Virus Nonstructural Protein 5B Research Articles

Functional Properties of a Monoclonal Antibody Inhibiting the Hepatitis C Virus RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), represented by nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B), has recently emerged as a promising target for antiviral intervention. Here, we describe the isolation, functional characterization, and molecular cloning of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibiting the HCV RdRp. This mAb, designated 5B-12B7, binds with high affinity to a conformational epitope in the palm subdomain of the HCV RdRp and recognizes native NS5B expressed in the context of the entire HCV polyprotein or subgenomic replicons. Complete inhibition of RdRp activity in vitro was observed at equimolar concentrations of NS5B and mAb 5B-12B7, whereas RdRp activities of classical swine fever virus NS5B and poliovirus 3D polymerase were not affected. mAb 5B-12B7 selectively inhibited NTP binding to HCV NS5B, whereas binding of template RNA was unaffected, thus explaining the mechanism of action at the molecular level. The mAb 5B-12B7 heavy and light chain variable domains were cloned by reverse transcription-PCR, and a single chain Fv fragment was assembled for expression in Escherichia coli and in eukaryotic cells. The mAb 5B-12B7 single chain Fv fragment bound to NS5B both in vitro and in transfected human cell lines and therefore may be potentially useful for intracellular immunization against HCV. More important, detailed knowledge of the mAb 5B-12B7 contact sites on the enzyme may facilitate the development of small molecule RdRp inhibitors as novel antiviral agents.

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize the palm subdomain of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5B polymerase

The nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) which plays an essential role in viral RNA replication. Antibodies that specifically recognize NS5B will have utilities in monitoring NS5B production and subcellular localization, as well as in structure-function studies. In this report, three mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 16A 9C 9, 16D 9A 4 and 20A 12C 7, against a recombinant NS5B protein (genotype 1a, H-77 strain) were produced. These mAbs specifically recognize HCV NS5B, but not RdRps of polivirus (PV), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) or GB virus B (GBV-B). The mAbs can readily detect NS5B in cellular lysates of human osteosarcoma Saos2 cells constitutively expressing the nonstructural region of HCV (NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B). NS5B proteins of different HCV genotypes/subtypes (1a, 1b, 2a, 2c, 5a) showed varied affinity for these mAbs. Interestingly, the epitopes for the mAbs were mapped to the palm subdomain (amino acid 188-370) of the HCV RdRp as determined by immunoblotting analysis of a panel of HCV/GBV-B chimeric NS5B proteins. The binding site was mapped between amino acid 231 and 267 of NS5B for 16A 9C 9, and between 282 and 372 for 16D 9A 4 and 20A 12C 7. Furthermore, these mAbs showed no inhibitory effect on the NS5B polymerase activity in vitro.

Template/primer requirements and single nucleotide incorporation by hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5B polymerase.

Nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) possesses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity responsible for viral genome RNA replication. Despite several reports on the characterization of this essential viral enzyme, little is known about the reaction pathway of NS5B-catalyzed nucleotide incorporation due to the lack of a kinetic system offering efficient assembly of a catalytically competent polymerase/template/primer/nucleotide quaternary complex. In this report, specific template/primer requirements for efficient RNA synthesis by HCV NS5B were investigated. For intramolecular copy-back RNA synthesis, NS5B utilizes templates with an unstable stem-loop at the 3' terminus which exists as a single-stranded molecule in solution. A template with a stable tetraloop at the 3' terminus failed to support RNA synthesis by HCV NS5B. Based on these observations, a number of single-stranded RNA templates were synthesized and tested along with short RNA primers ranging from two to five nucleotides. It was found that HCV NS5B utilized di- or trinucleotides efficiently to initiate RNA replication. Furthermore, the polymerase, template, and primer assembled initiation-competent complexes at the 3' terminus of the template RNA where the template and primer base paired within the active site cavity of the polymerase. The minimum length of the template is five nucleotides, consistent with a structural model of the NS5B/RNA complex in which a pentanucleotide single-stranded RNA template occupies a groove located along the fingers subdomain of the polymerase. This observation suggests that the initial docking of RNA on NS5B polymerase requires a single-stranded RNA molecule. A unique beta-hairpin loop in the thumb subdomain may play an important role in properly positioning the single-stranded template for initiation of RNA synthesis. Identification of the template/primer requirements will facilitate the mechanistic characterization of HCV NS5B and its inhibitors.

De novo initiation of RNA synthesis by hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5B polymerase.

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) encoded by positive-strand RNA viruses is critical to the replication of viral RNA genome. Like other positive-strand RNA viruses, replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is mediated through a negative-strand intermediate, which is generated through copying the positive-strand genomic RNA. Although it has been demonstrated that HCV NS5B alone can direct RNA replication through a copy-back primer at the 3' end, de novo initiation of RNA synthesis is likely to be the mode of RNA replication in infected cells. In this study, we demonstrate that a recombinant HCV NS5B protein has the ability to initiate de novo RNA synthesis in vitro. The NS5B used HCV 3' X-tail RNA (98 nucleotides) as the template to synthesize an RNA product of monomer size, which can be labeled by ¿gamma-(32)Pnucleoside triphosphate. The de novo initiation activity was further confirmed by using small synthetic RNAs ending with dideoxynucleotides at the 3' termini. In addition, HCV NS5B preferred GTP as the initiation nucleotide. The optimal conditions for the de novo initiation activity have been determined. Identification and characterization of the de novo priming or initiation activity by HCV NS5B provides an opportunity to screen for inhibitors that specifically target the initiation step.

Mutational analysis of bovine viral diarrhea virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

Recombinant bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) produced in insect cells has been shown to possess an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity. Our initial attempt to produce the full-length BVDV NS5B with a C-terminal hexahistidine tag in Escherichia coli failed due to the expression of insoluble products. Prompted by a recent report that removal of the C-terminal hydrophobic domain significantly improved the solubility of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B, we constructed a similar deletion of 24 amino acids at the C terminus of BVDV NS5B. The resulting fusion protein, NS5BDeltaCT24-His, was purified to homogeneity and demonstrated to direct RNA replication via both primer-dependent (elongative) and primer-independent (de novo) mechanisms. Furthermore, BVDV RdRp was found to utilize a circular single-stranded DNA as a template for RNA synthesis, suggesting that synthesis does not require ends in the template. In addition to the previously described polymerase motifs A, B, C, and D, alignments with other flavivirus sequences revealed two additional motifs, one N-terminal to motif A and one C-terminal to motif D. Extensive alanine substitutions showed that while most mutations had similar effects on both elongative and de novo RNA syntheses, some had selective effects. Finally, deletions of up to 90 amino acids from the N terminus did not significantly affect RdRp activities, whereas deletions of more than 24 amino acids at the C terminus resulted in either insoluble products or soluble proteins (DeltaCT179 and DeltaCT218) that lacked RdRp activities.

Expression of hepatitis C virus NS5B protein: characterization of its RNA polymerase activity and RNA binding.

The nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered to possess RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity and to play an essential role for the viral replication. In this study, we expressed the NS5B protein of 65 kd by a recombinant baculovirus. With the highly purified NS5B protein, we established an in vitro system for RdRp activity by using poly(A) as a template and a 15-mer oligo(U) (oligo(U)15) as a primer. Optimal conditions of temperature and pH for primer-dependent polymerase activity of the NS5B were 32 degrees C and pH 8.0. The addition of 10 mmol of Mg2+ increased the activity. The importance of three motifs conserved in RdRp among other positive-strand RNA viruses was confirmed by introduction of an Ala residue to every amino acid of the motifs by site-directed mutagenesis. All mutants lost RdRp activity, but retained the RNA binding activity, except one mutant at Thr287/Asn291. Deletion mutant analysis indicated that the N-terminal region of NS5B protein was critical for the RNA binding. Inhibition of RdRp activity by (-)beta-L-2', 3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine 5'-triphosphate (3TC; lamivudine triphosphate) and phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) was observed after screening of nucleoside analogs and known polymerase inhibitors. These data provide us not only important clues for understanding the mechanism of HCV replication, but also a new target of antiviral therapy.

Expression of recombinant hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5B in Escherichia coli

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a major public health problem that can produce liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronically infected patients. Our goal was to express the HCV non-structural protein 5B (NS5B) protein of HCV genotype 1a in Escherichia coli and initiate studies of its role in HCV genomic replication. In this report we demonstrate that a recombinant NS5B protein with an amino terminal sequence of ASMSYSWTG has RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) activity. This recombinant enzyme was active in poly(U) polymerase assays and produced template-sized RNA products when globin mRNA was used as a template. The polymerase activity of recombinant NS5B was primer-dependent and was active for at least 60 min of incubation at 30°C. Deletion of the carboxyl terminal region of HCV NS5B resulted in a loss of RDRP activity indicating that the enzymatic activity observed was due to the full-length recombinant enzyme. Recombinant NS5B (RDRP) should assist in understanding the mechanism of HCV replication and the identification of specific enzyme inhibitors.