[Role of N-linked glycans in HCV glycoprotein E1 in the folding of structural proteins and formation viral particles].

ABSTRACT

Envelope proteins of HCV play a major role in virus lifecycle. These proteins are main components of the virion. They are involved in virus assembly. Envelope proteins are modified by N-linked glycosylation which is supposed to play a role in their stability, in the assembly of the functional HCV glycoprotein heterodimer, protein folding and viral entry. The role of N-linked glycosylation sites in HCV E1 protein in structural proteins assembly was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis in a model system--insect cells producing three viral structural proteins with formation of virus-like particles. Removing of single N-linked glycosylation sites in HCV E1 protein does not affect the efficiency of its expression in insect Sf9 cells. E1 electrophoretic mobility is increasing in parallel with decreasing the number of glycosylation sites. The destroying of glycosylation sites N1 or N5 in E1 influences the assembly of noncovalent glycoprotein heterodimer E1E2--the prototype of natural complex incorporated in virion. The lack of glycans in N1 and N5 sites of E1 was shown to affect the efficiency of its expression in mammalian HEK293 T cells.