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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant health burden and leading cause of virus-induced cancers. HPV is epitheliotropic and its replication is tightly associated with terminal keratinocyte differentiation making production and purification of high titer virus preparations for research problematic, therefore alternative HPV production methods have been developed for virological and structural studies. In this study we use HPV16 quasivirus, composed of HPV16 L1/L2 capsid proteins with a packaged cottontail rabbit papillomavirus genome. We have achieved the first high resolution, 3.1Å, structure of HPV16 by using a local subvolume refinement approach. The high resolution enabled us to build L1 unambiguously and identify L2 protein strands. The L2 density is incorporated adjacent to conserved L1 residues on the interior of the capsid. Further interpretation with our own software for Icosahedral Subvolume Extraction and Correlated Classification (ISECC) revealed flexibility, on the whole-particle level through diameter analysis and local movement with inter-capsomer analysis. Inter-capsomer expansion or contraction, governed by the connecting arms, showed no bias in the magnitude or direction of capsomer movement. We propose that papillomavirus capsids are dynamic and capsomers move as rigid bodies connected by flexible linkers. The resulting virus structure will provide a framework for continuing biochemical, genetic and biophysical research for papillomaviruses. Furthermore, our approach has allowed insight into the resolution barrier that has previously been a limitation in papillomavirus structural studies.

In minute virus of mice (MVM) capsids, icosahedral five-fold channels serve as portals mediating genome packaging, genome release, and the phased extrusion of viral peptides. Previous studies suggest that residues L172 and V40 are essential for channel function. The structures of MVMi wildtype, and mutant L172T and V40A virus-like particles (VLPs) were solved from cryo-EM data. Two constriction points, termed the mid-gate and inner-gate, were observed in the channels of wildtype particles, involving residues L172 and V40 respectively. While the mid-gate of V40A VLPs appeared normal, in L172T adjacent channel walls were altered, and in both mutants there was major disruption of the inner-gate, demonstrating that direct L172:V40 bonding is essential for its structural integrity. In wildtype particles, residues from the N-termini of VP2 map into claw-like densities positioned below the channel opening, which become disordered in the mutants, implicating both L172 and V40 in the organization of VP2 N-termini.

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have been employed successfully as gene therapy vectors in treating various genetic diseases for almost two decades. However, transgene packaging is usually imperfect, and developing a rapid and accurate method for measuring the proportion of DNA encapsidation is an important step for improving the downstream process of large scale vector production. In this study, we used two-dimensional class averages and three-dimensional classes, intermediate outputs in the single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image reconstruction pipeline, to determine the proportion of DNA-packaged and empty capsid populations. Two different preparations of AAV3 were analyzed to estimate the minimum number of particles required to be sampled by cryo-EM in order for robust calculation of the proportion of the full versus empty capsids in any given sample. Cost analysis applied to the minimum amount of data required for a valid ratio suggests that cryo-EM is an effective approach to analyze vector preparations.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) traffics to the cell nucleus where it delivers the genome for replication. The intracellular compartment where uncoating takes place, the required capsid structural rearrangements and the cellular factors involved remain unknown. We explored conditions that trigger uncoating in vitro and found that prolonged exposure of capsids to chelating agents or to buffers with chelating properties induced a structural rearrangement at 4 &deg, C resulting in capsids with lower density. These lighter particles remained intact but were unstable and short exposure to 37 &deg, C or to a freeze-thaw cycle was sufficient to trigger DNA externalization without capsid disassembly. The rearrangement was not observed in the absence of chelating activity or in the presence of MgCl2 or CaCl2, suggesting that depletion of capsid-associated divalent cations facilitates uncoating. The presence of assembled capsids with externalized DNA was also detected during B19V entry in UT7/Epo cells. Following endosomal escape and prior to nuclear entry, a significant proportion of the incoming capsids rearranged and externalized the viral genome without capsid disassembly. The incoming capsids with accessible genomes accumulated in the nuclear fraction, a process that was prevented when endosomal escape or dynein function was disrupted. In their uncoated conformation, capsids immunoprecipitated from cytoplasmic or from nuclear fractions supported in vitro complementary-strand synthesis at 37 &deg, C. This study reveals an uncoating strategy of B19V based on a limited capsid rearrangement prior to nuclear entry, a process that can be mimicked in vitro by depletion of divalent cations.

Parvovirus-derived endogenous viral elements (EVEs) have been found in the genomes of many different animal species, resulting from integration events that may have occurred from more than 50 million years ago to much more recently. Here, we further investigate the properties of autonomous parvovirus EVEs and describe their relationships to contemporary viruses. While we did not find any intact capsid protein open reading frames in the integrated viral sequences, we examined three EVEs that were repaired to form full-length sequences with relatively few changes. These sequences were found in the genomes of Rattus norvegicus (brown rat), Mus spretus (Algerian mouse), and Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse). The R. norvegicus sequence was not present in the genomes of the closely related species R. rattus, R. tanezumi, R. exulans, and R. everetti, indicating that it was less than 2 million years old, and the M. spretus and A. sylvaticus sequences were not found in the published genomes of other mouse species, also indicating relatively recent insertions. The M. spretus VP2 sequence assembled into capsids, which had high thermal stability, bound the sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid, and entered murine L cells. The 3.89-A structure of the M. spretus virus-like particles (VLPs), determined using cryo-electron microscopy, showed similarities to rodent and porcine parvovirus capsids. The repaired VP2 sequences from R. norvegicus and A. sylvaticus did not assemble as first prepared, but chimeras combining capsid surface loops from R. norvegicus with canine parvovirus assembled, allowing some of that capsid’s structures and functions to be examined. IMPORTANCE Parvovirus endogenous viral elements (EVEs) that have been incorporated into the genomes of different animals represent remnants of the DNA sequences of ancient viruses that infected the ancestors of those animals millions of years ago, but we know little about their properties or how they differ from currently circulating parvoviruses. By expressing the capsid proteins of different parvovirus EVEs that were found integrated into the genomes of three different rodents, we can examine their structures and functions. A VP2 (major capsid protein) EVE sequence from a mouse genome assembled into capsids that had a similar structure and biophysical properties to extant parvoviruses and also bound sialic acids and entered rodent cells. Chimeras formed from combinations of canine parvovirus and portions of the parvovirus sequences from the brown rat genome allowed us to examine the structures and functions of the surface loops of that EVE capsid.

Malaria is a devastating illness that causes approximately 500,000 deaths annually. The malaria-causing parasite (Plasmodium genus) uses the process of translational repression to regulate its growth, development, and transmission. As poly(A)-binding proteins (PABP) have been identified as critical components of RNA metabolism and translational repression in model eukaryotes and in Plasmodium, we have identified and investigated two PABPs in Plasmodium yoelii, PyPABP1 and PyPABP2. In contrast to most single-celled eukaryotes, Plasmodium closely resembles metazoans and encodes both a nuclear PABP and a cytosolic PABP; here, we provide multiple lines of evidence in support of this observation. The conserved domain architectures of PyPABP1 and PyPABP2 resemble those of yeast and metazoans, while multiple independent binding assays demonstrated their ability to bind very strongly and specifically to poly(A) sequences. Interestingly, we also observed that purified PyPABP1 forms homopolymeric chains despite exhaustive RNase treatment in vitro. Finally, we show by indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) that PyPABP1 and PyPABP2 are cytoplasm- and nucleus-associated PABPs during the blood stages of the life cycle. Surprisingly, however, PyPABP1 was instead observed to also be localized on the surface of transmitted salivary gland sporozoites and to be deposited in trails when parasites glide on a substrate. This is the third RNA-binding protein verified to be found on the sporozoite surface, and the data may point to an unappreciated RNA-centered interface between the host and parasite. IMPORTANCE Malaria remains one of the great global health problems. The parasite that causes malaria (Plasmodium genus) relies upon exquisite control of its transmission between vertebrate hosts and mosquitoes. One crucial way that it does so is by proactively producing mRNAs needed to establish the new infection but by silencing and storing them until they are needed. One key protein in this process of translational repression in model eukaryotes is poly(A)-binding protein (PABP). Here we have shown that Plasmodium yoelii utilizes both a nuclear PABP and a cytosolic PABP, both of which bind specifically to polyadenylated RNA sequences. Moreover, we find that the cytosolic PABP forms chains in vitro, consistent with its appreciated role in coating the poly(A) tails of mRNA. Finally, we have also verified that, surprisingly, the cytosolic PABP is found on the surface of Plasmodium sporozoites. Taking the data together, we propose that Plasmodium utilizes a more metazoan-like strategy for RNA metabolism using specialized PABPs.