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The dominant Pvr4 gene in pepper (Capsicum annuum) confers resistance to members of six potyvirus species, all of which belong to the Potato virus Y (PVY) phylogenetic group. The corresponding avirulence factor in the PVY genome is the NIb cistron (i.e., RNA-dependent RNA polymerase). Here, we describe a new source of potyvirus resistance in the Guatemalan accession C. annuum cv. PM949. PM949 is resistant to members of at least three potyvirus species, a subset of those controlled by Pvr4. The F1 progeny between PM949 and the susceptible cultivar Yolo Wonder was susceptible to PVY, indicating that the resistance is recessive. The segregation ratio between resistant and susceptible plants observed in the F2 progeny matched preferably with resistance being determined by two unlinked recessive genes independently conferring resistance to PVY. Inoculations by grafting resulted in the selection of PVY mutants breaking PM949 resistance and, less efficiently, Pvr4-mediated resistance. The codon substitution E472K in the NIb cistron of PVY, which was shown previously to be sufficient to break Pvr4 resistance, was also sufficient to break PM949 resistance, a rare example of cross-pathogenicity effect. In contrast, the other selected NIb mutants showed specific infectivity in PM949 or Pvr4 plants. Comparison of Pvr4 and PM949 resistance, which share the same target in PVY, provides interesting insights into the determinants of resistance durability.

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Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundant in the proteome of RNA viruses. The multifunctional properties of these regions are widely documented and their structural flexibility is associated with the low constraint in their amino acid positions. Therefore, from an evolutionary stand point, these regions could have a greater propensity to accumulate non-synonymous mutations (NS) than highly structured regions (ORs, or 'ordered regions'). To address this hypothesis, we compared the distribution of non-synonymous mutations (NS), which we relate here to mutational robustness, in IDRs and ORs in the genome of potyviruses, a major genus of plant viruses. For this purpose, a simulation model was built and used to distinguish a possible selection phenomenon in the biological datasets from randomly generated mutations. We analyzed several short-term experimental evolution datasets. An analysis was also performed on the natural diversity of three different species of potyviruses reflecting their long-term evolution. We observed that the mutational robustness of IDRs is significantly higher than that of ORs. Moreover, the substitutions in the ORs are very constrained by the conservation of the physico-chemical properties of the amino acids. This feature is not found in the IDRs where the substitutions tend to be more random. This reflects the weak structural constraints in these regions, wherein an amino acid polymorphism is naturally conserved. In the course of evolution, potyvirus IDRs and ORs follow different evolutive paths with respect to their mutational robustness. These results have forced the authors to consider the hypothesis that IDRs and their associated amino acid polymorphism could constitute a potential adaptive reservoir.

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The enzymatic activity of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) nanorod particles decorated with an integrated electro-catalytic system, comprising the quinoprotein glucose-dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) enzyme and ferrocenylated PEG chains as redox mediators, is probed at the individual virion scale by atomic force microscopy-scanning electrochemical atomic force microscopy (AFM-SECM). A marked dependence of the catalytic activity on the particle length is observed. This finding can be explained by electron propagation along the viral backbone, resulting from electron exchange between ferrocene moieties, coupled with enzymatic catalysis. Thus, the use of a simple 1D diffusion/reaction model allows the determination of the kinetic parameters of the virus-supported enzyme. Comparative analysis of the catalytic behavior of the Fc-PEG/PQQ-GDH system assembled on two differing viral scaffolds, TMV (this work) and bacteriophage-fd (previous work), reveals two distinct kinetic effects of scaffolding: An enhancement of catalysis that does not depend on the virus type and a modulation of substrate inhibition that depends on the virus type. AFM-SECM detection of the enzymatic activity of a few tens of PQQ-GDH molecules, decorating a 40 nm-long viral domain, is also demonstrated, a record in terms of the lowest number of enzyme molecules interrogated by an electrochemical imaging technique.

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The infectious cycle of potyviruses requires the formation of a complex between the viral genome-linked protein VPg and the host eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E, eIF4E. Mutations associated with plant resistance to potyviruses were previously mapped at the eIF4E surface, while on the virus side, mutations leading to plant resistance breaking were identified within the VPg. In the present study, fluorescence spectroscopy was used to probe the contribution of the VPg intrinsically disordered region bearing amino acids determinant of the resistance breaking, to the VPg-eIF4E binding mechanism. Synthetic peptides encompassing the VPg88-120 central region were found to tightly bind to eIF4E. Fluorescence energy transfer experiments show that, upon binding to eIF4E, the N and C termini of the VPg88-111 fragment move closer to one another, at a distance compatible with a α-helix folding. When the VPg112-120 region, which contains amino acids associated with resistance breakdown, is appended to VPg88-111, the complex formation with eIF4E switches from a single-step to a two-step kinetic model. This study revisits a recent investigation of the VPg-eIF4E complex by specifying the contribution of the VPg central helix and its appended disordered region to VPg association with eIF4E.

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Protein intrinsic disorder is involved in many biological processes and good experimental models are valuable to investigate its functions. The potyvirus genome-linked protein, VPg, displays many features of an intrinsically disordered protein. The virus cycle requires the formation of a complex between VPg and eIF4E, one of the host translation initiation factors. An in-depth characterization of the hydrodynamic properties of VPg, eIF4E, and of their binary complex VPg-eIF4E was carried out. Two complementary experimental approaches, size-exclusion chromatography and fluorescence anisotropy, which is more resolving and revealed especially suitable when protein concentration is the limiting factor, allowed to estimate monomers compaction upon complex formation. VPg possesses a high degree of hydration which is in agreement with its classification as a partially folded protein in between a molten and pre-molten globule. The natively disordered first 46 amino acids of eIF4E contribute to modulate the protein hydrodynamic properties. The addition of an N-ter His tag decreased the conformational entropy of this intrinsically disordered region. A comparative study between the two tagged and untagged proteins revealed the His tag contribution to proteins hydrodynamic behavior.

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Conformational intrinsic disorder is a feature present in many virus proteins. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) have weaker structural requirement than ordered regions and mutations in IDRs could have a lower impact on the virus fitness. This could favor its exploration of adaptive solutions. The potyviral protein VPg contains IDRs with determinants for adaptation to its host plant. To experimentally assess whether IDRs are more resistant to mutations than ordered regions, the biologically relevant interaction between mutant libraries of both VPg and the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and their respective wild type partner was examined using yeast two hybrid assay. Our data shows that VPg is significantly more robust to mutations than eIF4E and as such belongs to a particular class of intrinsically disordered proteins. This result is discussed from the standpoint of IDRs involvement in the virus adaptive processes.

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We present in this chapter a new experimental approach allowing the high resolution imaging of immune complexes on virus particles. Combined atomic force-electrochemical microscopy (AFM-SECM) is used to image the presence of ferrocene functionalized specific antibodies on the surface of potyvirus particles. For this purpose, potyviruses, flexuous filamentous phytoviruses with a high aspect ratio, have been chosen. This technique allows analysis of the distribution of antibody labeling over the virus population. But, more importantly, it opens up the imaging of immune complexes decorating a single viral particle. Finally, its high resolution allows the characterization in situ of the ultrastructure of a single immune complex on the particle.

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Intrinsic disorder (ID) in proteins is defined as a lack of stable structure in physiological conditions. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are highly abundant in some RNA virus proteomes. Low topological constraints exerted on IDRs are expected to buffer the effect of numerous deleterious mutations and could be related to the remarkable adaptive potential of RNA viruses to overcome resistance of their host. To experimentally test this hypothesis in a natural pathosystem, a set of four variants of Potato virus Y (PVY; Potyvirus genus) containing various ID degrees in the Viral genome-linked (VPg) protein, a key determinant of potyvirus adaptation, was designed. To estimate the ID contribution to the VPg-based PVY adaptation, the adaptive ability of the four PVY variants was monitored in the pepper host (Capsicum annuum) carrying a recessive resistance gene. Intriguingly, the two mutants with the highest ID content displayed a significantly higher ability to restore infection in the resistant host, whereas the less intrinsically disordered mutant was unable to restore infection. The role of ID on virus adaptation may be due either to a larger exploration of evolutionary pathways or the minimization of fitness penalty caused by resistance-breaking mutations. This pioneering study strongly suggests the positive impact of ID in an RNA virus adaptive capacity.

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The viral protein genome-linked (VPg) of potyviruses is a protein covalently linked to the 5' end of viral RNA. It interacts with eIF4E, a component of the cellular translation initiation complex. It has been suggested that the 5' RNA-linked VPg could mimic the cellular mRNA cap, promoting synthesis of viral proteins. Here, we report evidence for recruitment of the plant eIF4E by Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV, potyvirus) particles via the 5' RNA-linked VPg. Analysis of the viral population was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based tests, either with crude extracts of LMV-infected tissues or purified viral particles. In both cases, LMV-VPg and LMV-eIF4E subpopulations could be detected. After reaching a maximum within the first 2 weeks postinoculation, these populations decreased and very few labeled particles were found later than 3 weeks postinoculation. The central domain of VPg (CD-VPg) was found to be exposed at the surface of the particles. Using a purified recombinant lettuce eIF4E and CD-VPg-specific antibodies, we demonstrate that the plant factor binds to the VPg via its central domain. Moreover, the plant eIF4E factor could be imaged at one end of the particles purified from LMV plant extracts, by immunoredox atomic force microscopy coupled to scanning electrochemical microscopy. We discuss the biological significance of these results.

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Organizing active enzyme molecules on nanometer-sized scaffolds is a promising strategy for designing highly efficient supported catalytic systems for biosynthetic and sensing applications. This is achieved by designing model nanoscale enzymatic platforms followed by thorough analysis of the catalytic activity. Herein, the virus fd bacteriophage is considered as an enzyme nanocarrier to study the scaffolding effects on enzymatic activity. Nanoarrays of randomly oriented, or directionally patterned, fd bacteriophage virus are functionalized with the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx), using an immunological assembly strategy, directly on a gold electrode support. The scaffolding process on the virus capsid is monitored in situ by AFM (atomic force microscopy) imaging, while cyclic voltammetry is used to interrogate the catalytic activity of the resulting functional GOx-fd nanoarrays. Kinetic analysis reveals the ability to modulate the activity of GOx via nanocarrier patterning. The results evidence, for the first time, enhancement of the enzymatic activity due to scaffolding on a filamentous viral particle.

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The highly ordered protein backbone of virus particles makes them attractive candidates for use as enzyme nano-carriers (ENCs). We have previously developed a non-covalent and versatile approach for adhesion of enzymes to virus particles. This approach makes use of z33, a peptide derived from the B-domain of Staphylococcus aureus protein A, which binds to the Fc domain of many immunoglobulins. We have demonstrated that with specific antibodies addressed against the viral capsid proteins (CPs) an 87% coverage of z33-tagged proteins can be achieved on potyvirus particles. 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase (4CL2) and stilbene synthase (STS) catalyze consecutive steps in the resveratrol synthetic pathway. In this study, these enzymes were modified to carry an N-terminal z33 peptide and a C-terminal 6xHis tag to obtain (z)4CL2(His) and (z)STS(His), respectively. A protein chimera, (z)4CL2::STS(His), with the same modifications was also generated from the genetic fusion of both mono-enzyme encoding genes. All z33 enzymes were biologically active after expression in Escherichia coli as revealed by LC-MS analysis to identify resveratrol and assembled readily into macromolecular complexes with Potato virus A particles and α-PVA CP antibodies. To test simultaneous immobilization-purification, we applied the double antibody sandwich - ELISA protocol to capture active z33-containg mono-enzymes and protein chimera directly from clarified soluble cell lysates onto the virus particle surface. These immobilized enzymes were able to synthesize resveratrol. We present here a bottom up approach to immobilize active enzymes onto virus-based ENCs and discuss the potential to utilize this method in the purification and configuration of nano-devices.

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Within proteins, intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are devoid of stable secondary and tertiary structures under physiological conditions and rather exist as dynamic ensembles of inter-converting conformers. Although ubiquitous in all domains of life, the intrinsic disorder content is highly variable in viral genomes. Over the years, functional annotations of disordered regions at the scale of the whole proteome have been conducted for several animal viruses. But to date, similar studies applied to plant viruses are still missing. Based on disorder prediction tools combined with annotation programs and evolutionary studies, we analyzed the intrinsic disorder content in Potyvirus, using a 10-species dataset representative of this genus diversity. In this paper, we revealed that: (i) the Potyvirus proteome displays high disorder content, (ii) disorder is conserved during Potyvirus evolution, suggesting a functional advantage of IDRs, (iii) IDRs evolve faster than ordered regions, and (iv) IDRs may be associated with major biological functions required for the Potyvirus cycle. Notably, the proteins P1, Coat protein (CP) and Viral genome-linked protein (VPg) display a high content of conserved disorder, enriched in specific motifs mimicking eukaryotic functional modules and suggesting strategies of host machinery hijacking. In these three proteins, IDRs are particularly conserved despite their high amino acid polymorphism, indicating a link to adaptive processes. Through this comprehensive study, we further investigate the biological relevance of intrinsic disorder in Potyvirus biology and we propose a functional annotation of potyviral proteome IDRs.

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We show herein that electrochemical atomic force microscopy (AFM-SECM), operated in molecule touching (Mt) mode and combined with redox immunomarking, enables the in situ mapping of the distribution of proteins on individual virus particles and makes localization of individual viral proteins possible. Acquisition of a topography image allows isolated virus particles to be identified and structurally characterized, while simultaneous acquisition of a current image allows the sought after protein, marked by redox antibodies, to be selectively located. We concomitantly show that Mt/AFM-SECM, due to its single-particle resolution, can also uniquely reveal the way redox functionalization endowed to viral particles is distributed both statistically among the viruses and spatially over individual virus particles. This possibility makes Mt/AFM-SECM a unique tool for viral nanotechnology.

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UNLABELLED: Potato virus A (PVA) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus and a member of the family Potyviridae. The PVA coat protein (CP) has an intrinsic capacity to self-assemble into filamentous virus-like particles, but the mechanism responsible for the initiation of viral RNA encapsidation in vivo remains unclear. Apart from virion assembly, PVA CP is also involved in the inhibition of viral RNA translation. In this study, we show that CP inhibits PVA RNA translation in a dose-dependent manner, through a mechanism involving the CP-encoding region. Analysis of this region, however, failed to identify any RNA secondary structure(s) preferentially recognized by CP, suggesting that the inhibition depends on CP-CP rather than CP-RNA interactions. In agreement with this possibility, insertion of an in-frame stop codon upstream of the CP sequence led to a marked decrease in the inhibition of viral RNA translation. Based on these results, we propose a model in which the cotranslational interactions between excess CP accumulating in trans and CP translated from viral RNA in cis are required to initiate the translational repression. This model suggests a mechanism for how viral RNA can be sequestered from translation and specifically selected for encapsidation at the late stages of viral infection. IMPORTANCE: The main functions of the CP during potyvirus infection are to protect viral RNA from degradation and to transport it locally, systemically, and from host to host. Although virion assembly is a key step in the potyviral infectious cycle, little is known about how it is initiated and how viral RNA is selected for encapsidation. The results presented here suggest that CP-CP rather than CP-RNA interactions are predominantly involved in the sequestration of viral RNA away from translation. We propose that the cotranslational nature of these interactions may represent a mechanism for the selection of viral RNA for encapsidation. A better understanding of the mechanism of virion assembly may lead to development of crops resistant to potyviruses at the level of viral RNA encapsidation, thereby reducing the detrimental effects of potyvirus infections on food production.

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Here we develop a novel approach allowing the noncovalent assembly of proteins on well-defined nanoscaffolds such as virus particles. The antibody-binding peptide Z33 was genetically fused to the monomeric yellow fluorescent protein and 4-coumarate:CoA-ligase 2. This Z33 "tag" allowed their patterning on the surface of zucchini yellow mosaic virus by means of specific antibodies directed against the coat protein of the virus. The approach was validated by affinity assays and correlative microscopy. The coverage efficiency was ≈ 87%. Fluorescence and enzymatic activity were fully retained after assembly. The principle of using the combination of a scaffold-specific antibody and Z33-fusion proteins can be extended to a wide variety of proteins/enzymes and antigenic scaffolds to support coupling for creating functional "biochips" with optical or catalytic properties.

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The cooperative organization of enzymes by cells is a key feature for the efficiency of living systems. In the field of nanotechnologies, effort currently aims at mimicking this natural organization. Nanoscale resolution and high-registration alignment are necessary to control enzyme distribution in nano-containers or on the surface of solid supports. Virus capsid self-assembly is driven by precise supramolecular combinations of protein monomers, which have made them attractive building blocks to engineer enzyme nano-carriers (ENCs). We discuss some examples of what in our opinion constitute the latest advances in the use of plant viruses, bacteriophages and virus-like particles (VLPs) as nano-scaffolds for enzyme selection, enzyme confinement and patterning, phage therapy, raw material processing, and single molecule enzyme kinetics studies.

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In plants, the ubiquitin/26S proteasome system (UPS) plays a central role in protein degradation and is involved in many steps of defence mechanisms, regardless of the types of pathogen targeted. In addition to its proteolytic activities, the UPS ribonuclease (RNase) activity, previously detected in 20S proteasome preparations from cauliflower and sunflower (Helianthus annuus), has been shown to specifically target plant viral RNAs in vitro. In this study, we show that recombinant Arabidopsis thaliana proteasomal α(5) subunit expressed in Escherichia coli harbours an RNase activity that degrades Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV, Tobamovirus)- and Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV, Potyvirus)-derived RNAs in vitro. The analysis of mutated forms of the α(5) subunit demonstrated that mutation of a glutamic acid at position 110 affects RNase activity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated, using a bimolecular fluorescence complement assay, that the multifunctional helper component proteinase (HcPro) of LMV, already known to interfere with the 20S proteasome RNase activity in vitro, can interact in vivo with the recombinant α(5) subunit. Further experiments demonstrated that, in LMV-infected lettuce cells, α(5) is partially relocalized to HcPro-containing infection-specific inclusions. Susceptibility analyses of Arabidopsis mutants, knocked out for each At-PAE gene encoding α(5) , showed that one (KO-pae1) of the two mutants exhibited a significantly increased susceptibility to LMV infection. Taken together, these results extend to A. thaliana α(5) the range of HcPro-interacting proteasomal subunits, and suggest that HcPro may modulate its associated RNase activity which may contribute to an antiviral response.

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BACKGROUND: VPgs are viral proteins linked to the 5' end of some viral genomes. Interactions between several VPgs and eukaryotic translation initiation factors eIF4Es are critical for plant infection. However, VPgs are not restricted to phytoviruses, being also involved in genome replication and protein translation of several animal viruses. To date, structural data are still limited to small picornaviral VPgs. Recently three phytoviral VPgs were shown to be natively unfolded proteins. RESULTS: In this paper, we report the bacterial expression, purification and biochemical characterization of two phytoviral VPgs, namely the VPgs of Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV, genus Sobemovirus) and Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV, genus Potyvirus). Using far-UV circular dichroism and size exclusion chromatography, we show that RYMV and LMV VPgs are predominantly or partly unstructured in solution, respectively. Using several disorder predictors, we show that both proteins are predicted to possess disordered regions. We next extend theses results to 14 VPgs representative of the viral diversity. Disordered regions were predicted in all VPg sequences whatever the genus and the family. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, we propose that intrinsic disorder is a common feature of VPgs. The functional role of intrinsic disorder is discussed in light of the biological roles of VPgs.

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The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) (the cap-binding protein) is involved in natural resistance against several potyviruses in plants. In lettuce, the recessive resistance genes mo1(1) and mo1(2) against Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) are alleles coding for forms of eIF4E unable, or less effective, to support virus accumulation. A recombinant LMV expressing the eIF4E of a susceptible lettuce variety from its genome was able to produce symptoms in mo1(1) or mo1(2) varieties. In order to identify the eIF4E amino acid residues necessary for viral infection, we constructed recombinant LMV expressing eIF4E with point mutations affecting various amino acids and compared the abilities of these eIF4E mutants to complement LMV infection in resistant plants. Three types of mutations were produced in order to affect different biochemical functions of eIF4E: cap binding, eIF4G binding, and putative interaction with other virus or host proteins. Several mutations severely reduced the ability of eIF4E to complement LMV accumulation in a resistant host and impeded essential eIF4E functions in yeast. However, the ability of eIF4E to bind a cap analogue or to fully interact with eIF4G appeared unlinked to LMV infection. In addition to providing a functional mutational map of a plant eIF4E, this suggests that the role of eIF4E in the LMV cycle might be distinct from its physiological function in cellular mRNA translation.

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Binary mixtures of well-defined, stimuli-responsive elastin-based side-chain polymers show a single transition temperature that depends on blend composition.

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