Zika virus capsid anchor forms cytotoxic amyloid-like fibrils

Abstract

Capsid-anchor (CA) of Zika virus (ZIKV) is a small, single-pass transmembrane sequence that separates the capsid (C) protein from downstream pre-membrane (PrM) protein. During polyprotein processing, CA is cleaved-off from C and PrM and left as a membrane-embedded peptide. CA plays an essential role in the assembly and maturation of the virus. However, its independent folding behavior is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the amyloid-forming propensity of CA at physiological conditions. We observed the aggregation behavior of CA peptide using dye-binding assays and ThT kinetics. The morphological analysis of CA aggregates explored by high-resolution microscopy (TEM, AFM) and Far-UV CD spectroscopy revealed characteristic amyloid-like fibrils rich in β-sheet secondary structure. Further, the effect on mammalian cells exhibited the cytotoxic nature of the CA amyloid-fibrils. Our findings collectively shed light on the amyloidogenic phenomenon of flaviviral protein, which may contribute to their infection.

Keywords: Capsid anchor; Cytotoxic amyloid; Flavivirus; Protein aggregation; Zika virus.