Varicella zoster virus ORF25 gene product: an essential hub protein linking encapsidation proteins and the nuclear egress complex

J Proteome Res. 2011 Dec 2;10(12):5374-82. doi: 10.1021/pr200628s. Epub 2011 Oct 26.

Abstract

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) ORF25 is a 156 amino acid protein belonging to the approximately 40 core proteins that are conserved throughout the Herpesviridae. By analogy to its functional orthologue UL33 in Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), ORF25 is thought to be a component of the terminase complex. To investigate how cleavage and encapsidation of viral DNA links to the nuclear egress of mature capsids in VZV, we tested 10 VZV proteins that are predicted to be involved in either of the two processes for protein interactions against each other using three independent protein-protein interaction (PPI) detection systems: the yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) system, a luminescence based MBP pull-down interaction screening assay (LuMPIS), and a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assay. A set of 20 interactions was consistently detected by at least 2 methods and resulted in a dense interaction network between proteins associated in encapsidation and nuclear egress. The results indicate that the terminase complex in VZV consists of ORF25, ORF30, and ORF45/42 and support a model in which both processes are closely linked to each other. Consistent with its role as a central hub for protein interactions, ORF25 is shown to be essential for VZV replication.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Techniques
  • Capsid / chemistry
  • Cell Nucleus / chemistry
  • Cloning, Molecular / methods
  • Cosmids / chemistry
  • Cosmids / genetics
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Gene Deletion
  • Genes, Viral*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Herpesvirus 3, Human / chemistry*
  • Herpesvirus 3, Human / genetics
  • Herpesvirus 3, Human / physiology
  • Humans
  • Immune Sera / chemistry
  • Open Reading Frames
  • Protein Interaction Mapping / methods*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Rabbits
  • Transfection
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques
  • Viral Proteins / chemistry*
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • Immune Sera
  • Viral Proteins