The lateral mobility of individual, incoming human papillomavirus type 16 pseudoviruses (PsV) bound to live HeLa cells was studied by single particle tracking using fluorescence video microscopy. The trajectories were computationally analyzed in terms of diffusion rate and mode of motion as described by the moment scaling spectrum. Four distinct modes of mobility were seen: confined movement in small zones (30–60 nm in diameter), confined movement with a slow drift, fast random motion with transient confinement, and linear, directed movement for long distances. The directed movement was most prominent on actin-rich cell protrusions such as filopodia or retraction fibres, where the rate was similar to that measured for actin retrograde flow. It was, moreover, sensitive to perturbants of actin retrograde flow such as cytochalasin D, jasplakinolide, and blebbistatin. We found that transport along actin protrusions significantly enhanced HPV-16 infection in sparse tissue culture, cells suggesting a role for in vivo infection of basal keratinocytes during wound healing. To replicate, viruses have to enter into host cells. Since they have no means of locomotion, they rely entirely on cellular transport systems to access the cellular compartments where replication occurs. Following individual virus particles by video microscopy, we found that human papillomavirus type 16, the main causative agent of cervical cancer, bound to long finger-like protrusions of cells. There, they were transported from the periphery to the cell body. The transport was mediated by a process termed actin retrograde flow, where viruses bound to cell surface molecules hooked up to filamentuos actin and were dragged along with the actin-like items on a transport belt. Entry into the cell occured at the cell body. The results raised the interesting possibility that viruses use retrograde flow when they infect wounded epidermal keratinocytes, where finger-like protrusions of cells are abundant.

The multifunctional nuclear inclusion protein a (NIa) of potyviruses (genus Potyvirus; Potyviridae) accumulates in the nucleus of virus-infected cells for unknown reasons. In this study, two regions in the viral genome-linked protein (VPg) domain of NIa in Potato virus A (PVA) were found to constitute nuclear and nucleolar localization signals (NLS) in plant cells (Nicotiana spp). Amino acid substitutions in both NLS I (residues 4 to 9) and NLS II (residues 41 to 50) prevented nuclear localization, whereas mutations in either single NLS did not. Mutations in either NLS, however, prevented nucleolar localization and prevented or diminished virus replication in protoplasts, accumulation in infected plant tissues, and/or systemic movement in plants. One NLS mutant was partially complemented by the wild-type VPg expressed in transgenic plants. Furthermore, NLS I controlled NIa accumulation in Cajal bodies. The VPg domain interacted with fibrillarin, a nucleolar protein, and depletion of fibrillarin reduced PVA accumulation. Overexpression of VPg in leaf tissues interfered with cosuppression of gene expression (i.e., RNA silencing), whereas NLS I and NLS II mutants, which exhibited reduced nuclear and nucleolar localization, showed no such activity. These results demonstrate that some of the most essential viral functions required for completion of the infection cycle are tightly linked to regulation of the NIa nuclear and nucleolar localization.

Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) is an important subsistence and famine reserve crop grown in developing countries where Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV; Closteroviridae ), a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) crinivirus, synergizes unrelated viruses in co-infected sweet potato plants. The most severe disease and yield losses are caused by co-infection with SPCSV and a potyvirus, Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV; Potyviridae ). Potyviruses synergize unrelated viruses by suppression of RNA silencing with the P1/HC-Pro polyprotein; however, the SPCSV-SPFMV synergism is unusual in that the potyvirus is the beneficiary. Our data show that transformation of an SPFMV-resistant sweet potato variety with the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-specific class 1 RNA endoribonuclease III (RNase3) of SPCSV broke down resistance to SPFMV, leading to high accumulation of SPFMV antigen and severe disease symptoms similar to the synergism in plants co-infected with SPCSV and SPFMV. RNase3-transgenic sweet potatoes also accumulated higher concentrations of 2 other unrelated viruses and developed more severe symptoms than non-transgenic plants. In leaves, RNase3 suppressed ssRNA-induced gene silencing (RNAi) in an endonuclease activity-dependent manner. It cleaved synthetic double-stranded small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) of 21, 22, and 24 bp in vitro to products of approximately 14 bp that are inactive in RNAi. It also affected total siRNA isolated from SPFMV-infected sweet potato plants, suggesting a viral mechanism for suppression of RNAi by cleavage of siRNA. Results implicate RNase3 in suppression of antiviral defense in sweet potato plants and reveal RNase3 as a protein that mediates viral synergism with several unrelated viruses, a function previously described only for P1/HC-Pro.

In this study, a protocol is described for rapid preparation of an enriched, reasonably pure fraction of nuclear proteins from the leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), potato (Solanum tuberosum) and apple (Malus domestica). The protocol gives reproducible results and can be carried out quickly in 2 hours. Tissue extracts clarified with filtration were treated with non-ionic detergent (Triton X-100) to lyse membranes of contaminating organelles. Nuclei were collected from a 60% Percoll layer of density gradient following low-speed centrifugation. Western blot analysis using antibodies to marker proteins of organelles indicated that the nuclear protein fractions were highly enriched and free or nearly free of proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum and chloroplasts.

A map for the interactions of the major proteins from Potato virus A (PVA) and Pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) (members of the genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) was generated using the yeast two-hybrid system (YTHS). Interactions were readily detected with five PVA protein combinations (HC–HC, HC–CI, VPg–VPg, NIa–NIb and CP–CP) and weak but reproducible interactions were detected for seven additional combinations (P1–CI, P3–NIb, NIaPro–NIb, VPg–NIa, VPg–NIaPro, NIaPro–NIa and NIa–NIa). In PSbMV, readily detectable interactions were found in five protein combinations (HC–HC, VPg–VPg, VPg–NIa, NIa–NIa and NIa–NIb) and weaker but reproducible interactions were detected for three additional combinations (P3–NIa, NIa–NIaPro and CP–CP). The self-interactions of HC, VPg, NIa and CP and the interactions of VPg–NIa, NIa–NIaPro and NIa–NIb were, therefore, common for the two potyviruses. The multiple protein interactions revealed in this study shed light on the co-ordinated functions of potyviral proteins involved in virus movement and replication.