Chapter 6 Protein Sorting in the Secretory Pathway (original) (raw)

Protein secretion: Sorting sweet sorting

Current Biology, 1996

Membrane-spanning, lectin-like proteins in the eukaryotic secretory pathway seem to operate qualitycontrol checkpoints by fine tuning protein exit or retention within each subcompartment.

The viral spike protein is not involved in the polarized sorting of coronaviruses in epithelial cells

Journal of virology, 1998

Coronaviruses are assembled by budding into a pre-Golgi compartment from which they are transported along the secretory pathway to leave the cell. In cultured epithelial cells, they are released in a polarized fashion; depending on the virus and cell type, they are sorted preferentially either to the apical domain or to the basolateral plasma membrane domain. In this study, we investigated the role of the coronavirus spike protein, because of its prominent position in the virion the prime sorting candidate, in the directionality of virus release. Three independent approaches were taken. (i) The inhibition of N glycosylation by tunicamycin resulted in the synthesis of spikeless virions. The absence of spikes, however, did not influence the polarity in the release of virions. Thus, murine hepatitis virus strain A59 (MHV-A59) was still secreted from the basolateral membranes of mTAL and LMR cells and from the apical sides of MDCK(MHVR) cells, whereas transmissible gastroenteritis virus...

Enhancement of Murine Coronavirus Replication by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Protein 6 Requires the N-Terminal Hydrophobic Region but Not C-Terminal Sorting Motifs

Journal of Virology, 2007

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus encodes several accessory proteins of unknown function. We previously showed that one such protein, encoded by ORF6, enhanced the growth of mouse hepatitis virus in tissue culture cells and in mice. Protein 6 consists of an N-terminal hydrophobic peptide and a C-terminal region containing intracellular protein sorting motifs. Herein, we show that mutation of the hydrophobic region but not the sorting motifs affected the ability of protein 6 to enhance virus growth. Collectively, these results support the notion that the 6 protein interacts with membrane-bound viral replication or assembly machinery to directly enhance virus replication and virulence in animals.

Role of the early secretory pathway in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Journal of Cell Biology, 2020

Similar to other RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 must (1) enter a target/host cell, (2) reprogram it to ensure its replication, (3) exit the host cell, and (4) repeat this cycle for exponential growth. During the exit step, the virus hijacks the sophisticated machineries that host cells employ to correctly fold, assemble, and transport proteins along the exocytic pathway. Therefore, secretory pathway–mediated assemblage and excretion of infective particles represent appealing targets to reduce the efficacy of virus biogenesis, if not to block it completely. Here, we analyze and discuss the contribution of the molecular machines operating in the early secretory pathway in the biogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and their relevance for potential antiviral targeting. The fact that these molecular machines are conserved throughout evolution, together with the redundancy and tissue specificity of their components, provides opportunities in the search for unique proteins essential for SARS-CoV-2 biology tha...

The Molecular Biology of Coronaviruses

Advances in Virus Research, 1983

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MYXO‐CTERM sorting tag directs proteins to the cell surface via the type II secretion system

Molecular Microbiology, 2020

Cells interact with their surrounding environment through surface proteins. However, knowledge gaps remain in understanding how these important types of proteins are transported and anchored on the cell surface. In the Gram-negative social bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, a putative Cterminal sorting tag (MYXO-CTERM) is predicted to help direct 34 different proteins onto the cell surface. Here we investigate the sorting pathway for MYXO-CTERM proteins by using the TraA cell surface receptor as a model. Deleting this motif from TraA abolishes cell surface anchoring and results in extracellular secretion. Our findings indicate that conserved cysteines within the MYXO-CTERM are post-translationally modified and are required for TraA cell surface localization and function. A region immediately upstream of these residues is predicted to be disordered and removing this motif caused a secretion defect and blocked cell surface anchoring. We further show that the type II secretion system is required for translocation across the outer membrane and that a cysteine-rich region directs TraA to the T2SS. Similar results were found with another MYXO-CTERM protein indicating our findings can be generalized. Further, we show the universal distribution of MXYO-CTERM motif across the Myxococcales order and provide a working model for sorting of these proteins.

The YXXΦ motif within the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3a protein is crucial for its intracellular transport

Virology Journal, 2014

Background: The SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3a protein functions as an ion channel, induces apoptosis and is important for viral pathogenesis. It is expressed on the cell surface and contains a tyrosine-based sorting motif and a di-acidic motif, which may be crucial for its intracellular trafficking. However the role of these motifs is not fully understood in the case of 3a protein. Methods: The subcellular distribution of the 3a protein was studied by immunofluorescence staining of cells transfected with wild type and mutant constructs along with markers for different intracellular compartments. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was performed to estimate the mRNA where as western blotting was carried out to detect protein levels of wild type and mutant 3a proteins. In vitro transcription-translation was performed to estimate cell free protein synthesis. Results: While the wild type 3a protein is efficiently transported to the plasma membrane, the protein with mutations in the tyrosine and valine residues within the YXXV motif (ΔYXXΦ) accumulated in the Golgi compartment. However the 3a protein with mutations within the EXD di-acidic motif (ΔEXD) showed an intracellular distribution similar to the wild type protein. Increased retention of the ΔYXXΦ protein in the Golgi compartment also increased its association with lipid droplets. The ΔYXXΦ protein also expressed at significantly lower levels compared to the wild type 3a protein, which was reversed with Brefeldin A and Aprotinin. Conclusions: The data suggest that the YXXΦ motif of the SARS-CoV 3a protein is necessary for Golgi to plasma membrane transport, in the absence of which the protein is targeted to lysosomal degradation compartment via lipid droplets.