Bim and Bmf in tissue homeostasis and malignant disease.

Among all BH3-only proteins known to date, most information is available on the biological role and function of Bim (Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell death)/BOD (Bcl-2 related ovarian death agonist), whereas little is still known about its closest relative, Bcl-2 modifying factor (Bmf). Although Bim has been implicated in the regulation of cell death induction in multiple cell types and tissues in response to a large number of stimuli, including growth factor or cytokine deprivation, calcium flux, ligation of antigen receptors on T and B cells, glucocorticoid or loss of adhesion, Bmf seems to play a more restricted role by supporting Bim in some of these cell death processes. This review aims to highlight similarities between Bim and Bmf function in apoptosis signaling and their role in normal development and disease.

Pathogenesis of fusion deficient recombinant mouse hepatitis viruses.

In this study we have demonstrated that recombinant viruses carrying the amino acid mutations Q1067H, Q1094H, and L1114R were unable to induce fusion at neutral pH, replicated more efficiently in L2 cells, and that infection was delayed by ammonium chloride. These results suggest that the R120/R121 recombinants most likely use the endosomal pathway to enter cells. In this sense they are similar to the pH-dependent MHV-4 variant OBLV60. We were able to observe an attenuated virulence in vivo, despite the fact that our R120/R121 recombinants replicated to comparable (IC) or higher (IN) titers than the S4R29 recombinant in the brain. Preliminary results showed that the level of inflammation observed in infected mice is consistent with the attenuated virulence, but they cannot be explained by the high titers of replication.

Further requirements for cleavage by the murine coronavirus 3C-like proteinase: identification of a cleavage site within ORF1b.

The coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 (MHV-A59) encodes a 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) that is proposed to be responsible for the majority of the processing events that take place within the replicase polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab. In this study we demonstrate that the Q939/S940 peptide bond, located between the polymerase and Zn-finger regions of pp1ab (the POL/Zn site), is processed by the 3CLpro, albeit inefficiently. Mutagenesis of the POL/Zn site, as well as the previously identified HD1/3C site in the 1a region of pp1a and pp1ab, demonstrated that the amino acid residues at the P2 and P1 positions of the cleavage site, occupied by L and Q, respectively, were important determinants of 3CLpro substrate specificity. Finally, a direct comparison of the 3CLpro-mediated cleavages at the HD1/3C and POL/Zn sites was made by determining the rate constants using synthetic peptides. The results show that while a larger polypeptide substrate carrying the HD1/3C site was processed more efficiently than a polypeptide substrate carrying the POL/Zn site, cleavage of the synthetic peptide substrates containing these two cleavage sites occurred at similar efficiencies. This indicates that the overall conformation of a large polyprotein substrate is important in the accessibility of the cleavage site to the proteinase.

Expression of murine coronavirus recombinant papain-like proteinase: efficient cleavage is dependent on the lengths of both the substrate and the proteinase polypeptides.

Proteolytic processing of the replicase gene product of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is essential for viral replication. In MHV strain A59 (MHV-A59), the replicase gene encodes two predicted papain-like proteinase (PLP) domains, PLP-1 and PLP-2. Previous work using viral polypeptide substrates synthesized by in vitro transcription and translation from the replicase gene demonstrated both cis and trans cleavage activities for PLP-1. We have cloned and overexpressed the PLP-1 domain in Escherichia coli by using a T7 RNA polymerase promoter system or as a maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion protein. With both overexpression systems, the recombinant PLP-1 exhibited trans cleavage activity when incubated with in vitro-synthesized viral polypeptide substrates. Subsequent characterization of the recombinant PLP-1 revealed that in vitro trans cleavage is more efficient at 22 degrees C than at higher temperatures. Using substrates of increasing lengths, we observed efficient cleavage by PLP-1 requires a substrate greater than 69 kDa. In addition, when PLP-1 was expressed as a polypeptide that included additional viral sequences at the carboxyl terminus of the predicted PLP-1 domain, a fivefold increase in proteolytic activity was observed. The data presented here support previous data suggesting that in vitro and in vivo cleavage of the ORF 1a polyprotein by PLP-1 can occur in both in cis and in trans. In contrast to the cleavage activity demonstrated for PLP-1, no in vitro cleavage in cis or in trans could be detected with PLP-2 expressed either as a polypeptide, including flanking viral sequences, or as an MBP fusion enzyme.

Localization of mouse hepatitis virus open reading frame 1A derived proteins.

We have investigated the intracellular localization of proteolytic cleavage products encoded in the 5' portion of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) gene 1. Immunofluorescent labeling of cells with an antiserum which recognizes p28, the ORF1a N-terminal cleavage product, resulted in widespread somewhat granular cytoplasmic staining, indicating that this protein is widely distributed in the cytoplasm of MHV-infected, but not control uninfected cells. Immunofluorescent staining of infected cells with antisera which recognize the downstream polypeptides, p65, p240 and p290 labeled discrete vesicular perinuclear structures. Double immunofluorescent labeling of BHK cells expressing the MHV receptor (BHK(MHVR1)) and infected with MHV-A59 with a Golgi-specific anti-mannosidase II monoclonal antibody and with antiserum recognizing each of these anti-MHV ORF1a polypeptides, showed that the p240 and p290 polypeptides were localized in discrete vesicular structures that overlapped the Golgi complex. Labeling with antibodies specific for p65 colocalized with the Golgi region, and showed staining of the perinuclear cytoplasm as well. Plasmids containing sequences contained in the first 6.75 kb of ORF1a have been expressed using the coupled vaccinia virus-T7 polymerase system. Immunofluorescent labeling of transfectants with the anti-ORF1a antisera showed patterns of antigen distribution similar to those observed in cells infected with MHV-A59. A deletion analysis with constructs containing only portions of the ORF1a sequence indicated that 303 amino acids containing the first papain-like protease domain (PLP-1) was sufficient to associate this protein with the Golgi.

Efficient autoproteolytic processing of the MHV-A59 3C-like proteinase from the flanking hydrophobic domains requires membranes.

The replicase gene of the coronavirus MHV-A59 encodes a serine-like proteinase similar to the 3C proteinases of picornaviruses. This proteinase domain is flanked on both sides by hydrophobic, potentially membrane-spanning, regions. Cell-free expression of a plasmid encoding only the 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) resulted in the synthesis of a 29-kDa protein that was specifically recognized by an antibody directed against the carboxy-terminal region of the proteinase. A protein of identical mobility was detected in MHV-A59-infected cell lysates. In vitro expression of a plasmid encoding the 3CLpro and portions of the two flanking hydrophobic regions resulted in inefficient processing of the 29-kDa protein. However, the efficiency of this processing event was enhanced by the addition of canine pancreatic microsomes to the translation reaction, or removal of one of the flanking hydrophobic domains. Proteolysis was inhibited in the presence of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) or by mutagenesis of the catalytic cysteine residue of the proteinase, indicating that the 3CLpro is responsible for its autoproteolytic cleavage from the flanking domains. Microsomal membranes were unable to enhance the trans processing of a precursor containing the inactive proteinase domain and both hydrophobic regions by a recombinant 3CLpro expressed from Escherichia coli. Membrane association assays demonstrated that the 29-kDa 3CLpro was present in the soluble fraction of the reticulocyte lysates, while polypeptides containing the hydrophobic domains associated with the membrane pelletes. With the help of a viral epitope tag, we identified a 22-kDa membrane-associated polypeptide as the proteolytic product containing the amino-terminal hydrophobic domain.

Characterization of the leader papain-like proteinase of MHV-A59: identification of a new in vitro cleavage site.

Sequence analysis of the mouse hepatitis virus, strain A59 (MHV-A59) genome predicts the presence of two papain-like proteinases encoded within the first open reading frame (ORF 1a) of the replicase gene. The more 5' of these domains, the leader papain-like proteinase, is responsible for the cleavage of the amino terminal protein, p28. The core of this proteinase domain was defined to between amino acids 1084 and 1316 from the beginning of ORF 1a. Through the use of deletion analysis coupled with in vitro expression, we studied the role of the coding region between p28 and the leader papain-like proteinase on the cleavage of p28 itself. Expression of a series of deletion mutants showed processing of p28, albeit at lower levels. Reduced p28 production resulting from a 0.4-kb deletion positioned between p28 and the proteinase domain suggests an involvement of this region in catalytic processing. Some mutants displayed cleavage patterns indicative of a second cleavage site. Interestingly, this new cleavage site identified in vitro maps to a position similar to the expected cleavage site of a p65 polypeptide detected in MHV-A59-infected cells. Mutagenesis of the catalytic His1272 residue demonstrates that both cleavages observed are mediated by the leader papain-like proteinase encoded in ORF 1a.