• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Biological properties of influenza A virus mutants with amino acid substitutions in the HA2 glycoprotein of the HA1/HA2 interaction region

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
J Gen Virol. 2019 Jul 22. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001305. [Epub ahead of print]
[h=1]Biological properties of influenza A virus mutants with amino acid substitutions in the HA2 glycoprotein of the HA1/HA2 interaction region.[/h] Jakubcov? L[SUP]1[/SUP], Voz?rov? M[SUP]1[/SUP], Holl? J[SUP]1[/SUP], Tomč?kov? K[SUP]1[/SUP], Fogelov? M[SUP]1[/SUP], Polčicov? K[SUP]1[/SUP], Kostolansk? F[SUP]1[/SUP], Fodor E[SUP]2[/SUP], Varečkov? E[SUP]1[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h]

[h=3]Abstract[/h] Influenza A viruses (IAVs) enter into cells by receptor-dependent endocytosis. Subsequently, conformational changes of haemagglutinin are triggered by low environmental pH and the N terminus of HA2 glycoprotein (gp) is inserted into the endosomal membrane, resulting in fusion pore formation and genomic vRNA release into the cytoplasm. However, the pH optimum of membrane fusion is host- and virus-specific and can have an impact on virus pathogenicity. We prepared mutants of neurotropic IAV A/WSN/33 (H1N1) with aa substitutions in HA2 gp at the site of HA1/HA2 interaction, namely T642H (HA2 numbering position 64, H1 numbering position HA407; referred to as mutant '64'), V662H ('66') (HA409); and a double mutant ('D') with two aa substitutions (T642H, V662H). These substitutions were hypothesized to influence the pH optimum of fusion. The pH optimum of fusion activity was measured by a luciferase assay and biological properties of viruses were monitored. The in vitro and in vivo replication ability and pathogenicity of mutants were comparable (64) or lower (66, D) than those of the wild-type virus. However, the HA2 mutation V662H and double mutation T642H, V662H shifted the fusion pH maximum to lower values (ranging from 5.1 to 5.3) compared to pH from 5.4 to 5.6 for the wild-type and 64 mutant. The decreased replication ability and pathogenicity of 66 and D mutants was accompanied by higher titres in late intervals post-infection in lungs, and viral RNA in brains compared to wild-type virus-infected mice. These results have implications for understanding the pathogenicity of influenza viruses.


PMID: 31329089 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001305
 
Back
Top Bottom