Genetic Analysis of Papillomavirus Virion Morphogenesis

描述（由申请人提供）：乳头瘤病毒（PV）的衣壳蛋白已经进化出功能域，可以与它们自身、PV病毒非结构蛋白、PV基因组DNA和宿主细胞因子进行适当的相互作用，从而允许感染性病毒颗粒的形态发生。使用病毒样颗粒（vlp）和假病毒作为病毒形态发生的终点进行的分析可能等同于也可能不等同于在分化宿主组织中传播的真实病毒。我们的有机型病毒培养系统能够支持完整的病毒生命周期，再加上我们在使用单克隆抗体研究衣壳构象方面的专业知识，使我们处于独特的地位，可以率先开展直接比较VLP自组装与真实PV合成的研究。这些研究将直接研究L2蛋白在真实病毒形态发生中的功能作用，包括研究L2在VLP自组装过程中的作用。我们的研究将集中在两种主要的遗传方法上。一个将使用嵌合遗传方法，允许通过寻找两种病毒类型的相互作用蛋白的大区域之间的类型特异性差异开始研究。另一种方法是特异性地突变其他实验室提到的与病毒粒子形态发生有关的功能域。为了实现我们的研究目标，我们制定了四个具体目标：(1)研究乳头瘤病毒类型特异性结构基因相互作用；(2)比较病毒样颗粒（vlp）组装与真实病毒粒子形态发生的遗传要求；(3)基因分析衣壳蛋白半胱氨酸残基在病毒粒子形态发生中的作用；(4)通过突变分析研究L1衣壳蛋白n端在病毒粒子形态发生中的作用。一旦完成，这些研究将首次为病毒粒子形态发生的分子机制提供新的见解，该系统能够在分化环境中复制PV形态发生和感染的自然复杂过程。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Capsid proteins of papillomaviruses (PV) have evolved functional domains for the proper interaction between themselves, with PV viral nonstructural proteins, with PV genomic DNA, and with host cell factors, allowing for morphogenesis of infectious viral particles. Analyses performed using virus-like particles (VLPs) and pseudoviruses as an endpoint for viral morphogenesis may or may not equate to the authentic virus propagated in differentiating host tissue. Our organotypic virus culture system, capable of supporting the complete viral life cycle, coupled with our expertise in using MAbs to study capsid conformation, place us in the unique position to initiate the first studies to directly compare VLP self-assembly with authentic PV synthesis. These studies will directly investigate a functional role for L2 protein in authentic virus morphogenesis and include investigating the role of L2 in the process of VLP self-assembly. Our studies will focus on 2 main genetic approaches. One will use a chimeric genetic approach allowing investigations to begin by looking for type-specific differences between large domains of the interacting proteins of 2 viral types. The other is to specifically mutate domains that have been alluded to by other laboratories as having a function related to virion morphogenesis. To accomplish our research goals we have developed four specific aims: (1) Investigate papillomavirus type-specific structural gene interactions; (2) Compare the genetic requirements for the assembly of virus-like particles (VLPs) to authentic virion morphogenesis; (3) Genetically analyze the role of capsid protein cysteine residues in virion morphogenesis; and (4) Investigate the role of the N-terminus of the L1 capsid protein in virion morphogenesis by mutational analyses. When completed the studies proposed will for the first time provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of virion morphogenesis in a system capable of reproducing the natural complex processes of PV morphogenesis and infection in a differentiating environment.