The EFF-1A Cytoplasmic Domain Influences Hypodermal Cell Fusions in C. elegans But Is Not Dependent on 14-3-3 Proteins.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory and biophysical mechanisms of cell-cell fusion are largely unknown despite the fundamental requirement for fused cells in eukaryotic development. Only two cellular fusogens that are not of clear recent viral origin have been identified to date, both in nematodes. One of these, EFF-1, is necessary for most cell fusions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Unregulated EFF-1 expression causes lethality due to ectopic fusion between cells not developmentally programmed to fuse, highlighting the necessity of tight fusogen regulation for proper development. Identifying factors that regulate EFF-1 and its paralog AFF-1 could lead to discovery of molecular mechanisms that control cell fusion upstream of the action of a membrane fusogen. Bioinformatic analysis of the EFF-1A isoform\u27s predicted cytoplasmic domain (endodomain) previously revealed two motifs that have high probabilities of interacting with 14-3-3 proteins when phosphorylated. Mutation of predicted phosphorylation sites within these motifs caused measurable loss of eff-1 gene function in cell fusion in vivo. Moreover, a human 14-3-3 isoform bound to EFF-1::GFP in vitro. We hypothesized that the two 14-3-3 proteins in C. elegans, PAR-5 and FTT-2, may regulate either localization or fusion-inducing activity of EFF-1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Timing of fusion events was slightly but significantly delayed in animals unable to produce full-length EFF-1A. Yet, mutagenesis and live imaging showed that phosphoserines in putative 14-3-3 binding sites are not essential for EFF-1::GFP accumulation at the membrane contact between fusion partner cells. Moreover, although the EFF-1A endodomain was required for normal rates of eff-1-dependent epidermal cell fusions, reduced levels of FTT-2 and PAR-5 did not visibly affect the function of wild-type EFF-1 in the hypodermis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Deletion of the EFF-1A endodomain noticeably affects the timing of hypodermal cell fusions in vivo. However, prohibiting phosphorylation of candidate 14-3-3-binding sites does not impact localization of the fusogen. Hypodermal membrane fusion activity persists when 14-3-3 expression levels are reduced

Structural and Functional Relationship between the Receptor Recognition and Neuraminidase Activities of the Newcastle Disease Virus Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase Protein: Receptor Recognition Is Dependent on Neuraminidase Activity

The terminal globular domain of the paramyxovirus hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein spike has a number of conserved residues that are predicted to form its neuraminidase (NA) active site, by analogy to the influenza virus neuraminidase protein. We have performed a site-directed mutational analysis of the role of these residues in the functional activity of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) HN protein. Substitutions for several of these residues result in a protein lacking both detectable NA and receptor recognition activity. Contribution of NA activity, either exogenously or by coexpression with another HN protein, partially rescues the receptor recognition activity of these proteins, indicating that the receptor recognition deficiencies of the mutated HN proteins result from their lack of detectable NA activity. In addition to providing support for the homology-based predictions for the structure of HN, these findings argue that (i) the HN residues that mediate its NA activity are not critical to its attachment function and (ii) NA activity is required for the protein to mediate binding to receptors

Deletion of the Cytoplasmic Tail of the Fusion Protein of the Paramyxovirus Simian Virus 5 Affects Fusion Pore Enlargement

The fusion (F) protein of the paramxyovirus simian parainfluenza virus 5 (SV5) promotes virus-cell and cell-cell membrane fusion. Previous work had indicated that removal of the SV5 F protein cytoplasmic tail (F Tail− or FΔ19) caused a block in fusion promotion at the hemifusion stage. Further examination has shown that although the F Tail− mutant is severely debilitated in promotion of fusion as measured by using two reporter gene assays and is debilitated in the formation of syncytia relative to the wild-type F protein, the F Tail− mutant is capable of promoting the transfer of small aqueous dyes. These data indicate that F Tail− is fully capable of promoting formation of small fusion pores. However, enlargement of fusion pores is debilitated, suggesting that either the cytoplasmic tail of the F protein plays a direct role in pore expansion or that it interacts with other components which control pore growth