Elevated endosomal pH in HeLa cells overexpressing mutant dynamin can affect infection by pH-sensitive viruses

Many viruses gain access to the cell via the endosomal route and require low endosomal pH for infectivity. The GTPase dynamin is essential for clathrin-dependent endocytosis, and in HeLa cells overexpressing the nonfunctional dynaminK44A mutant the formation of clathrin-coated vesicles is halted. HRV2, a human minor group rhinovirus, is internalized by members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family in a clathrin-independent manner. The low endosomal pH then leads to conversion of the capsid to C-antigen, which is required for release (uncoating) and transfer of the viral RNA into the cytosol and de novo synthesis of infectious virus. We here demonstrate that overexpression of dynaminK44A reduces this antigenic conversion and results in diminished viral synthesis. In contrast, lysosomal degradation is unaffected. The kinetics of the formation of C-antigen in vitro and in vivo suggest that the pH in endosomes is elevated by about 0.4 units upon overexpression of dynaminK44A. As a consequence, HRV2 uncoating is diminished early after internalization but attains control levels upon prolonged internalization. Thus, overexpression of dynaminK44A, in addition to trafficking defects, results in an elevated endosomal pH and thereby affects virus infection and most likely endosomal sorting and processing.