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Envelope protein ubiquitination drives entry and pathogenesis of Zika virus
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Envelope protein ubiquitination drives entry and pathogenesis of Zika virus

Maria I Giraldo, Hongjie Xia, Leopoldo Aguilera-Aguirre, Adam Hage, Sarah van Tol, Chao Shan, Xuping Xie, Gail L Sturdevant, Shelly J Robertson, Kristin L McNally, …
Nature (London), Vol.585(7825), pp.414-419
09/2020
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2457-8
PMCID: PMC7501154
PMID: 32641828
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7501154View
Open Access

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae, and is related to other viruses that cause human diseases. Unlike other flaviviruses, ZIKV infection can cause congenital neurological disorders and replicates efficiently in reproductive tissues . Here we show that the envelope protein (E) of ZIKV is polyubiquitinated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM7 through Lys63 (K63)-linked polyubiquitination. Accordingly, ZIKV replicates less efficiently in the brain and reproductive tissues of Trim7 mice. Ubiquitinated E is present on infectious virions of ZIKV when they are released from specific cell types, and enhances virus attachment and entry into cells. Specifically, K63-linked polyubiquitin chains directly interact with the TIM1 (also known as HAVCR1) receptor of host cells, which enhances virus entry in cells as well as in brain tissue in vivo. Recombinant ZIKV mutants that lack ubiquitination are attenuated in human cells and in wild-type mice, but not in live mosquitoes. Monoclonal antibodies against K63-linked polyubiquitin specifically neutralize ZIKV and reduce viraemia in mice. Our results demonstrate that the ubiquitination of ZIKV E is an important determinant of virus entry, tropism and pathogenesis.
Animals Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology Brain - metabolism Cell Line Culicidae - cytology Culicidae - virology Endosomes - metabolism Female Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 1 - metabolism Humans Male Membrane Fusion Mice Organ Specificity Polyubiquitin - immunology Polyubiquitin - metabolism Tripartite Motif Proteins - metabolism Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - metabolism Ubiquitination Viral Envelope Proteins - chemistry Viral Envelope Proteins - metabolism Viral Tropism Viremia - immunology Viremia - prevention & control Viremia - virology Virus Internalization Virus Replication Zika Virus - chemistry Zika Virus - genetics Zika Virus - metabolism Zika Virus - pathogenicity Zika Virus Infection - prevention & control Zika Virus Infection - virology

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