Carolyn Teschke - US grants

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent for the disease tuberculosis (TB). TB kills about 2 million people each year and around a third of the world's population is infected with TB. TB newly infects nearly 1% of the world's population each year. TB is a leading cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS. Though TB can normally be treated with antibiotics, a serious problem in the worldwide fight against TB is the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of TB. In order to develop logical targets for new drugs, the physiology of Mycobacteria must be better understood. Pathogenic bacteria such as M. tuberculosis secrete proteins in order to evade host defense mechanisms and survive in host cells, making protein export a logical drug target. The long-term goal of this work is to characterize the Sec-dependent protein export of M. tuberculosis. The Sec-dependent translocation pathway that involves dimeric SecA and SecYEG is used for export of many proteins. SecA, an essential protein found in all bacteria, is an ATPase and provides the energy used in the export of proteins through the SecYEG membrane translocation machinery. Recently, several pathogenic microorganisms, including M. tuberculosis, have been discovered to carry two SecA proteins, SecA1 and SecA2. SecA1 is essential for general protein export while SecA2 is specific for secretion of some virulence proteins. However, why these microorganisms require two SecA proteins is not understood. Because SecA proteins are generally specific to a particular microorganism, SecA1 and SecA2 provide good targets for drug development. Therefore, we propose to characterize the function of each of these SecA proteins in protein export from M. tuberculosis. We will characterize the SecA proteins using biochemical and biophysical techniques including ATPase binding and hydrolysis assays, analytical ultracentrifugation to monitor subunit associations, and develop in vitro membrane binding and translocation assays for M. tuberculosis proteins. The specific questions for this R03 grant are: 1). Do SecA1 and SecA2 possess similar abilities to bind and hydrolyze ATP?; 2) Do SecA1 and SecA2 interact with each other?; and 3.) How do SecA1 and SecA2 interact with membrane translocation machinery? These experiments are designed to initiate an in depth characterization of the function of both SecA proteins in M. tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent for the disease tuberculosis (TB). TB kills about 2 million people each year and around a third of the world's population is infected with TB. TB newly infects nearly 1% of the world's population each year. TB is a leading cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS. Though TB can normally be treated with antibiotics, a serious problem in the world-wide fight against TB is the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of TB. In order to develop logical targets for new drugs, the physiology of Mycobacteria must be better understood. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite many years of research, a comprehensive understanding of the process of viral capsid assembly at the molecular level has not yet been developed. The long-term goal of this project is to understand the mechanistic details of assembly of icosahedral viruses, which can then be used as the basis for development of antivirals targeted at capsid assembly. We propose to investigate assembly of the dsDNA bacteriophage P22, which provides an excellent model for icosahedral virus assembly. Our specific hypothesis is that viral capsid assembly is driven by multiple specific weak protein:protein interactions of the subunits during assembly. Phage P22 first assembles a procapsid into which dsDNA is packaged. In vitro procapsid-like particles can be assembled simply by mixing together coat and scaffolding proteins in the appropriate conditions. The proposed work combines rigorous thermodynamic analysis of assembly with biochemical and genetic approaches. We propose to first characterize the thermodynamics of P22 procapsid assembly to determine how ionic interactions, and entropic and enthalpic forces are involved in correct assembly of capsids. The role of scaffolding protein in proper assembly will be described, also by determining thermodynamic values for the assembly reaction by using scaffolding protein variants. The controlled of addition of capsid subunits during elongation will be characterized through equilibrium analysis of the association of subunits with partial capsids. Secondly, the sites and nature of the interaction between coat and scaffolding protein will be determined by a combination of molecular biology, phage genetics and biochemical techniques. Lastly, how scaffolding protein is organized within procapsids will be established through techniques using electron microscopy. The research proposed is relevant to public health because thoroughly characterizing capsid assembly will allow the step(s) that are the best targets for anti-viral drugs to be identified. In addition, these studies will highlight the important interactions between capsid subunits, which are required for proper assembly of viruses.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Icosahedral viral capsid assembly is a highly coordinated process that involves addition of multiple protein subunits, ultimately leading to an infectious virion of proper size and morphology. Often identical coat protein subunits occupy non-identical (hexons and pentons) sites in the icosahedron, which is known as conformational switching. For many dsDNA viruses, scaffolding proteins are used to direct proper assembly of coat protein so that the hexons and pentons are arranged correctly. How capsid proteins are programmed to adopt the correct conformations such that the appropriate assembly product is formed is not understood in detail for any virus, and is the rationale for this project. In addition, the assembly process presents a viable therapeutic target because the repeated use of the same subunits means that a molecule that interferes with capsid subunit associations will be a particularly efficacious inhibitor. Thus, the long-term goal for this work is to achieve a mechanistic understanding of protein:protein interactions involved in capsid assembly and to concisely define how those interactions are employed in each step in proper assembly. Capsid assembly will be investigated using bacteriophage P22 as a model dsDNA virus. In phage P22, herpesvirus and many other dsDNA viruses, the initial product of assembly is a precursor capsid, known as the procapsid (PC). Scaffolding protein directs proper assembly of coat protein, the major capsid protein, to form PCs. Scaffolding protein also directs the incorporation of the portal protein complex in vivo. P22 assembly is an excellent model system because complex in vivo processes can be mimicked in vitro. When P22 purified coat and scaffolding protein monomers are mixed together, procapsid-like particles are robustly generated. The simple genetics and well established biochemistry of P22 offers significant advantages as an assembly model over complex eukaryotic dsDNA viruses. The central hypothesis for this project is that capsid assembly is driven by specific weak protein:protein interactions, and is finely tuned by these interactions during nucleation and elongation to form the proper assembly products. The objective for this granting period is to test our central hypothesis through a detailed analysis of the protein:protein interactions that drive proper P22 procapsid assembly by pursuing the following three specific aims: 1) Identify regions in domains of coat protein that are involved in virus form determination; 2) Elucidate the role of the telokin domain in P22 capsid assembly and stabilization; 3) Understand scaffolding protein control of P22 capsid assembly. Each of these aims is supported by significant preliminary data generated in the investigator's and colaborators' labs. This project is innovative because the well established biochemical and genetic assays of the P22 system will be combined with recent structural data and used to interrogate the role of the capsid protein interactions in virion assembly. The proposed research is significant because the outcome will be a detailed mechanistic understanding of virion assembly due to weak interactions of capsid proteins.

Icosahedral capsid assembly is a highly coordinated process involving sequential addition of multiple proteins, ultimately leading to an infectious virion of proper size and morphology. The long-term goal for this project is to achieve a mechanistic understanding of the protein:protein interactions involved in capsid assembly. The development of new anti-viral drugs is impeded by a lack of understanding of how viral capsid proteins are programmed to adopt the correct conformations to produce the correct assembly product. Capsid assembly will be investigated using bacteriophage P22, a model dsDNA virus. In phage P22, herpesvirus and many other dsDNA viruses, the capsid is formed from a coat protein having the ubiquitous HK97 fold. The initial assembly product is a procapsid (PC). Scaffolding protein (SP) directs proper assembly of coat protein (CP) to form PCs. SP also directs the incorporation of the portal protein complex, which is essential for genome encapsidation. Phage P22 provides an excellent model assembly system because complex in vivo processes are easily mimicked in vitro. The simple genetics and well-established biochemistry of phage P22 offers significant advantages as an assembly model over complex mammalian dsDNA viruses. Our central hypothesis is that specific weak protein:protein interactions regulate the assembly nucleation and elongation reactions in order to form proper procapsids and virions. In this granting period we will test our central hypothesis with the following aims. Aim 1. Define the mechanism of portal protein complex incorporation into PC. We hypothesize that SP controls portal protein incorporation during PC assembly through interaction with a conserved belt of hydrophobic residues on the surface of the portal rings. The portal protein is essential to form an infectious virion for the tailed phages, herpesviruses and adenoviruses. Though characterization of mutants in SP and portal protein, and the use of ssRNA aptamers specific for portal or SP, we will elucidate the mechanism of portal incorporation during assembly. Aim 2. Understand control of capsid morphology. We hypothesize specific CP conformational changes induced by SP control procapsid and capsid morphology. We will characterize the interaction by single molecule fluorescence methods. We will investigate how CP controls capsid morphology by characterizing CP mutants that change the size and shape of PCs. Aim 3. Understand how scaffolding protein functions in PC assembly. We hypothesize that SPs have intrinsically disordered segments to allow them to interact with the many protein partners required to assemble PCs. There is very little high-resolution information about their structures, either in solution or within PCs. We will use state-of-the-art NMR techniques combined with mutational analysis to characterize the structure of scaffolding proteins from phages P22 and Sf6.