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Liquid–liquid phase separation underpins the formation of replication factories in rotaviruses

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Geiger, Florian 
Acker, Julia 
Papa, Guido 
Wang, Xinyu 
Arter, William E 

Abstract

RNA viruses induce the formation of subcellular organelles that provide microenvironments conducive to their replication. Here we show that replication factories of rotaviruses represent proteinRNA condensates that are formed via liquid–liquid phase separation of the viroplasm-forming proteins NSP5 and rotavirus RNA chaperone NSP2. Upon mixing, these proteins readily form condensates at physiologically relevant low micromolar concentrations achieved in the cytoplasm of virus-infected cells. Early infection stage condensates could be reversibly dissolved by 1,6-hexanediol, as well as propylene glycol that released rotavirus transcripts from these condensates. During the early stages of infection, propylene glycol treatments reduced viral replication and phosphorylation of the condensate-forming protein NSP5. During late infection, these condensates exhibited altered material properties and became resistant to propylene glycol, coinciding with hyperphosphorylation of NSP5. Some aspects of the assembly of cytoplasmic rotavirus replication factories mirror the formation of other ribonucleoprotein granules. Such viral RNA-rich condensates that support replication of multi-segmented genomes represent an attractive target for developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Description

Keywords

RNP granules, biomolecular condensates, microfluidics, viral genome assembly, Animals, Cattle, Cell Line, Cytoplasmic Ribonucleoprotein Granules, Gene Expression Regulation, Viral, Genes, Reporter, Glycols, Green Fluorescent Proteins, HEK293 Cells, Haplorhini, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Humans, Osmolar Concentration, Phosphorylation, Propylene Glycol, Protein Processing, Post-Translational, RNA-Binding Proteins, Rotavirus, Signal Transduction, Viral Nonstructural Proteins, Virus Assembly, Virus Replication

Journal Title

The EMBO Journal

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0261-4189
1460-2075

Volume Title

Publisher

EMBO Press
Sponsorship
European Research Council (337969)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) (766972)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Marie Sk?odowska-Curie actions (841466)