The active essential CFNS3d protein complex.

The NS2B-NS3 protease complex is essential for the replication of dengue virus, which is the etiologic agent of dengue and hemorrhagic fevers, diseases that are a burden for the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The active form of the NS3 protease linked to the 40 residues of the NS2B cofactor shows highly flexible and disordered region(s) that are responsible for its high propensity to aggregate at the concentrations necessary for NMR spectroscopy studies or for crystallization. Limited proteolysis of this active form of the protease enabled us to obtain a folded and new essential form of the NS2B-NS3 protease complex. We found that the region from residues D50 to E80 of NS2B interacts directly and strongly with the NS3 protease domain. The proteolytic activity of the noncovalently binding complex was determined by a rapid and continuous fluorescence resonance energy transfer activity assay using a depsipeptide substrate. The new protein-cofactor complex obtained, encompassing the NS2B fragment (D50-E80) and the NS3 protease, shows proteolytic activity. The (1)H-(15)N-heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectrum of the isotopically enriched protein complex shows good cross-peak dispersion; this is indicative of a stable folded state. Our results significantly complement the X-ray structure of the NS2B-NS3pro complex published recently. Moreover, these results open the way to performing direct structural and interaction studies in solution on a new active NS2B-NS3pro complex with libraries of substrates and inhibitors in order to identify new drugs that prevent viral polyprotein processing.

Structural and functional analysis of dengue virus RNA.

Sequences and structures present at the 5' and 3' UTRs of RNA viruses play crucial roles in the initiation and regulation of translation, RNA synthesis and viral assembly. In dengue virus, as well as in other mosquito-borne flaviviruses, the presence of complementary sequences at the ends of the genome mediate long-range RNA-RNA interactions. Dengue virus RNA displays two pairs of complementary sequences (CS and UAR) required for genome circularization and viral viability. In order to study the molecular mechanism by which these RNA-RNA interactions participate in the viral life cycle, we developed a dengue virus replicon system. RNA transfection of the replicon in mosquito and mammalian cells allows discrimination between RNA elements involved in translation and RNA synthesis. We found that mutations within CS or UAR at the 5' or 3' ends of the RNA that interfere with base pairing did not significantly affect translation of the input RNA but seriously compromised or abolished RNA synthesis. Furthermore, a systematic mutational analysis of UAR sequences indicated that, beside the role in RNA cyclization, specific nucleotides within UAR are also important for efficient RNA synthesis.

Role of RNA structures present at the 3'UTR of dengue virus on translation, RNA synthesis, and viral replication.

We have developed a dengue virus replicon system that can be used to discriminate between translation and RNA replication. Using this system, we analyzed the functional role of well-defined RNA elements present at the 3'UTR of dengue virus in mammalian and mosquito cells. Our results show that deletion of individual domains of the 3'UTR did not significantly affect translation of the input RNA but seriously compromised or abolished RNA synthesis. We demonstrated that complementarity between sequences present at the 5' and 3' ends of the genome is essential for dengue virus RNA synthesis, while deletion of domains A2 or A3 within the 3'UTR resulted in replicons with decreased RNA amplification. We also characterized the vaccine candidate rDEN2Delta30 in the replicon system and found that viral attenuation is caused by inefficient RNA synthesis. Furthermore, using both the replicon system and recombinant viruses, we identified an RNA region of the 3'UTR that enhances dengue virus replication in BHK cells while is dispensable in mosquito cells.