Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Preparation of Cell-lines for Conditional Knockdown of Gene Expression and Measurement of the Knockdown Effects on E4orf4-Induced Cell Death
13:54

Preparation of Cell-lines for Conditional Knockdown of Gene Expression and Measurement of the Knockdown Effects on E4orf4-Induced Cell Death

Published on: October 21, 2012

The African swine fever virus dynein-binding protein p54 induces infected cell apoptosis

Bruno Hernáez1, Gema Díaz-Gil, Mónica García-Gallo

  • 1Dpto. Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra. de la Coruña Km 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

FEBS Letters
|July 1, 2004
PubMed

Insights

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) protein p54 induces apoptosis by interacting with dynein light chain 8 (DLC8). Mutants lacking this interaction lose their ability to activate caspases and induce cell death.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) protein p54 interacts with dynein light chain 8 (DLC8), crucial for viral entry and intracellular transport.
  • ASFV infection initiates apoptosis, involving caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation during early infection stages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ASFV p54 protein in inducing apoptosis.
  • To determine if the interaction between p54 and DLC8 is essential for p54-mediated apoptosis.

Main Methods:

  • Transient expression of ASFV p54 in Vero cells.
  • Analysis of effector caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induction.
  • Creation and testing of p54 mutants lacking the DLC8-binding motif.

Main Results:

  • Transient expression of ASFV p54 induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis in Vero cells.
  • ASFV p54 mutants lacking the dynein-binding motif failed to activate caspases.
  • These mutants also lost their pro-death function, indicating the DLC8 interaction is critical.

Conclusions:

  • ASFV p54 is the first reported ASFV protein with the ability to induce apoptosis.
  • The interaction of p54 with DLC8 is essential for its apoptotic function and caspase activation.
  • This finding provides new insights into ASFV pathogenesis and host-cell manipulation.

More Related Videos

Examination of Pyroptosis by Flow Cytometry05:14

Examination of Pyroptosis by Flow Cytometry

Published on: May 31, 2024

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners14:28

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners

Published on: June 30, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
Yellow Fever01:18

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells01:17

Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Cells undergoing apoptosis form apoptotic bodies that must be removed immediately to prevent inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and necrosis. Phagocytosis is carried out by professional phagocytes such as macrophages or  immature dendritic cells. Non-professional phagocytes such as  epithelial cells and fibroblasts also take part in this process; however, they are not as effective as professional phagocytes. 
Normal cells contain receptors that prevent them from being recognized by phagocytes.
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...