Upregulation of keratin 15 is required for varicella-zoster virus replication in keratinocytes and is attenuated in the live attenuated vOka vaccine strain.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is the etiological agent of chickenpox and shingles, diseases characterised by epidermal virus replication in skin and mucosa and the formation of blisters. We have previously shown that VZV infection has a profound effect on keratinocyte differentiation, altering the normal pattern of epidermal gene expression. In particular, VZV infection reduces expression of suprabasal keratins 1 and 10 and desmosomal proteins, disrupting epidermal structure to promote expression of a blistering phenotype. Here, we extend these findings to show that VZV infection upregulates the expression of keratin 15 (KRT15), a marker expressed by basal epidermal keratinocytes and hair follicles stem cells. We demonstrate that KRT15 is essential for VZV replication in the skin, since downregulation of KRT15 inhibits VZV replication in keratinocytes, while KRT15 exogenous overexpression supports viral replication. Importantly, our data show that VZV upregulation of KRT15 depends on the expression of the VZV immediate early gene ORF62. ORF62 is the only regulatory gene that is mutated in the live attenuated VZV vaccine and contains four of the five fixed mutations present in the VZV Oka vaccine. Our data indicate that the mutated vaccine ORF62 is not capable of upregulating KRT15, suggesting that this may contribute to the vaccine attenuation in skin. Taken together our data present a novel association between VZV and KRT15, which may open a new therapeutic window for a topical targeting of VZV replication in the skin via modulation of KRT15.

Single-Photon Synchronization with a Room-Temperature Atomic Quantum Memory.

Efficient synchronization of single photons that are compatible with narrow band atomic transitions is an outstanding challenge, which could prove essential for photonic quantum information processing. Here we report on the synchronization of independently generated single photons using a room-temperature atomic quantum memory. The photon source and the memory are interconnected by fibers and employ the same ladder-level atomic scheme. We store and retrieve the heralded single photons with end-to-end efficiency of η_{e2e}=25% and final antibunching of g_{h}^{(2)}=0.023. Our synchronization process results in an over tenfold increase in the photon-pair coincidence rate, reaching a rate of more than 1000 detected synchronized photon pairs per second. The indistinguishability of the synchronized photons is verified by a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference measurement.

Herpesviruses shape tumour microenvironment through exosomal transfer of viral microRNAs.

Metabolic changes within the cell and its niche affect cell fate and are involved in many diseases and disorders including cancer and viral infections. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). KSHV latently infected cells express only a subset of viral genes, mainly located within the latency-associated region, among them 12 microRNAs. Notably, these miRNAs are responsible for inducing the Warburg effect in infected cells. Here we identify a novel mechanism enabling KSHV to manipulate the metabolic nature of the tumour microenvironment. We demonstrate that KSHV infected cells specifically transfer the virus-encoded microRNAs to surrounding cells via exosomes. This flow of genetic information results in a metabolic shift toward aerobic glycolysis in the surrounding non-infected cells. Importantly, this exosome-mediated metabolic reprogramming of neighbouring cells supports the growth of infected cells, thereby contributing to viral fitness. Finally, our data show that this miRNA transfer-based regulation of cell metabolism is a general mechanism used by other herpesviruses, such as EBV, as well as for the transfer of non-viral onco-miRs. This exosome-based crosstalk provides viruses with a mechanism for non-infectious transfer of genetic material without production of new viral particles, which might expose them to the immune system. We suggest that viruses and cancer cells use this mechanism to shape a specific metabolic niche that will contribute to their fitness.

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus microRNAs induce metabolic transformation of infected cells.

Altered cell metabolism is inherently connected with pathological conditions including cancer and viral infections. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). KS tumour cells display features of lymphatic endothelial differentiation and in their vast majority are latently infected with KSHV, while a small number are lytically infected, producing virions. Latently infected cells express only a subset of viral genes, mainly located within the latency-associated region, among them 12 microRNAs. Notably, the metabolic properties of KSHV-infected cells closely resemble the metabolic hallmarks of cancer cells. However, how and why KSHV alters host cell metabolism remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of KSHV infection on the metabolic profile of primary dermal microvascular lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) and the functional relevance of this effect. We found that the KSHV microRNAs within the oncogenic cluster collaborate to decrease mitochondria biogenesis and to induce aerobic glycolysis in infected cells. KSHV microRNAs expression decreases oxygen consumption, increase lactate secretion and glucose uptake, stabilize HIF1α and decreases mitochondria copy number. Importantly this metabolic shift is important for latency maintenance and provides a growth advantage. Mechanistically we show that KSHV alters host cell energy metabolism through microRNA-mediated down regulation of EGLN2 and HSPA9. Our data suggest that the KSHV microRNAs induce a metabolic transformation by concurrent regulation of two independent pathways; transcriptional reprograming via HIF1 activation and reduction of mitochondria biogenesis through down regulation of the mitochondrial import machinery. These findings implicate viral microRNAs in the regulation of the cellular metabolism and highlight new potential avenues to inhibit viral latency.

Characterization of Arabidopsis NEET reveals an ancient role for NEET proteins in iron metabolism.

The NEET family is a newly discovered group of proteins involved in a diverse array of biological processes, including autophagy, apoptosis, aging, diabetes, and reactive oxygen homeostasis. They form a novel structure, the NEET fold, in which two protomers intertwine to form a two-domain motif, a cap, and a unique redox-active labile 2Fe-2S cluster binding domain. To accelerate the functional study of NEET proteins, as well as to examine whether they have an evolutionarily conserved role, we identified and characterized a plant NEET protein. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana At5g51720 protein (At-NEET) displays biochemical, structural, and biophysical characteristics of a NEET protein. Phenotypic characterization of At-NEET revealed a key role for this protein in plant development, senescence, reactive oxygen homeostasis, and Fe metabolism. A role in Fe metabolism was further supported by biochemical and cell biology studies of At-NEET in plant and mammalian cells, as well as mutational analysis of its cluster binding domain. Our findings support the hypothesis that NEET proteins have an ancient role in cells associated with Fe metabolism.

Evolving dual targeting of a prokaryotic protein in yeast.

Dual targeting is an important and abundant phenomenon. Indeed, we estimate that more than a third of the yeast mitochondrial proteome is dual localized. The enzyme fumarase is a highly conserved protein in all organisms with respect to its sequence, structure, and enzymatic activity. In eukaryotes, it is dual localized to the cytosol and mitochondria. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the dual localization of fumarase is achieved by the reverse translocation mechanism; all fumarase molecules harbor a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), are targeted to mitochondria, begin their translocation, and are processed by mitochondrial processing peptidase in the matrix. A subset of these processed fumarase molecules in transit is then fully imported into the matrix, whereas the majority moves back into the cytosol by reverse translocation. The proposed driving force for fumarase distribution is protein folding during import. Here, we asked how reverse translocation could have evolved on a prokaryotic protein that had already acquired expression from the nuclear genome and a targeting sequence. To address this question, we used, as a model, the Escherichia coli FumC Class II fumarase, which is homologous to eukaryotic fumarases (∼58% identity and ∼74% similarity to the yeast Fum1). Starting with an exclusively mitochondrial targeted FumC (attached to a strong MTS), we show that two randomly acquired mutations within the prokaryotic FumC sequence are sufficient to cause substantial dual targeting by reverse translocation. In fact, the unmutated MTS-FumC also has some ability to be dual targeted but only at low temperatures. Our results suggest that in this case, evolution of dual targeting by reverse translocation is based on naturally occurring and fortuitously conserved features of fumarase folding.

The melon Fom-1-Prv resistance gene pair: Correlated spatial expression and interaction with a viral protein.

The head-to-head oriented pair of melon resistance genes, Fom-1 and Prv, control resistance to Fusarium oxysporum races 0 and 2 and papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), respectively. They encode, via several RNA splice variants, TIR-NBS-LRR proteins, and Prv has a C-terminal extra domain with a second NBS homologous sequence. In other systems, paired R-proteins were shown to operate by "labor division," with one protein having an extra integrated domain that directly binds the pathogen's Avr factor, and the second protein executing the defense response. We report that the expression of the two genes in two pairs of near-isogenic lines was higher in the resistant isoline and inducible by F. oxysporum race 2 but not by PRSV. The intergenic DNA region separating the coding sequences of the two genes acted as a bi-directional promoter and drove GUS expression in transgenic melon roots and transgenic tobacco plants. Expression of both genes was strong in melon root tips, around the root vascular cylinder, and the phloem and xylem parenchyma of tobacco stems and petioles. The pattern of GUS expression suggests coordinated expression of the two genes. In agreement with the above model, Prv's extra domain was shown to interact with the cylindrical inclusion protein of PRSV both in yeast cells and in planta.

Fumarase: a mitochondrial metabolic enzyme and a cytosolic/nuclear component of the DNA damage response.

In eukaryotes, fumarase (FH in human) is a well-known tricarboxylic-acid-cycle enzyme in the mitochondrial matrix. However, conserved from yeast to humans is a cytosolic isoenzyme of fumarase whose function in this compartment remains obscure. A few years ago, FH was surprisingly shown to underlie a tumor susceptibility syndrome, Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC). A biallelic inactivation of FH has been detected in almost all HLRCC tumors, and therefore FH was suggested to function as a tumor suppressor. Recently it was suggested that FH inhibition leads to elevated intracellular fumarate, which in turn acts as a competitive inhibitor of HPH (HIF prolyl hydroxylase), thereby causing stabilization of HIF (Hypoxia-inducible factor) by preventing proteasomal degradation. The transcription factor HIF increases the expression of angiogenesis regulated genes, such as VEGF, which can lead to high microvessel density and tumorigenesis. Yet this mechanism does not fully explain the large cytosolic population of fumarase molecules. We constructed a yeast strain in which fumarase is localized exclusively to mitochondria. This led to the discovery that the yeast cytosolic fumarase plays a key role in the protection of cells from DNA damage, particularly from DNA double-strand breaks. We show that the cytosolic fumarase is a member of the DNA damage response that is recruited from the cytosol to the nucleus upon DNA damage induction. This function of fumarase depends on its enzymatic activity, and its absence in cells can be complemented by high concentrations of fumaric acid. Our findings suggest that fumarase and fumaric acid are critical elements of the DNA damage response, which underlies the tumor suppressor role of fumarase in human cells and which is most probably HIF independent. This study shows an exciting crosstalk between primary metabolism and the DNA damage response, thereby providing a scenario for metabolic control of tumor propagation.

The Cdc48 N-terminal domain has a molecular switch that mediates the Npl4-Ufd1-Cdc48 complex formation.

Cdc48 (VCP/p97) is a major AAA-ATPase involved in protein quality control, along with its canonical cofactors Ufd1 and Npl4 (UN). Here, we present novel structural insights into the interactions within the Cdc48-Npl4-Ufd1 ternary complex. Using integrative modeling, we combine subunit structures with crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to map the interaction between Npl4 and Ufd1, alone and in complex with Cdc48. We describe the stabilization of the UN assembly upon binding with the N-terminal-domain (NTD) of Cdc48 and identify a highly conserved cysteine, C115, at the Cdc48-Npl4-binding interface which is central to the stability of the Cdc48-Npl4-Ufd1 complex. Mutation of Cys115 to serine disrupts the interaction between Cdc48-NTD and Npl4-Ufd1 and leads to a moderate decrease in cellular growth and protein quality control in yeast. Our results provide structural insight into the architecture of the Cdc48-Npl4-Ufd1 complex as well as its in vivo implications.

From a genome-wide screen of RNAi molecules against SARS-CoV-2 to a validated broad-spectrum and potent prophylaxis.

Expanding the arsenal of prophylactic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance, specifically those strategies that are resistant to antigenic drift in Spike. Here, we conducted a screen of over 16,000 RNAi triggers against the SARS-CoV-2 genome, using a massively parallel assay to identify hyper-potent siRNAs. We selected Ten candidates for in vitro validation and found five siRNAs that exhibited hyper-potent activity (IC50 < 20 pM) and strong blockade of infectivity in live-virus experiments. We further enhanced this activity by combinatorial pairing of the siRNA candidates and identified cocktails that were active against multiple types of variants of concern (VOC). We then examined over 2,000 possible mutations in the siRNA target sites by using saturation mutagenesis and confirmed broad protection of the leading cocktail against future variants. Finally, we demonstrated that intranasal administration of this siRNA cocktail effectively attenuates clinical signs and viral measures of disease in the gold-standard Syrian hamster model. Our results pave the way for the development of an additional layer of antiviral prophylaxis that is orthogonal to vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

Dual targeting of mitochondrial proteins: mechanism, regulation and function.

One solution found in evolution to increase the number of cellular functions, without increasing the number of genes, is distribution of single gene products to more than one cellular compartment. It is well documented that in eukaryotic cells, molecules of one protein can be located in several subcellular locations, a phenomenon termed dual targeting, dual localization, or dual distribution. The differently localized proteins are coined in this review "echoforms" indicating repetitious forms of the same protein (echo in Greek denotes repetition) distinctly placed in the cell. This term replaces the term to "isoproteins" or "isoenzymes" which are reserved for proteins with the same activity but different amino acid sequences. Echoforms are identical or nearly identical, even though, as referred to in this review may, in some cases, surprisingly have a totally different function in the different compartments. With regard to mitochondria, our operational definition of dual targeted proteins refers to situations in which one of the echoforms is translocated through/into a mitochondrial membrane. In this review we ask how, when and why mitochondrial proteins are dual localized in the cell. We describe mechanisms of dual targeting of proteins between mitochondria and other compartments of the eukaryotic cell. In particular, we have paid attention to situations in which dual localization is regulated in time, location or function. In addition, we have attempted to provide a broader view concerning the phenomenon of dual localization of proteins by looking at mechanisms that are beyond our simple definition of dual targeting. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Protein translocation across or insertion into membranes.

Genome wide screen of RNAi molecules against SARS-CoV-2 creates a broadly potent prophylaxis.

Expanding the arsenal of prophylactic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance, specifically those strategies that are resistant to antigenic drift in Spike. Here, we conducted a screen with over 16,000 RNAi triggers against the SARS-CoV-2 genome using a massively parallel assay to identify hyper-potent siRNAs. We selected 10 candidates for in vitro validation and found five siRNAs that exhibited hyper-potent activity with IC50<20pM and strong neutralisation in live virus experiments. We further enhanced the activity by combinatorial pairing of the siRNA candidates to develop siRNA cocktails and found that these cocktails are active against multiple types of variants of concern (VOC). We examined over 2,000 possible mutations to the siRNA target sites using saturation mutagenesis and identified broad protection against future variants. Finally, we demonstrated that intranasal administration of the siRNA cocktail effectively attenuates clinical signs and viral measures of disease in the Syrian hamster model. Our results pave the way to development of an additional layer of antiviral prophylaxis that is orthogonal to vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

The Metabolic Profile of Tumor and Virally Infected Cells Shapes Their Microenvironment Counteracting T Cell Immunity.

Upon activation naïve T cells undergo metabolic changes to support the differentiation into subsets of effector or regulatory cells, and enable subsequent metabolic adaptations to form memory. Interfering with these metabolic alterations leads to abrogation or reprogramming of T cell differentiation, demonstrating the importance of these pathways in T cell development. It has long been appreciated that the conversion of a healthy cell to a cancerous cell is accompanied by metabolic changes, which support uncontrolled proliferation. Especially in solid tumors these metabolic changes significantly influence the tumor microenvironment (TME) and affect tumor infiltrating immune cells. The TME is often hypoxic and nutrient depleted, additionally tumor cells produce co-inhibitory signals, together suppressing the immune response. Interestingly, viruses can stimulate a metabolism akin to that seen in tumor cells in their host cells and even in neighboring cells (e.g., via transfer of virally modified extracellular vesicles). Thus, viruses create their own niche which favors viral persistence and propagation, while again keeping the immune response at bay. In this review we will focus on the mechanisms employed by tumor cells and viruses influencing T cell metabolic regulation and the impact they have on shaping T cell fate.

Temporal profiling of redox-dependent heterogeneity in single cells.

Cellular redox status affects diverse cellular functions, including proliferation, protein homeostasis, and aging. Thus, individual differences in redox status can give rise to distinct sub-populations even among cells with identical genetic backgrounds. Here, we have created a novel methodology to track redox status at single cell resolution using the redox-sensitive probe Grx1-roGFP2. Our method allows identification and sorting of sub-populations with different oxidation levels in either the cytosol, mitochondria or peroxisomes. Using this approach, we defined a redox-dependent heterogeneity of yeast cells and characterized growth, as well as proteomic and transcriptomic profiles of distinctive redox subpopulations. We report that, starting in late logarithmic growth, cells of the same age have a bi-modal distribution of oxidation status. A comparative proteomic analysis between these populations identified three key proteins, Hsp30, Dhh1, and Pnc1, which affect basal oxidation levels and may serve as first line of defense proteins in redox homeostasis.

A Role of Metastable Regions and Their Connectivity in the Inactivation of a Redox-Regulated Chaperone and Its Inter-Chaperone Crosstalk.

AIMS: A recently discovered group of conditionally disordered chaperones share a very unique feature; they need to lose structure to become active as chaperones. This activation mechanism makes these chaperones particularly suited to respond to protein-unfolding stress conditions, such as oxidative unfolding. However, the role of this disorder in stress-related activation, chaperone function, and the crosstalk with other chaperone systems is not yet clear. Here, we focus on one of the members of the conditionally disordered chaperones, a thiol-redox switch of the bacterial proteostasis system, Hsp33. RESULTS: By modifying the Hsp33's sequence, we reveal that the metastable region has evolved to abolish redox-dependent chaperone activity, rather than enhance binding affinity for client proteins. The intrinsically disordered region of Hsp33 serves as an anchor for the reduced, inactive state of Hsp33, and it dramatically affects the crosstalk with the synergetic chaperone system, DnaK/J. Using mass spectrometry, we describe the role that the metastable region plays in determining client specificity during normal and oxidative stress conditions in the cell. Innovation and Conclusion: We uncover a new role of protein plasticity in Hsp33's inactivation, client specificity, crosstalk with the synergistic chaperone system DnaK/J, and oxidative stress-specific interactions in bacteria. Our results also suggest that Hsp33 might serve as a member of the house-keeping proteostasis machinery, tasked with maintaining a "healthy" proteome during normal conditions, and that this function does not depend on the metastable linker region. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 1252-1267.

Redefining KSHV latency.

In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Chang and Ganem (2013) report that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), but not blood endothelial cells (BECs), activates mTORC1 signaling and sensitizes LECs to rapamycin-induced killing. The differential rapamycin sensitivity is explained by a unique LEC-specific virus latency program.

Noncoding RNAs and cancer.

The study of miRNAs and other noncoding RNAs has revolutionised our understanding of gene expression regulation during cancer development and progression, creating one of the fastest-growing research fields in cancer with realistic therapeutic potential. The 2011 Non-coding RNAs and Cancer Symposium hosted by the University College London Cancer Institute focused on the function and regulation of noncoding RNAs during oncogenesis.

Fumarase: a paradigm of dual targeting and dual localized functions.

The enzyme fumarase is a conserved protein in all organisms with regard to its sequence, structure and function. This enzyme participates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle in mitochondria which is essential for cellular respiration in eukaryotes. However, a common theme conserved from yeast to humans is the existence of a cytosolic form of fumarase; hence this protein is dual localized. We have coined identical (or nearly identical) proteins situated in different subcellular locations 'echoforms' or 'echoproteins'. Fumarase was the first example of a dual localized protein whose mechanism of distribution was found to be based on a single translation product. Consequently, fumarase has become a paradigm for three unique eukaryotic cellular phenomena related to protein dual localization: (a) distribution between mitochondria and the cytoplasm involves reverse translocation; (b) targeting to mitochondria involves translation coupled import; and (c) there are two echoforms possessing distinct functions in the respective subcellular compartments. Here we describe and discuss these fumarase related phenomena and in addition point out approaches for studying dual function of distributed proteins, in particular compartment-specific depletion. In the case of fumarase, the cytoplasmic function was only recently discovered; the enzyme was found to participate in the cellular response to DNA double strand breaks. Strikingly, upon DNA damage the protein is transported from the cytosol to the nucleus, where by virtue of its enzymatic activity it participates in the DNA damage response.

Jun proteins are starvation-regulated inhibitors of autophagy.

The growing number of biological functions affected by autophagy ascribes a special significance to identification of factors regulating it. The activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factors are involved in most aspects of cellular proliferation, death, or survival, yet no information regarding their involvement in autophagy is available. Here, we show that the AP-1 proteins JunB and c-Jun, but not JunD, c-Fos, or Fra-1, inhibit autophagy. JunB inhibits autophagy induced by starvation, overexpression of a short form of ARF (smARF), a potent inducer of autophagy, or even after rapamycin treatment. In agreement, acute repression of JunB expression, by JunB knockdown, potently induces autophagy. As expected from autophagy-inhibiting proteins, Jun B and c-Jun expression is reduced by starvation. Decrease in JunB mRNA expression and posttranscriptional events downregulate JunB protein expression after starvation. The inhibition of autophagy by JunB is not mediated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulation, as it occurs also in the absence of mTOR activity, and autophagy induced by JunB knockdown is not correlated with changes in mTOR activity. Nevertheless, the transcriptional activities of c-Jun and JunB are required for autophagy inhibition, and JunB incapable of heterodimerizing is a less effective inhibitor of autophagy. Most importantly, inhibition of autophagy in starved HeLa cells by JunB enhances apoptotic cell death. We suggest that JunB and c-Jun are regulators of autophagy whose expression responds to autophagy-inducing signals.

The mitochondrial targeting sequence tilts the balance between mitochondrial and cytosolic dual localization.

Dual localization of proteins in the cell has appeared in recent years to be a more abundant phenomenon than previously reported. One of the mechanisms by which a single translation product is distributed between two compartments, involves retrograde movement of a subset of processed molecules back through the organelle-membrane. Here, we investigated the specific contribution of the mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), as a cis element, in the distribution of two proteins, aconitase and fumarase. Whereas the cytosolic presence of fumarase is obvious, the cytosolic amount of aconitase is minute. Therefore, we created (1) MTS-exchange mutants, exchanging the MTS of aconitase and fumarase with each other as well as with those of other proteins and, (2) a set of single mutations, limited to the MTS of these proteins. Distribution of both proteins is affected by mutations, a fact particularly evident for aconitase, which displays extraordinary amounts of processed protein in the cytosol. Thus, we show for the first time, that the MTS has an additional role beyond targeting: it determines the level of retrograde movement of proteins back into the cytosol. Our results suggest that the translocation rate and folding of proteins during import into mitochondria determines the extent to which molecules are withdrawn back into the cytosol.