Alphavirus 6K Proteins Form Ion Channels

Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus are Australian arboviruses of the Alphavirus genus. Features of alphavirus infection include an increased permeability of cells to monovalent cations followed by virion budding. Virally encoded ion channels are thought to have a role in these processes. In th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of biological chemistry 2002-12, Vol.277 (49), p.46923-46931
Main Authors: Melton, Julian V., Ewart, Gary D., Weir, Ronald C., Board, Philip G., Lee, Eva, Gage, Peter W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alphavirus - metabolism
Amino Acid Sequence
Blotting, Western
Cloning, Molecular
DNA, Complementary - metabolism
Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
Electrophysiology
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Glutathione Transferase - metabolism
Ion Channels - chemistry
Ions - metabolism
Lipid Bilayers - metabolism
Molecular Sequence Data
Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
Mutation
Peptides - chemistry
Point Mutation
Protein Structure, Tertiary
Recombinant Fusion Proteins - metabolism
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Time Factors
Viral Proteins - chemistry
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Summary:Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus are Australian arboviruses of the Alphavirus genus. Features of alphavirus infection include an increased permeability of cells to monovalent cations followed by virion budding. Virally encoded ion channels are thought to have a role in these processes. In this paper, the 6K proteins of Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus are shown to form cation-selective ion channels in planar lipid bilayers. Using a novel purification method, bacterially expressed 6K proteins were inserted into bilayers with a defined orientation (i.e.N-terminal cis, C-terminal trans). Channel activity was reversibly inhibited by antibodies to the N and C termini of 6K protein added to the cis and trans baths, respectively. Channel conductances varied from 40–800 picosiemens, suggesting that the protein is able to form channels with a range of possible oligomerization states.
ISSN:0021-9258
1083-351X
DOI:10.1074/jbc.M207847200