Quantitative basic residue requirements in the cleavage-activation site of the fusion glycoprotein as a determinant of virulence for Newcastle disease virus

Newcastle disease virus exhibits a wide range of pathogenicity and virulence which, as with all paramyxoviruses, is directly related to the cleavability of a precursor (F0) of the fusion glycoprotein by cellular proteases. Sequence analyses of the cleavage site of several virulent and avirulent isolates of the Newcastle disease virus serotype reveal a correlation between virulence or pathogenicity and a high content of basic amino acid residues at the cleavage site. A similar correlation has been seen for other paramyxoviruses

Inhibition of fusion by neutralizing monoclonal antibodies to the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein of Newcastle disease virus

The majority of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein of Newcastle disease virus prevent attachment of the virus to cellular receptors and inhibits virion-induced fusion from without (FFWO) and fusion from within (FFWI) mediated by the virus glycoprotein-laden infected cell surface. For these antibodies, the inhibition of fusion is presumed to be the result of the prevention of HN-mediated bridging of potential fusion partners. MAbs against antigenic sites 3 and 4 neutralize virus infectivity, but by a mechanism other than the prevention of attachment, the exact nature of which remains to be established. Antibodies to both of these sites effectively inhibit virion-induced FFWO, even when the inducing virus is not infectious. This is consistent with the mechanism of neutralization of these MAbs involving the inhibition of an early, post-attachment step in infection. MAbs to site 3 also inhibit FFWI, but those to site 4 do not, even when added at high concentrations. This suggests that the requirement for HN may be different in the two modes of fusion. The epitopes recognized by MAbs to sites 3 and 4 have been delineated by the identification of individual nucleotide substitutions in the HN genes of neutralization escape variants. Some of the deduced amino acid substitutions result in additional N-linked glycosylation sites in HN, which are utilized and presumably account for the escape from neutralization

Structure and function of a membrane anchor-less form of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein of Newcastle disease virus

The hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein of paramyxoviruses is anchored in the virion membrane near its amino terminus, protruding from the virion surface to mediate attachment to cellular receptors. Solubilization of HN spikes can be achieved by treatment of virions with detergent and high salt concentrations. When the solubilized HN protein from the Australia-Victoria (AV) isolate of the virus is incubated at 37 degrees C, a chymotrypsin-sensitive site between residues 112 and 113 is exposed. A chymotrypsin-cleaved soluble form of the protein, named CT-HN, has been prepared using this approach. It is membrane anchor-less, due to removal of a 14-kDa fragment from the NH2 terminus of HN. It retains all potential glycosylation sites and cysteines present in the ectodomain of the native protein. It migrates in nonreducing gels and sediments in sucrose gradients at the rate expected for homodimeric HN. The latter is also consistent with our demonstration by site-directed mutagenesis that cysteine residues at positions 6 and 123, respectively, mediate disulfide-linked homotetramer and homodimer formation. CT-HN retains almost total antigenicity, suggesting that it is conformationally very similar to the intact molecule, as well as receptor recognition function and, at low pH, neuraminidase activity. It should prove to be a useful tool for further studies of the structure and function of this important viral glycoprotein

Neutralization map of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein of Newcastle disease virus: domains recognized by monoclonal antibodies that prevent receptor recognition.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein of Newcastle disease virus delineate seven overlapping antigenic sites which form a continuum on the surface of the molecule. Antibodies to five of these sites neutralize viral infectivity principally by preventing attachment of the virion to cellular receptors. Through the identification of single amino acid substitutions in variants which escape neutralization by MAbs to these five antigenic sites, a neutralization map of HN was constructed, identifying several residues that contribute to the epitopes recognized by MAbs which block the attachment function of the molecule. These epitopes are defined, at least in part, by three domains on HN: residues 193 to 201; 345 to 353 (which include the only linear epitope we have identified in HN); and a C-terminal domain composed of residues 494, 513 to 521, and 569. To identify HN residues directly involved in receptor recognition, each of the variants was tested for its ability to agglutinate periodate-modified chicken erythrocytes. One variant with a single amino acid substitution at residue 193 was 2.5- to 3-fold more resistant to periodate treatment of erythrocytes than the wild-type virus, suggesting that this residue influences the binding of virus to a sialic acid-containing receptor(s) on the cell surface