Abstract

Positive-sense RNA viruses hijack intracellular membranes that provide niches for viral RNA synthesis and a platform for interactions with host proteins. However, little is known about host factors at the interface between replicase complexes and the host cytoplasm. We engineered a biotin ligase into a coronaviral replication/transcription complex (RTC) and identified >500 host proteins constituting the RTC microenvironment. siRNA-silencing of each RTC-proximal host factor demonstrated importance of vesicular trafficking pathways, ubiquitin-dependent and autophagy-related processes, and translation initiation factors. Notably, detection of translation initiation factors at the RTC was instrumental to visualize and demonstrate active translation proximal to replication complexes of several coronaviruses. Collectively, we establish a spatial link between viral RNA synthesis and diverse host factors of unprecedented breadth. Our data may serve as a paradigm for other positive-strand RNA viruses and provide a starting point for a comprehensive analysis of critical virus-host interactions that represent targets for therapeutic intervention.

Data availability

The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD009975.All other data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files.

The following data sets were generated

Article and author information

Author details

  1. Philip V'kovski

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-8366-1220
  2. Markus Gerber

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  3. Jenna Kelly

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  4. Stephanie Pfaender

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  5. Nadine Ebert

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  6. Sophie Braga Lagache

    Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  7. Cedric Simillion

    Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  8. Jasmine Portmann

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  9. Hanspeter Stalder

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  10. Véronique Gaschen

    Division Veterinary Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  11. Rémy Bruggmann

    Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0003-4733-7922
  12. Michael H Stoffel

    Division of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-4699-5125
  13. Manfred Heller

    Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  14. Ronald Dijkman Dijkman

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
  15. Volker Thiel

    Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Bern, Switzerland
    For correspondence
    volker.thiel@vetsuisse.unibe.ch
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-5783-0887

Funding

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (173085)

  • Philip V'kovski
  • Volker Thiel

European Commission (748627)

  • Stephanie Pfaender
  • Volker Thiel

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (160780)

  • Jenna Kelly
  • Nadine Ebert
  • Volker Thiel

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

© 2019, V'kovski et al.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

Metrics

  • 11,261
    views
  • 1,701
    downloads
  • 149
    citations

Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.

Download links

A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.

Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)

Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)

Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)

  1. Philip V'kovski
  2. Markus Gerber
  3. Jenna Kelly
  4. Stephanie Pfaender
  5. Nadine Ebert
  6. Sophie Braga Lagache
  7. Cedric Simillion
  8. Jasmine Portmann
  9. Hanspeter Stalder
  10. Véronique Gaschen
  11. Rémy Bruggmann
  12. Michael H Stoffel
  13. Manfred Heller
  14. Ronald Dijkman Dijkman
  15. Volker Thiel
(2019)
Determination of host proteins composing the microenvironment of coronavirus replicase complexes by proximity-labeling
eLife 8:e42037.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.42037

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.42037

Further reading

    1. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    McKenna Harpring, Junghoon Lee ... John V Cox
    Research Article

    Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 (Ct), an obligate intracellular bacterium that does not encode FtsZ, divides by a polarized budding process. In the absence of FtsZ, we show that FtsK, a chromosomal translocase, is critical for divisome assembly in Ct. Chlamydial FtsK forms discrete foci at the septum and at the base of the progenitor mother cell, and our data indicate that FtsK foci at the base of the mother cell mark the location of nascent divisome complexes that form at the site where a daughter cell will emerge in the next round of division. The divisome in Ct has a hybrid composition, containing elements of the divisome and elongasome from other bacteria, and FtsK is recruited to nascent divisomes prior to the other chlamydial divisome proteins assayed, including the PBP2 and PBP3 transpeptidases, and MreB and MreC. Knocking down FtsK prevents divisome assembly in Ct and inhibits cell division and septal peptidoglycan synthesis. We further show that MreB does not function like FtsZ and serve as a scaffold for the assembly of the Ct divisome. Rather, MreB is one of the last proteins recruited to the chlamydial divisome, and it is necessary for the formation of septal peptidoglycan rings. Our studies illustrate the critical role of chlamydial FtsK in coordinating divisome assembly and peptidoglycan synthesis in this obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen.

    1. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    Tao Tang, Weiming Zhong ... Zhipeng Gao
    Research Article

    Saprolegnia parasitica is one of the most virulent oomycete species in freshwater aquatic environments, causing severe saprolegniasis and leading to significant economic losses in the aquaculture industry. Thus far, the prevention and control of saprolegniasis face a shortage of medications. Linalool, a natural antibiotic alternative found in various essential oils, exhibits promising antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens. In this study, the specific role of linalool in protecting S. parasitica infection at both in vitro and in vivo levels was investigated. Linalool showed multifaceted anti-oomycetes potential by both of antimicrobial efficacy and immunomodulatory efficacy. For in vitro test, linalool exhibited strong anti-oomycetes activity and mode of action included: (1) Linalool disrupted the cell membrane of the mycelium, causing the intracellular components leak out; (2) Linalool prohibited ribosome function, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis and ultimately affecting mycelium growth. Surprisingly, meanwhile we found the potential immune protective mechanism of linalool in the in vivo test: (1) Linalool enhanced the complement and coagulation system which in turn activated host immune defense and lysate S. parasitica cells; (2) Linalool promoted wound healing, tissue repair, and phagocytosis to cope with S. parasitica infection; (3) Linalool positively modulated the immune response by increasing the abundance of beneficial Actinobacteriota; (4) Linalool stimulated the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines to lyse S. parasitica cells. In all, our findings showed that linalool possessed multifaceted anti-oomycetes potential which would be a promising natural antibiotic alternative to cope with S. parasitica infection in the aquaculture industry.