcholine (PC) content is associated with brome mosaic virus (BMV) replication in both natural host barley and alternate host yeast based on a lipidomic analysis. Enhanced PC levels are primarily associated with the perinuclear ER membrane, where BMV replication takes place. More specifically, BMV replication protein 1a interacts with and recruits Cho2p (choline requiring 2), a host enzyme involved in PC synthesis, to the site of viral replication. These results suggest that PC synthesized at the site of VRC assembly, not the transport of existing PC, is responsible for the enhanced accumulation. Blocking PC synthesis by deleting the CHO2 gene resulted in VRCs with wider diameters than those in wild-type cells; however, BMV replication was significantly inhibited, highlighting the critical role of PC in VRC formation and viral replication. We further show that enhanced PC levels also accumulate at the replication sites of hepatitis C virus and poliovirus, revealing a conserved feature among a group of positive-strand RNA viruses. Our work also highlights a potential broad-spectrum antiviral strategy that would disrupt PC synthesis at the sites of viral replication but would not alter cellular processes.

Viral diseases are a leading cause of worldwide yield losses in crop production. Breeding of resistance genes (R gene) into elite crop cultivars has been the standard and most cost‐effective practice. However, R gene‐mediated resistance is limited by the available R genes within genetic resources and in many cases, by strain specificity. Therefore, it is important to generate new and broad‐spectrum antiviral strategies. The CRISPR‐Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat, CRISPR‐associated) editing system has been employed to confer resistance to human viruses and several plant single‐stranded DNA geminiviruses, pointing out the possible application of the CRISPR‐Cas9 system for virus control. Here, we demonstrate that strong viral resistance to cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), a pararetrovirus with a double‐stranded DNA genome, can be achieved through Cas9‐mediated multiplex targeting of the viral coat protein sequence. We further show that small interfering RNAs (siRNA) are produced and mostly map to the 3′ end of single‐guide RNAs (sgRNA), although very low levels of siRNAs map to the spacer region as well. However, these siRNAs are not responsible for the inhibited CaMV infection because there is no resistance if Cas9 is not present. We have also observed edited viruses in systematically infected leaves in some transgenic plants, with short deletions or insertions consistent with Cas9‐induced DNA breaks at the sgRNA target sites in coat protein coding sequence. These edited coat proteins, in most cases, led to earlier translation stop and thus, nonfunctional coat proteins. We also recovered wild‐type CP sequence in these infected transgenic plants, suggesting these edited viral genomes were packaged by wild‐type coat proteins. Our data demonstrate that the CRISPR‐Cas9 system can be used for virus control against plant pararetroviruses with further modifications.

Positive-strand RNA viruses invariably assemble their viral replication complexes (VRCs) by remodeling host intracellular membranes. How viral replication proteins are targeted to specific organelle membranes to initiate VRC assembly remains elusive. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), whose replication can be recapitulated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, assembles its VRCs by invaginating the outer perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Remarkably, BMV replication protein 1a (BMV 1a) is the only viral protein required for such membrane remodeling. We show that ER-vesicle protein of 14 kD (Erv14), a cargo receptor of coat protein complex II (COPII), interacts with BMV 1a. Moreover, the perinuclear ER localization of BMV 1a is disrupted in cells lacking ERV14 or expressing dysfunctional COPII coat components (Sec13, Sec24 or Sec31). The requirement of Erv14 for the localization of BMV 1a is bypassed by addition of a Sec24-recognizable sorting signal to BMV 1a or by overexpressing Sec24, suggesting a coordinated effort by both Erv14 and Sec24 for the proper localization of BMV 1a. The COPII pathway is well known for being involved in protein secretion; our data suggest that a subset of COPII coat proteins have an unrecognized role in targeting proteins to the perinuclear ER membrane.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates numerous cellular processes and is central to protein homeostasis. In proliferating yeast and many mammalian cells, proteasomes are highly enriched in the nucleus. In carbon-starved yeast, proteasomes migrate to the cytoplasm and collect in proteasome storage granules (PSGs). PSGs dissolve and proteasomes return to the nucleus within minutes of glucose refeeding. The mechanisms by which cells regulate proteasome homeostasis under these conditions remain largely unknown. Here we show that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) together with endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) drive a glucose starvation-dependent microautophagy pathway that preferentially sorts aberrant proteasomes into the vacuole, thereby biasing accumulation of functional proteasomes in PSGs. The proteasome core particle (CP) and regulatory particle (RP) are regulated differently. Without AMPK, the insoluble protein deposit (IPOD) serves as an alternative site that specifically sequesters CP aggregates. Our findings reveal a novel AMPK-controlled ESCRT-mediated microautophagy mechanism in the regulation of proteasome trafficking and homeostasis under carbon starvation. Protein homeostasis is critical for maintaining organismal health. The cellular dysfunction caused by accumulation and aggregation of aberrant proteins or other normally short-lived proteins is associated with aging and many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and various types of cancer. The eukaryotic ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates numerous cellular processes and through selective protein degradation helps maintain cellular protein homeostasis under normal growth conditions. However, hundreds of cellular granules or condensates are formed during carbon starvation in yeast cells, including proteasome storage granules (PSGs). PSGs result from a massive relocation of proteasomes from the nucleus to the cytoplasm under these conditions. However, how cells regulate proteasome homeostasis under these conditions remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a master cellular energy regulator, drives ESCRT (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport)-dependent microautophagy of aberrant proteasomes. This allows rapid re-mobilization of functional proteasomes from PSGs upon glucose refeeding. Previous studies had identified classical macroautophagy as a means of degrading proteasomes during starvation. Our work shows that direct uptake of proteasomes into the vacuole (lysosome) by microautophagy is a major means of proteasome elimination under limiting glucose conditions.