Biosynthesis, intracellular transport and enzymatic activity of an avian influenza A virus neuraminidase: role of unpaired cysteines and individual oligosaccharides

Epitope mapping of the 2009 pandemic and the A/Brisbane/59/2007 seasonal (H1N1) influenza virus haemagglutinins using mAbs and escape mutants

mAbs constitute an important biological tool for influenza virus haemagglutinin (HA) epitope mapping through the generation of escape mutants, which could provide insights into immune evasion mechanisms and may benefit the future development of vaccines. Several influenza A (H1N1) pandemic 2009 (pdm09) HA escape mutants have been recently described. However, the HA antigenic sites of the previous seasonal A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1) (Bris07) virus remain poorly documented. Here, we produced mAbs against pdm09 and Bris07 HA proteins expressed in human HEK293 cells. Escape mutants were generated using mAbs that exhibited HA inhibition and neutralizing activities. The resulting epitope mapping of the pdm09 HA protein revealed 11 escape mutations including three that were previously described (G172E, N173D and K256E) and eight novel ones (T89R, F128L, G157E, K180E, A212E, R269K, N311T and G478E). Among the six HA mutations that were part of predicted antigenic sites (Ca1, Ca2, Cb, Sa or Sb), three (G172E, N173D and K180E) were within the Sa site. Eight escape mutations (H54N, N55D, N55K, L60H, N203D, A231T, V314I and K464E) were obtained for Bris07 HA, and all but one (N203D, Sb site) were outside the predicted antigenic sites. Our results suggest that the Sa antigenic site is immunodominant in pdm09 HA, whereas the N203D mutation (Sb site), present in three different Bris07 escape mutants, appears as the immunodominant epitope in that strain. The fact that some mutations were not part of predicted antigenic sites reinforces the necessity of further characterizing the HA of additional H1N1 strains.

Importance of viral genomic composition in modulating glycoprotein content on the surface of influenza virus particles

Despite progress in our knowledge of the internal organisation of influenza virus particles, little is known about the determinants of their morphology and, more particularly, of the actual abundance of structural proteins at the virion level. To address these issues, we used cryo-EM to focus on viral (and host) factors that might account for observed differences in virion morphology and characteristics such as size, shape and glycoprotein (GP) spike density. Twelve recombinant viruses were characterised in terms of their morphology, neuraminidase activity and virus growth. The genomic composition was shown to be important in determining the GP spike density. In particular, polymerase gene segments and especially PB1/PB2 were shown to have a prominent influence in addition to that for HA in determining GP spike density, a feature consistent with a functional link between these virus components important for virus fitness.

Defective ribosomal products are the major source of antigenic peptides endogenously generated from influenza A virus neuraminidase

The defective ribosomal product (DRiP) hypothesis of endogenous Ag processing posits that rapidly degraded forms of nascent proteins are a major source of peptide ligands for MHC class I molecules. Although there is broad experimental support for the DRiP hypothesis, careful kinetic analysis of the generation of defined peptide class I complexes has been limited to studies of recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing genes derived from other organisms. In this study, we show that insertion of the SIINFEKL peptide into the stalk of influenza A virus neuraminidase (NA) does not detectably modify NA folding, degradation, transport, or sp. act. when expressed in its natural context of influenza A virus infection. Using the 25-D1.16 mAb specific for K(b)-SIINFEKL to precisely quantitate cell surface complexes by flow cytometry, we demonstrate that SIINFEKL is generated in complete lockstep with initiation and abrogation of NA biosynthesis in both L-K(b) fibroblast cells and DC2.4 dendritic/monocyte cells. SIINFEKL presentation requires active proteasomes and TAP, consistent with its generation from a cytosolic DRiP pool. From the difference in the shutoff kinetics of K(b)-SIINFEKL complex expression following protein synthesis versus proteasome inhibition, we estimate that the t(1/2) of the biosynthetic source of NA peptide is approximately 5 min. These observations extend the relevance of the DRiP hypothesis to viral proteins generated in their natural context.

Mapping the sequence mutations of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus neuraminidase relative to drug and antibody binding sites

In this work, we study the consequences of sequence variations of the "2009 H1N1" (swine or Mexican flu) influenza A virus strain neuraminidase for drug treatment and vaccination. We find that it is phylogenetically more closely related to European H1N1 swine flu and H5N1 avian flu rather than to the H1N1 counterparts in the Americas. Homology-based 3D structure modeling reveals that the novel mutations are preferentially located at the protein surface and do not interfere with the active site. The latter is the binding cavity for 3 currently used neuraminidase inhibitors: oseltamivir (Tamiflu^®), zanamivir (Relenza^®) and peramivir; thus, the drugs should remain effective for treatment. However, the antigenic regions of the neuraminidase relevant for vaccine development, serological typing and passive antibody treatment can differ from those of previous strains and already vary among patients.

This article was reviewed by Sandor Pongor and L. Aravind.

Biology of influenza a virus

The outbreaks of avian influenza A virus in poultry and humans over the last decade posed a pandemic threat to human. Here, we discuss the basic classification and the structure of influenza A virus. The viral genome contains eight RNA viral segments and the functions of viral proteins encoded by this genome are described. In addition, the RNA transcription and replication of this virus are reviewed.

Interdependence of hemagglutinin glycosylation and neuraminidase as regulators of influenza virus growth: a study by reverse genetics

The hemagglutinin (HA) of fowl plague virus A/FPV/Rostock/34 (H7N1) carries two N-linked oligosaccharides attached to Asn123 and Asn149 in close vicinity to the receptor-binding pocket. In previous studies in which HA mutants lacking either one (mutants G1 and G2) or both (mutant G1,2) glycosylation sites had been expressed from a simian virus 40 vector, we showed that these glycans regulate receptor binding affinity (M. Ohuchi, R. Ohuchi, A. Feldmann, and H. D. Klenk, J. Virol. 71:8377-8384, 1997). We have now investigated the effect of these mutations on virus growth using recombinant viruses generated by an RNA polymerase I-based reverse genetics system. Two reassortants of influenza virus strain A/WSN/33 were used as helper viruses to obtain two series of HA mutant viruses differing only in the neuraminidase (NA). Studies using N1 NA viruses revealed that loss of the oligosaccharide from Asn149 (mutant G2) or loss of both oligosaccharides (mutant G1,2) has a pronounced effect on virus growth in MDCK cells. Growth of virus lacking both oligosaccharides from infected cells was retarded, and virus yields in the medium were decreased about 20-fold. Likewise, there was a reduction in plaque size that was distinct with G1,2 and less pronounced with G2. These effects could be attributed to a highly impaired release of mutant progeny viruses from host cells. In contrast, with recombinant viruses containing N2 NA, these restrictions were much less apparent. N1 recombinants showed lower neuraminidase activity than N2 recombinants, indicating that N2 NA is able to partly overrule the high-affinity binding of mutant HA to the receptor. These results demonstrate that N-glycans flanking the receptor-binding site of the HA molecule are potent regulators of influenza virus growth, with the glycan at Asn149 being dominant and that at Asn123 being less effective. In addition, we show here that HA and NA activities need to be highly balanced in order to allow productive influenza virus infection.

Mutation of neuraminidase cysteine residues yields temperature-sensitive influenza viruses

The influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) is a tetrameric, virus surface glycoprotein possessing receptor-destroying activity. This enzyme facilitates viral release and is a target of anti-influenza virus drugs. The NA structure has been extensively studied, and the locations of disulfide bonds within the NA monomers have been identified. Because mutation of cysteine residues in other systems has resulted in temperature-sensitive (ts) proteins, we asked whether mutation of cysteine residues in the influenza virus NA would yield ts mutants. The ability to rationally design tight and stable ts mutations could facilitate the creation of efficient helper viruses for influenza virus reverse genetics experiments. We generated a series of cysteine-to-glycine mutants in the influenza A/WSN/33 virus NA. These were assayed for neuraminidase activity in a transient expression system, and active mutants were rescued into infectious virus by using established reverse genetics techniques. Mutation of two cysteines not involved in intrasubunit disulfide bonds, C49 and C146, had modest effects on enzymatic activity and on viral replication. Mutation of two cysteines, C303 and C320, which participate in a single disulfide bond located in the beta5L0,1 loop, produced ts enzymes. Additionally, the C303G and C320G transfectant viruses were found to be attenuated and ts. Because both the C303G and C320G viruses exhibited stable ts phenotypes, they were tested as helper viruses in reverse genetics experiments. Efficiently rescued were an N1 neuraminidase from an avian H5N1 virus, an N2 neuraminidase from a human H3N2 virus, and an N7 neuraminidase from an H7N7 equine virus. Thus, these cysteine-to-glycine NA mutants allow the rescue of a variety of wild-type and mutant NAs into influenza virus.