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. 2017 Jul 26;2(4):e00291-17.
doi: 10.1128/mSphereDirect.00291-17. eCollection 2017 Jul-Aug.

Identification of Rab18 as an Essential Host Factor for BK Polyomavirus Infection Using a Whole-Genome RNA Interference Screen

Affiliations

Identification of Rab18 as an Essential Host Factor for BK Polyomavirus Infection Using a Whole-Genome RNA Interference Screen

Linbo Zhao et al. mSphere. .

Abstract

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a human pathogen first isolated in 1971. BKPyV infection is ubiquitous in the human population, with over 80% of adults worldwide being seropositive for BKPyV. BKPyV infection is usually asymptomatic; however, BKPyV reactivation in immunosuppressed transplant patients causes two diseases, polyomavirus-associated nephropathy and hemorrhagic cystitis. To establish a successful infection in host cells, BKPyV must travel in retrograde transport vesicles to reach the nucleus. To make this happen, BKPyV requires the cooperation of host cell proteins. To further identify host factors associated with BKPyV entry and intracellular trafficking, we performed a whole-genome small interfering RNA screen on BKPyV infection of primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. The results revealed the importance of Ras-related protein Rab18 and syntaxin 18 for BKPyV infection. Our subsequent experiments implicated additional factors that interact with this pathway and suggest a more detailed model of the intracellular trafficking process, indicating that BKPyV reaches the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen through a retrograde transport pathway between the late endosome and the ER. IMPORTANCE Polyomaviruses bind to a group of specific gangliosides on the plasma membrane of the cell prior to being endocytosed. They then follow a retrograde trafficking pathway to reach the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The viruses begin to disassemble in the ER and then exit the ER and move to the nucleus. However, the details of intracellular trafficking between the endosome and the ER are largely unknown. By implementing a whole human genome small interfering RNA screen, we identified Rab18, syntaxin 18, and the NRZ complex as key components in endosome-ER trafficking of the human polyomavirus BKPyV. These results serve to further elucidate the route BKPyV takes from outside the cell to its site of replication in the nucleus.

Keywords: BKPyV; NRZ complex; Rab18; siRNA screen; syntaxin 18; virus trafficking.

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Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Visualization of whole-genome RNAi screen results. The effects of each siRNA pool are normalized to the NTC siRNA (set as 0) and siTAg (set as 100). Index values from the replicates are illustrated in pairwise scatterplots.
FIG 2
FIG 2
Rab18, syntaxin 18 (STX18), and the NRZ complex are required for BKPyV infection. RPTE cells were transfected with the siRNAs indicated and then infected with BKPyV. Viral infection (TAg), GAPDH or β-actin expression levels, and knockdown efficiency were examined by Western blotting.
FIG 3
FIG 3
Colocalization of Rab18 and BKPyV capsid protein VP1. RPTE cells were fixed at 6 and 8 h postinfection and stained for VP1 (green), Rab18 (red), and DAPI (blue). Images were taken by confocal microscopy. Sequential z-stack images (0.25-μm increments) from the bottom of the cell to the top (left to right) are shown. Arrows point to VP1-Rab18 colocalization sites. Bars represent 5 µm.
FIG 4
FIG 4
Effects of Rab18 knockdown on BKPyV intracellular trafficking. (A) Rab18, syntaxin 18 (STX18), and NRZ knockdown prevents ER delivery and BKV capsid rearrangement. RPTE cells were transfected with the siRNAs indicated. After 48 h, they were infected with BKPyV and lysed immediately after adsorption or at 24 h postinfection under reducing or nonreducing conditions. BKPyV capsid protein VP1, GAPDH, Rab18, STX18, RINT1, and ZW10 levels were examined by Western blotting. (B) Alteration of BKPyV intracellular trafficking. RPTE cells were transfected with NTC or siRAB18. BKPyV particles were visualized by immunofluorescent staining for VP1 (green) at 24 h postinfection. Bars represent 100 µm.
FIG 5
FIG 5
Colocalization of BKPyV and organelle markers. RPTE cells were transfected with NTC or siRAB18 and then stained for VP1 (green) and the organelle markers indicated above the rows of panels (red) at 24 h postinfection. Images were taken with an inverted fluorescence microscope. Bars represent 100 µm.
FIG 6
FIG 6
Colocalization of VP1 and Rab7. RPTE cells were transfected with NTC or siRAB18 and then stained for VP1 (green) and Rab7 (red) at 24 h postinfection. Images were taken with a confocal microscope. Bars represent 10 µm.
FIG 7
FIG 7
Model of BKPyV vesicular trafficking. BKPyV enters a vesicle from the membrane of the endosome. GTP-bound Rab18 then interacts with ZW10 of the NRZ tethering complex. Syntaxin 18 on the ER membrane interacts with v-SNARE, and syntaxin 18 and v-SNARE mediate vesicle fusion.

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