A Host Ca2+/Mn2+ Ion Pump Is a Factor in the Emergence of Viral RNA Recombinants

Hannah M. Jaag, Judit Pogany, Peter D. Nagy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Viruses change rapidly due to genetic mutations, and viral RNA recombination in RNA viruses can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant or highly virulent strains. Here, we report that host Pmr1p, an ion pump that controls Ca2+/Mn2+ influx into the Golgi from the cytosol, affects the frequency of viral RNA recombination and the efficiency of replication. Inactivation of PMR1 leads to an ∼160-fold increase in RNA recombination of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) in yeast, a model host. Expression of separation-of-function mutants of Pmr1p reveals that the ability of Pmr1p to control the Mn2+ concentration in the cytosol is a key factor in viral RNA recombination. Indeed, a high Mn2+ concentration in a cell-free TBSV replication system increases the recombination frequency, and knockdown of Ca2+/Mn2+ exporters in plants increases virus replication and RNA recombination. Thus, a conserved host protein could affect the adaptive evolution of RNA viruses.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)74-81
Number of pages8
JournalCell Host and Microbe
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 21 2010

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Dr. David Smith for his comments on the manuscript. The authors also thank Drs. H. Sze and R. Rao for providing Arabidopsis ECA1 cDNA clone and the yeast PMR1 mutant plasmids, respectively. Dr. Susana Martin's help with silencing experiments is also appreciated. This work was supported by NSF (IOB 0517218) and NIH-NIAID 5R21A1072170.

Keywords

  • CELLBIO
  • CHEMBIO
  • MICROBIO

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Parasitology
  • Microbiology
  • Virology

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