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Sendai virus (SeV), belonging to the Respirovirus genus of the family Paramyxoviridae , harbors an accessory protein, named C protein, which facilitates viral pathogenicity in mice. In addition, the C protein is known to stimulate the budding of virus-like particles by binding to the host ALG-2 interacting protein X (Alix), a component of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) machinery. However, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene knockdown studies suggested that neither Alix nor C protein is related to SeV budding. In the present study, we determined the crystal structure of a complex comprising the C-terminal half of the C protein (Y3) and the Bro1 domain of Alix at a resolution of 2.2 Å to investigate the role of the complex in SeV budding. The structure revealed that a novel consensus sequence, LXXW, which is conserved among Respirovirus C proteins, is important for Alix binding. SeV possessing a mutated C protein with reduced Alix-binding affinity showed impaired virus production, which correlated with the binding affinity. Infectivity analysis showed a 160-fold reduction at 12 h postinfection compared with nonmutated virus, while C protein competes with CHMP4, one subunit of the ESCRT-III complex, for binding to Alix. All together, these results highlight the critical role of C protein in SeV budding. IMPORTANCE Human parainfluenza virus type I (hPIV1) is a respiratory pathogen affecting young children, immunocompromised patients, and the elderly, with no available vaccines or antiviral drugs. Sendai virus (SeV), a murine counterpart of hPIV1, has been studied extensively to determine the molecular and biological properties of hPIV1. These viruses possess a multifunctional accessory protein, C protein, which is essential for stimulating viral reproduction, but its role in budding remains controversial. In the present study, the crystal structure of the C-terminal half of the SeV C protein associated with the Bro1 domain of Alix, a component of cell membrane modulating machinery ESCRT, was elucidated. Based on the structure, we designed mutant C proteins with different binding affinities to Alix and showed that the interaction between C and Alix is vital for viral budding. These findings provide new insights into the development of new antiviral drugs against hPIV1.

Sendai virus (SeV), which causes respiratory diseases in rodents, possesses the C protein that blocks the signal transduction of interferon (IFN), thereby escaping from host innate immunity. We previously demonstrated by using protein crystallography that two molecules of Y3 (the C-terminal half of the C protein) can bind to the homodimer of the N-terminal domain of STAT1 (STAT1ND), elucidating the mechanism of inhibition of IFN-γ signal transduction. SeV C protein also blocks the signal transduction of IFN-α/β by inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT2, although the mechanism for the inhibition is unclear. Therefore, we sought to elucidate the mechanism of inhibition of the IFN signal transduction via STAT1 and STAT2. Small angle X-ray scattering analysis indicated that STAT1ND associates with the N-terminal domain of STAT2 (STAT2ND) with the help of a Gly-rich linker. We generated a linker-less recombinant protein possessing a STAT1ND:STAT2ND heterodimeric structure via an artificial disulfide bond. Analytical size-exclusion chromatography and surface plasmon resonance revealed that one molecule of Y3 can associate with a linker-less recombinant protein. We propose that one molecule of C protein associates with the STAT1:STAT2 heterodimer, inducing a conformational change to an antiparallel form, which is easily dephosphorylated. This suggests that association of C protein with the STAT1ND:STAT2ND heterodimer is an important factor to block the IFN-α/β signal transduction., (© 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

Unlabelled: Sendai virus (SeV) C protein inhibits the signal transduction pathways of interferon alpha/beta (IFN-α/β) and IFN-γ by binding to the N-terminal domain of STAT1 (STAT1ND), thereby allowing SeV to escape from host innate immunity. Here we determined the crystal structure of STAT1ND associated with the C-terminal half of the C protein (Y3 [amino acids 99 to 204]) at a resolution of 2.0 Å. This showed that two molecules of Y3 symmetrically bind to each niche created between two molecules of the STAT1ND dimer. Molecular modeling suggested that an antiparallel form of the full-length STAT1 dimer can bind only one Y3 molecule and that a parallel form can bind two Y3 molecules. Affinity analysis demonstrated anticooperative binding of two Y3 molecules with the STAT1 dimer, which is consistent with the hypothetical model that the second Y3 molecule can only target the STAT1 dimer in a parallel form. STAT1 with excess amounts of Y3 was prone to inhibit the dephosphorylation at Tyr(701) by a phosphatase. In an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 (pY-STAT1) with Y3 associated with the γ-activated sequence, probably as high-molecular-weight complexes (HMWCs), which may account for partial inhibition of a reporter assay from IFN-γ by Y3. Our study suggests that the full-length C protein interferes with the domain arrangement of the STAT1 dimer, leading to the accumulation of pY-STAT1 and the formation of HMWCs. In addition, we discuss the mechanism by which phosphorylation of STAT2 is inhibited in the presence of the C protein after stimulation by IFN-α/β., Importance: Sendai virus, a paramyxovirus that causes respiratory diseases in rodents, possesses the C protein, which inhibits the signal transduction pathways of interferon alpha/beta (IFN-α/β) and IFN-γ by binding to the transcription factor STAT1. In virus-infected cells, phosphorylation of STAT1 at the Tyr(701) residue is potently enhanced, although transcription by STAT1 is inert. Here, we determined the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of STAT1 associated with the C-terminal half of the C protein. Molecular modeling and experiments suggested that the two C proteins bind to and stabilize the parallel form of the STAT1 dimer, which are likely to be phosphorylated at Tyr(701), further inducing high-molecular-weight complex formation and inhibition of transcription by IFN-γ. We also discuss the possible mechanism of inhibition of the IFN-α/β pathways by the C protein. This is the first structural report of the C protein, suggesting a mechanism of evasion of the paramyxovirus from innate immunity., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

The order Mononegavirales comprises a large number of nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses (NNSVs). How the genome polarity is determined is a central issue in RNA virus biology. Using a prototypic species, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), it has been established that the negative polarity of the viral genome is defined solely by different strengths of the cis-acting replication promoters located at the 3' ends of the genome and antigenome, resulting in the predominance of the genome over the antigenome. This VSV paradigm has long been applied for the Mononegavirales in general without concrete proof. We now found that another prototypic species, Sendai virus (SeV), undergoes a marked shift from the early antigenome-dominant to the late genome-dominant phase during the course of infection. This shift appeared to be governed primarily by the expression of the accessory C protein, because no such shift occurred in a recombinant SeV with the C gene deleted, and antigenomes were dominant throughout infection, generating antigenome-dominant and noninfectious progeny virions. Therefore, we proposed for the first time a trans-regulatory mechanism, the SeV paradigm, to dictate the genome polarity of an NNSV. A series of promoter-swapped SeV recombinants suggested the importance of the primary as well as secondary structures of the promoters in this trans-regulation.

The Sendai virus (SeV) C proteins are shown to exert multiple functions during the course of infection. Perhaps reflecting their many functions, they occur at multiple sites of the cell. In this study, we focused on the nuclear-localizing ability of the smaller C protein, Y1, and found that this translocation is mediated by Ran GTPase but not by passive diffusion, and that basic residues within the 149-157 amino acid region are critical for that. The mechanism of inhibition of interferon (IFN)-signaling seemed to differ between the C and Y1 proteins, since deletion of 12 C-terminal amino acids resulted in a loss of the function for the C but not for the Y1 protein. The ability of Y1 mutants to inhibit IFN-α-induced, ISRE-driven expression of a reporter gene almost paralleled with that to localize in the nucleus. These results suggest that nuclear localization of the Y1 protein might be important for the inhibitory effect on type-I IFN-stimulated gene expression.

The V protein of Sendai virus (SeV) suppresses innate immunity, resulting in enhancement of viral growth in mouse lungs and viral pathogenicity. The innate immunity restricted by the V protein is induced through activation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). The V protein has been shown to interact with melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) and to inhibit beta interferon production. In the present study, we infected MDA5-knockout mice with V-deficient SeV and found that MDA5 was largely unrelated to the innate immunity that the V protein suppresses in vivo. We therefore investigated the target of the SeV V protein. We previously reported interaction of the V protein with IRF3. Here we extended the observation and showed that the V protein appeared to inhibit translocation of IRF3 into the nucleus. We also found that the V protein inhibited IRF3 activation when induced by a constitutive active form of IRF3. The V proteins of measles virus and Newcastle disease virus inhibited IRF3 transcriptional activation, as did the V protein of SeV, while the V proteins of mumps virus and Nipah virus did not, and inhibition by these proteins correlated with interaction of each V protein with IRF3. These results indicate that IRF3 is important as an alternative target of paramyxovirus V proteins.

The P gene of paramyxoviruses is unique in producing not only P but also "accessory" C and/or V proteins. Successful generation of C- or V-deficient recombinant viruses using a reverse genetics technique has been revealing their importance in viral pathogenesis as well as replication. As for Sendai virus (SeV), the C proteins, a nested set of four polypeptides C', C, Y1, and Y2, have been shown to exert multiple functions in escaping from the host innate immunity, inhibiting virus-induced apoptosis, promoting virus assembly and budding, and regulating viral RNA synthesis. In this study, we subjected the 4C(-) recombinant lacking expression of all four C proteins to serial passages through eggs, and found the rapid emergence of a C-recovered revertant virus. Unlike the SeV strains or the recombinants reported previously or tested in this study, this was caused by an exceptionally quick accumulation of U-to-C transitions in a limited region of the 4C(-) genome causing recovery of the C protein expression. These results suggest that a lack of C proteins could lead unexpectedly to strong selective pressures, and that the C proteins might play more critical roles in SeV replication than ever reported.

Sendai virus (SeV), a pneumotropic virus of rodents, has an accessory protein, V, and the V protein has been shown to interact with MDA5, inhibiting IRF3 activation and interferon-β production. In the present study, interaction of the V protein with various IRF3-activating proteins including MDA5 was investigated in a co-immunoprecipitation assay. We also investigated interaction of mutant V proteins from SeVs of low pathogenicity with MDA5. The V protein interacted with at least retinoic acid inducible gene I, inhibitor of κB kinase epsilon and IRF3 other than MDA5. However, only MDA5 interacted with the V protein dependently on the C-terminal V unique (Vu) region, inhibiting IRF3 reporter activation. The Vu region has been shown to be important for viral pathogenicity. We thus focused on interaction of the V protein with MDA5. Point mutations in the Vu region destabilized the V protein or abolished the interaction with MDA5 when the V protein was stable. The V-R₃₂₀G protein was highly stable and interacted with MDA5, but did not inhibit activation of IRF3 induced by MDA5. Viral pathogenicity of SeV is related to the inhibitory effect of the V protein on MDA5, but is not always related to the binding of V protein with MDA5., (© 2011 The Societies and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

The paramyxoviruses define a diverse group of enveloped RNA viruses that includes a number of important human and animal pathogens. Examples include human respiratory syncytial virus and the human parainfluenza viruses, which cause respiratory illnesses in young children and the elderly; measles and mumps viruses, which have caused recent resurgences of disease in developed countries; the zoonotic Hendra and Nipah viruses, which have caused several outbreaks of fatal disease in Australia and Asia; and Newcastle disease virus, which infects chickens and other avian species. Like other enveloped viruses, paramyxoviruses form particles that assemble and bud from cellular membranes, allowing the transmission of infections to new cells and hosts. Here, we review recent advances that have improved our understanding of events involved in paramyxovirus particle formation. Contributions of viral matrix proteins, glycoproteins, nucleocapsid proteins, and accessory proteins to particle formation are discussed, as well as the importance of host factor recruitment for efficient virus budding. Trafficking of viral structural components within infected cells is described, together with mechanisms that allow for the selection of specific sites on cellular membranes for the coalescence of viral proteins in preparation of bud formation and virion release., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One of the accessory proteins of Sendai virus (SeV), C, translated from an alternate reading frame of P/V mRNA has been shown to function at multiple stages of infection in cell cultures as well as in mice. C protein has been reported to counteract signal transduction by interferon (IFN), inhibit apoptosis induced by the infection, enhance the efficiency of budding of viral particles, and regulate the polarity of viral genome-length RNA synthesis to maximize production of infectious particles. In this study, we have generated a series of SeV recombinants containing substitutions of highly conserved, charged residues within the C protein, and characterized them together with previously-reported C'/C(-), 4C(-), and F170S recombinant viruses in infected cell cultures in terms of viral replication, cytopathogenicity, and antagonizing effects on host innate immunity. Unexpectedly, the amino acid substitutions had no or minimal effect on viral growth and viral RNA synthesis. However, all the substitutions of charged amino acids resulted in the loss of a counteracting effect against the establishment of an IFN-alpha-mediated anti-viral state. Infection by the virus (Cm2') containing mutations at K77 and D80 induced significant IFN-beta production, severe cytopathic effects, and detectable amounts of viral dsRNA production. In addition to the Cm2' virus, the virus containing mutations at E114 and E115 did not inhibit the poly(I:C)-triggered translocation of cellular IRF-3 to the nucleus. These results suggest that the C protein play important roles in viral escape from induction of IFN-beta and cell death triggered by infection by means of counteracting the pathway leading to activation of IRF-3 as well as of minimizing viral dsRNA production.

The Sendai virus (SeV) C proteins are a nested set of four accessory proteins, C', C, Y1, and Y2, encoded on the P mRNA from an alternate reading frame. The C proteins are multifunctional proteins involved in viral pathogenesis, inhibition of viral RNA synthesis, counteracting the innate immune response of the host cell, inhibition of virus-induced apoptosis, and facilitating virus-like particle (VLP)/virus budding. Among these functions, the roles for pathogenesis and counteracting host cell interferon (IFN) responses have been studied extensively, but the others are less well understood. In this paper, we found that the C proteins contributed in many ways to the efficient production of infectious virus particles by using a series of SeV recombinants without one or more C protein expression. Knockout of both C' and C protein expression resulted in reduced virus release despite higher viral protein synthesis in the cells. Interestingly, for the viruses without C' and C, or all four C protein expression, non-infectious virions containing antigenomic RNAs were produced predominantly compared to genomic RNA-containing infectious virions, due to aberrant viral RNA synthesis. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the C proteins regulate balance of viral genome and antigenome RNA synthesis for efficient production of infectious virus particles in the course of virus infection.

Sendai virus (SeV) is unique in that one of the viral accessory proteins, C, enhances budding of virus-like particles (VLPs) formed by SeV matrix protein M by physically interacting with Alix/AIP1. C protein itself does not have the ability to form VLPs, while M protein provides viral budding force, like other enveloped viruses. Here we show that SeV C protein recruits Alix/AIP1 to the plasma membrane (PM) to facilitate VLP budding. SeV M-VLP budding is sensitive to overexpression of a dominant-negative (DN) form of VPS4A only in the presence of the C proteins, which is able to recruit Alix/AIP1 to the PM. Our results indicate that SeV M and C proteins play separate roles in the budding process: M protein drives budding and C protein enhances the efficiency of the utilization of cellular MVB sorting machinery for efficient VLP budding.

The present study was undertaken to clarify the role of Sendai virus (SeV) V protein, which has been shown to downregulate IFN-beta induction through inhibition of IRF-3 activation, in viral pathogenesis. Mice infected with rSeV mutants, deficient in V expression or expressing V lacking the C-terminus, had several-fold higher IFN activity levels in the lungs than those in wild-type virus-infected mice, and the mutant viruses were rapidly excluded from the lung from the early phase of infection before induction of acquired immunity. In addition, the unique early clearance of the mutants did not occur in IRF-3 knockout (KO) mice. However, high titers of IFN were detected even in the infected KO mice. Furthermore, early clearance of the mutant viruses was also observed in IFN signaling-deficient mice, IFN-alpha/beta receptor KO mice and STAT1 KO mice. These results indicate that SeV V protein counteracts IRF-3-mediated innate antiviral immunity for efficient virus replication and pathogenesis in mice, but it is not IFN.

For many enveloped viruses, cellular multivesicular body (MVB) sorting machinery has been reported to be utilized for efficient viral budding. Matrix and Gag proteins have been shown to contain one or two L-domain motifs (PPxY, PT/SAP, YPDL, and FPIV), some of which interact specifically with host cellular proteins involved in MVB sorting, which are recruited to the viral budding site. However, for many enveloped viruses, L-domain motifs have not yet been identified and the involvement of MVB sorting machinery in viral budding is still unknown. Here we show that both Sendai virus (SeV) matrix protein M and accessory protein C contribute to virus budding by physically interacting with Alix/AIP1. A YLDL sequence within the M protein showed L-domain activity, and its specific interaction with the N terminus of Alix/AIP1(1-211) was important for the budding of virus-like particles (VLPs) of M protein. In addition, M-VLP budding was inhibited by the overexpression of some deletion mutant forms of Alix/AIP1 and depletion of endogenous Alix/AIP1 with specific small interfering RNAs. The YLDL sequence was not replaceable by other L-domain motifs, such as PPxY and PT/SAP, and even YPxL. C protein was also able to physically interact with the N terminus of Alix/AIP1(212-357) and enhanced M-VLP budding independently of M-Alix/AIP1 interaction, although it was not released from the transfected cells itself. Our results suggest that the interaction of multiple viral proteins with Alix/AIP1 may enhance the efficiency of the utilization of cellular MVB sorting machinery for efficient SeV budding.

Envelope viruses maturate by macromolecule assembly and budding. To investigate these steps, we generated virus-like particles (VLPs) by co-expression of structural proteins of Sendai virus (SeV), a prototype of the family Paramyxoviridae. Simultaneous expression of matrix (M), nucleo- (N), fusion (F), and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) proteins resulted in the generation of VLPs that had morphology and density similar to those of authentic virus particles, although the efficiency of release from cells was significantly lower than that of the virus. By using this VLP formation as a model of virus budding, roles of individual proteins in budding were investigated. The M protein was a driving force of budding, and the F protein facilitated and the HN protein suppressed VLP release. Either of the glycoproteins, F or HN, as well as the N protein, significantly shifted density of VLPs to that of virus particles, suggesting that viral proteins bring about integrity of VLPs by protein-protein interactions. We further found that co-expression of a nonstructural protein, C, but not V, enhanced VLP release to a level comparable to that of virus particles, demonstrating that the C protein plays a role in virus budding.

Sendai virus (SeV) encodes two accessory proteins, V and C, in the alternative reading frames in the P gene that are accessed transcriptionally (V) or translationally (C). The C protein is expressed as a nested set of four C-coterminal proteins, C', C, Y1, and Y2, that use different initiation codons. Using HeLa cell lines constitutively expressing the various C proteins, we previously found that the smallest (the 175-residue Y2) of the four C proteins was fully capable of counteracting the antiviral action of interferons (IFNs) and inhibiting viral RNA synthesis and that the C-terminal half of 106 residues was sufficient for both of these inhibitory functions (A. Kato et al., J. Virol. 75:3802-3810, 2001, and A. Kato et al., J. Virol. 76:7114-7124, 2002). Here, we further generated HeLa cell lines expressing the mutated C (Cm) proteins with charged amino acids substituted for alanine residues at either positions 77 and 80; 114 and 115; 139 and 142; 151, 153, and 154; 156; or 173, 175, and 176. We found that only the mutations at positions 151, 153, and 154 abolished IFN antagonism. All the Cm proteins lost the ability to bind with STAT1 under our assay conditions, regardless of their ability to inhibit IFN signaling. On the other hand, the Cm proteins that altered the tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT2 always retained IFN antagonism. Thus, the abnormality of phosphorylation or dephosphorylation appeared to be a cause of the IFN antagonism by SeV C. Regarding viral RNA synthesis inhibition, all mutants but the mutant with replacements at positions 114 and 115 greatly reduced the inhibitory activity, indicating that anti-RNA synthesis by the C protein is governed by amino acids scattered across its C-terminal half. Thus, amino acid sequence requirements differ greatly between IFN antagonism and RNA synthesis inhibition. In addition, we confirmed that another SeV accessory protein, V, does not antagonize IFN.

Sendai virus V protein is not essential for virus replication in cultured cells but is essential for efficient virus replication and pathogenesis in mice, indicating that the V protein has a luxury function to facilitate virus propagation in mice. This was discovered in the Z strain, an egg-adapted avirulent laboratory strain. In the present study, we reexamined the function of Sendai virus V protein by generating a V-knockout Sendai virus derived from the Hamamatsu strain, a virulent field isolate, which is an appropriate model for studying the natural course of Sendai virus infection in mice. We unexpectedly found that the V-knockout virus propagated efficiently in mice and was as virulent as the wild-type virus. Switching of the functionally important V unique region demonstrated that this region of the Hamamatsu strain was also functional in a Z strain background. It thus appears that the V protein is nonsense in a field isolate of Sendai virus. However, the V protein was required for virus growth and pathogenesis of the Hamamatsu strain in mice when the virulence of the virus was attenuated by introducing mutations that had been found in an egg-adapted, avirulent virus. The V protein therefore seems to be potentially functional in the highly virulent Hamamatsu strain and to be prominent if virus replication is restricted.

The V protein of Sendai virus (SeV) is nonessential for virus replication in cell culture but indispensable for viral pathogenicity in mice. At the C terminus of the V protein, there are amino acid residues conserved among the members of the Paramyxovinae subfamily that are clustered in three regions: region I, just downstream of the RNA editing site; and regions II and III, cysteine-rich zinc-finger-like regions. In the present study, we introduced mutations into the conserved amino acids and generated nine mutant viruses. All of the viruses had impaired virus replication in mouse lungs and attenuated virulence in mice. Furthermore, the C-terminal polypeptides fused with glutathione-S-transferase with a mutation in region I, II, or III all had impaired Zn binding in a (65)Zn-binding assay in solution. These results demonstrate that the conserved amino acids are important for V protein function, probably via protein conformation dependent on Zn binding. One mutant, SeV V-H(318)N, had inefficient RNA editing, indicating that the nucleotide that is a part of the codon encoding histidine at position 318 is conserved for the RNA editing machinery. In addition, to determine the function of the C-terminal extension of the V protein, which is not translated in recent virulent field isolates, a translational stop codon was introduced to generate the corresponding short V protein. The mutant virus showed similar virus propagation and pathogenicity, indicating that C-terminal extension of the V protein is not relevant to virus pathogenesis.