Tagging of NS5A expressed from a functional hepatitis C virus replicon

J Gen Virol. 2006 Mar;87(Pt 3):635-640. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.81553-0.

Abstract

Knowledge of how hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins associate with components of the host cell to form a functional replication complex is still limited. To address this issue, HCV replicon constructs were generated where either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or the Propionibacterium shermanii transcarboxylase domain (PSTCD) was introduced into the NS5A coding region. Insertion of both GFP and PSTCD was tolerated well, allowing formation of stable replicon-containing cell lines that contained viral protein and transcript levels that were comparable to those of an unmodified parental replicon. Cell lines generated from the GFP-tagged NS5A replicon allowed live-cell visualization of the location of NS5A. Cell lines generated from the PSTCD-tagged replicons allowed rapid and efficient precipitation of the PSTCD-tagged NS5A, as well as other HCV non-structural proteins, using streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. Both replicons represent useful tools that offer different but complementary ways of examining replication-complex formation in cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carboxyl and Carbamoyl Transferases / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Genetic Engineering / methods
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Hepacivirus / chemistry*
  • Hepacivirus / physiology
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Space / metabolism
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / genetics
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / metabolism*
  • Replicon*
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / genetics*
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / metabolism
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Carboxyl and Carbamoyl Transferases
  • Methylmalonyl-CoA carboxytransferase
  • NS-5 protein, hepatitis C virus
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase