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Vila JA. Protein folding rate evolution upon mutations. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:661-669. [PMID: 37681091 PMCID: PMC10480377 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01088-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the spectacular success of cutting-edge protein fold prediction methods, many critical questions remain unanswered, including why proteins can reach their native state in a biologically reasonable time. A satisfactory answer to this simple question could shed light on the slowest folding rate of proteins as well as how mutations-amino-acid substitutions and/or post-translational modifications-might affect it. Preliminary results indicate that (i) Anfinsen's dogma validity ensures that proteins reach their native state on a reasonable timescale regardless of their sequence or length, and (ii) it is feasible to determine the evolution of protein folding rates without accounting for epistasis effects or the mutational trajectories between the starting and target sequences. These results have direct implications for evolutionary biology because they lay the groundwork for a better understanding of why, and to what extent, mutations-a crucial element of evolution and a factor influencing it-affect protein evolvability. Furthermore, they may spur significant progress in our efforts to solve crucial structural biology problems, such as how a sequence encodes its folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A. Vila
- IMASL-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de Los Andes 950, 5700 San Luis, Argentina
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Becerra-Artiles A, Nanaware PP, Muneeruddin K, Weaver GC, Shaffer SA, Calvo-Calle JM, Stern LJ. Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T-cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011032. [PMID: 37498934 PMCID: PMC10409285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal "common-cold" human coronaviruses are widely spread throughout the world and are mainly associated with mild upper respiratory tract infections. The emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 has prompted increased attention to coronavirus biology and immunopathology, but the T-cell response to seasonal coronaviruses remains largely uncharacterized. Here we report the repertoire of viral peptides that are naturally processed and presented upon infection of a model cell line with seasonal coronavirus OC43. We identified MHC-bound peptides derived from each of the viral structural proteins (spike, nucleoprotein, hemagglutinin-esterase, membrane, and envelope) as well as non-structural proteins nsp3, nsp5, nsp6, and nsp12. Eighty MHC-II bound peptides corresponding to 14 distinct OC43-derived epitopes were identified, including many at very high abundance within the overall MHC-II peptidome. Fewer and less abundant MHC-I bound OC43-derived peptides were observed, possibly due to MHC-I downregulation induced by OC43 infection. The MHC-II peptides elicited low-abundance recall T-cell responses in most donors tested. In vitro assays confirmed that the peptides were recognized by CD4+ T cells and identified the presenting HLA alleles. T-cell responses cross-reactive between OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and the other seasonal coronaviruses were confirmed in samples of peripheral blood and peptide-expanded T-cell lines. Among the validated epitopes, spike protein S903-917 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 and S1085-1099 presented by DRB1*15:01 shared substantial homology to other human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and were targeted by cross-reactive CD4 T cells. Nucleoprotein N54-68 and hemagglutinin-esterase HE128-142 presented by DRB1*15:01 and HE259-273 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 are immunodominant epitopes with low coronavirus homology that are not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the set of naturally processed and presented OC43 epitopes comprise both OC43-specific and human coronavirus cross-reactive epitopes, which can be used to follow CD4 T-cell cross-reactivity after infection or vaccination, and to guide selection of epitopes for inclusion in pan-coronavirus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniuska Becerra-Artiles
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Padma P. Nanaware
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Khaja Muneeruddin
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Grant C. Weaver
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Scott A. Shaffer
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - J. Mauricio Calvo-Calle
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lawrence J. Stern
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Gutnik D, Evseev P, Miroshnikov K, Shneider M. Using AlphaFold Predictions in Viral Research. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:3705-3732. [PMID: 37185764 PMCID: PMC10136805 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45040240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Elucidation of the tertiary structure of proteins is an important task for biological and medical studies. AlphaFold, a modern deep-learning algorithm, enables the prediction of protein structure to a high level of accuracy. It has been applied in numerous studies in various areas of biology and medicine. Viruses are biological entities infecting eukaryotic and procaryotic organisms. They can pose a danger for humans and economically significant animals and plants, but they can also be useful for biological control, suppressing populations of pests and pathogens. AlphaFold can be used for studies of molecular mechanisms of viral infection to facilitate several activities, including drug design. Computational prediction and analysis of the structure of bacteriophage receptor-binding proteins can contribute to more efficient phage therapy. In addition, AlphaFold predictions can be used for the discovery of enzymes of bacteriophage origin that are able to degrade the cell wall of bacterial pathogens. The use of AlphaFold can assist fundamental viral research, including evolutionary studies. The ongoing development and improvement of AlphaFold can ensure that its contribution to the study of viral proteins will be significant in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Gutnik
- Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Str., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Peter Evseev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., GSP-7, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Konstantin Miroshnikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., GSP-7, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail Shneider
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., GSP-7, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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Schneider CL, Whyte ML, Konrad SL, Hudson AW. Characterization of the HHV-6B U20 Immunoevasin. J Virol 2023; 97:e0189022. [PMID: 36688652 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01890-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Roseoloviruses (human herpesvirus 6A [HHV-6A], -6B, and -7) infect >90% of the human population during early childhood and are thought to remain latent or persistent throughout the life of the host. As such, these viruses are among the most pervasive and stealthy of all viruses; they must necessarily excel at escaping immune detection throughout the life of the host, and yet, very little is known about how these viruses so successfully escape host defenses. Here, we characterize the expression, trafficking, and posttranslational modifications of the HHV6B U20 gene product, which is encoded within a block of genes unique to the roseoloviruses. HHV-6B U20 trafficked slowly through the secretory system, receiving several posttranslational modifications to its N-linked glycans, indicative of surface-expressed glycoproteins, and eventually reaching the cell surface before being internalized. Interestingly, U20 is also phosphorylated on at least one Ser, Thr, or Tyr residue. These results provide a framework to understand the role(s) of U20 in evading host defenses. IMPORTANCE The roseolovirus U20 proteins are virus-encoded integral membrane glycoproteins possessing class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-like folds. Surprisingly, although U20 proteins from HHV-6A and -6B share 92% identity, recent studies ascribe different functions to HHV6A U20 and HHV6B U20. HHV6A U20 was shown to downregulate NKG2D ligands, while HHV6B U20 was shown to inhibit tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced apoptosis during nonproductive infection with HHV6B (E. Kofod-Olsen, K. Ross-Hansen, M. H. Schleimann, D. K. Jensen, et al., J Virol 86:11483-11492, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.00847-12; A. E. Chaouat, B. Seliger, O. Mandelboim, D. Schmiedel, Front Immunol 12:714799, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.714799). Here, we have performed cell biological and biochemical characterization of the trafficking, glycosylation, and posttranslational modifications occurring on HHV6B U20.
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Becerra-Artiles A, Nanaware PP, Muneeruddin K, Weaver GC, Shaffer SA, Calvo-Calle JM, Stern LJ. Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. bioRxiv 2022:2022.12.01.518643. [PMID: 36482973 PMCID: PMC9727760 DOI: 10.1101/2022.12.01.518643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal "common-cold" human coronaviruses are widely spread throughout the world and are mainly associated with mild upper respiratory tract infections. The emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 has prompted increased attention to coronavirus biology and immunopathology, but identification and characterization of the T cell response to seasonal human coronaviruses remain largely uncharacterized. Here we report the repertoire of viral peptides that are naturally processed and presented upon infection of a model cell line with seasonal human coronavirus OC43. We identified MHC-I and MHC-II bound peptides derived from the viral spike, nucleocapsid, hemagglutinin-esterase, 3C-like proteinase, and envelope proteins. Only three MHC-I bound OC43-derived peptides were observed, possibly due to the potent MHC-I downregulation induced by OC43 infection. By contrast, 80 MHC-II bound peptides corresponding to 14 distinct OC43-derived epitopes were identified, including many at very high abundance within the overall MHC-II peptidome. These peptides elicited low-abundance recall T cell responses in most donors tested. In vitro assays confirmed that the peptides were recognized by CD4+ T cells and identified the presenting HLA alleles. T cell responses cross-reactive between OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and the other seasonal coronaviruses were confirmed in samples of peripheral blood and peptide-expanded T cell lines. Among the validated epitopes, S 903-917 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 and S 1085-1099 presented by DRB1*15:01 shared substantial homology to other human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and were targeted by cross-reactive CD4 T cells. N 54-68 and HE 128-142 presented by DRB1*15:01 and HE 259-273 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 are immunodominant epitopes with low coronavirus homology that are not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the set of naturally processed and presented OC43 epitopes comprise both OC43-specific and human coronavirus cross-reactive epitopes, which can be used to follow T cell cross-reactivity after infection or vaccination and could aid in the selection of epitopes for inclusion in pan-coronavirus vaccines. Author Summary There is much current interest in cellular immune responses to seasonal common-cold coronaviruses because of their possible role in mediating protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection or pathology. However, identification of relevant T cell epitopes and systematic studies of the T cell responses responding to these viruses are scarce. We conducted a study to identify naturally processed and presented MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes from human cells infected with the seasonal coronavirus HCoV-OC43, and to characterize the T cell responses associated with these epitopes. We found epitopes specific to the seasonal coronaviruses, as well as epitopes cross-reactive between HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2. These epitopes should be useful in following immune responses to seasonal coronaviruses and identifying their roles in COVID-19 vaccination, infection, and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniuska Becerra-Artiles
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Padma P. Nanaware
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Khaja Muneeruddin
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury MA
| | - Grant C. Weaver
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Scott A. Shaffer
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury MA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - J. Mauricio Calvo-Calle
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Lawrence J. Stern
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
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