tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
First published September 2011, doi: 10.1128/JVI.05681-11 J. Virol. January 2012 vol. 86 no. 2 1277-1281
The Influenza C Virus CM2 Protein Can Alter Intracellular pH, and Its Transmembrane Domain Can Substitute for That of the Influenza A Virus M2 Protein and Support Infectious Virus Production
Shaun M Stewarta,b and
Andrew Pekosza
+ Author Affiliations
aW. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
bDivision of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
ABSTRACT
The influenza C virus CM2 protein and a chimeric influenza A virus M2 protein (MCM) containing the CM2 transmembrane domain were assessed for their ability to functionally replace the M2 protein. While all three proteins could alter cytosolic pH to various degrees when expressed from cDNA, only M2 and MCM could at least partially restore infectious virus production to M2-deficient influenza A viruses. The data suggest that while the CM2 ion channel activity is similar to that of M2, sequences in the extracellular and/or cytoplasmic domains play important roles in infectious virus production.
http://jvi.asm.org/content/86/2/1277.short?rss=1
The Influenza C Virus CM2 Protein Can Alter Intracellular pH, and Its Transmembrane Domain Can Substitute for That of the Influenza A Virus M2 Protein and Support Infectious Virus Production
Shaun M Stewarta,b and
Andrew Pekosza
+ Author Affiliations
aW. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
bDivision of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
ABSTRACT
The influenza C virus CM2 protein and a chimeric influenza A virus M2 protein (MCM) containing the CM2 transmembrane domain were assessed for their ability to functionally replace the M2 protein. While all three proteins could alter cytosolic pH to various degrees when expressed from cDNA, only M2 and MCM could at least partially restore infectious virus production to M2-deficient influenza A viruses. The data suggest that while the CM2 ion channel activity is similar to that of M2, sequences in the extracellular and/or cytoplasmic domains play important roles in infectious virus production.
http://jvi.asm.org/content/86/2/1277.short?rss=1