Nipah virus induces two inclusion body populations: Identification of novel inclusions at the plasma membrane

PLoS Pathog. 2019 Apr 29;15(4):e1007733. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007733. eCollection 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs) is a hallmark of infections with non-segmented negative-strand RNA viruses (order Mononegavirales). We show here that Nipah virus (NiV), a bat-derived highly pathogenic member of the Paramyxoviridae family, differs from mononegaviruses of the Rhabdo-, Filo- and Pneumoviridae families by forming two types of IBs with distinct localizations, formation kinetics, and protein compositions. IBs in the perinuclear region form rapidly upon expression of the nucleocapsid proteins. These IBperi are highly mobile and associate with the aggresome marker y-tubulin. IBperi can recruit unrelated overexpressed cytosolic proteins but do not contain the viral matrix (M) protein. Additionally, NiV forms an as yet undescribed IB population at the plasma membrane (IBPM) that is y-tubulin-negative but contains the M protein. Infection studies with recombinant NiV revealed that IBPM require the M protein for their formation, and most likely represent sites of NiV assembly and budding. The identification of this novel type of plasma membrane-associated IBs not only provides new insights into NiV biology and may open new avenues to develop novel antiviral approaches to treat these highly pathogenic viruses, it also provides a basis for a more detailed characterization of IBs and their role in virus assembly and replication in infections with other Mononegavirales.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Membrane / virology*
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Glycoproteins / metabolism
  • Henipavirus Infections / metabolism
  • Henipavirus Infections / pathology
  • Henipavirus Infections / virology*
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies, Viral / metabolism
  • Inclusion Bodies, Viral / pathology
  • Inclusion Bodies, Viral / virology*
  • Nipah Virus / pathogenicity*
  • Vero Cells
  • Viral Matrix Proteins / metabolism*
  • Virus Assembly
  • Virus Internalization

Substances

  • Glycoproteins
  • Viral Matrix Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was funded by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) to AM (Projektnummer 197785619 - SFB 1021 and MA 1886/6-2). MR was supported by a fellowship of the Jürgen-Manchot-Stiftung. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.