Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Characterization of Multi-subunit Protein Complexes of Human MxA Using Non-denaturing Polyacrylamide Gel-electrophoresis
08:55

Characterization of Multi-subunit Protein Complexes of Human MxA Using Non-denaturing Polyacrylamide Gel-electrophoresis

Published on: October 28, 2016

Expression of the antiviral protein MxA in cells transiently perturbs endocytosis

Shashidhar S Jatiani1, Rohit Mittal

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005, India.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|September 17, 2004
PubMed

Insights

MxA protein, an antiviral defense, temporarily disrupts cellular trafficking and transferrin recycling. This effect is linked to MxA

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Virology
  • Protein Trafficking

Background:

  • MxA is an interferon-induced protein with known antiviral functions.
  • Viral replication depends on host cell trafficking machinery.
  • Understanding MxA's cellular interactions is key to its antiviral mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of MxA overexpression on cellular trafficking pathways.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which MxA influences endocytosis and recycling.
  • To identify potential protein interactions of MxA involved in trafficking.

Main Methods:

  • Overexpression of MxA protein in cultured cells.
  • Tracking of internalized transferrin to assess endocytic and recycling functions.
  • Analysis of MxA protein levels and trafficking perturbation over time.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation assays to detect MxA-dynamin association.

Main Results:

  • MxA overexpression transiently perturbs endocytic trafficking, causing transferrin accumulation.
  • The maximal effect on transferrin endocytosis occurs 5-6 hours post-transfection.
  • Transferrin recycling is blocked, but the trafficking perturbation subsides by 12 hours despite sustained MxA levels.
  • MxA physically associates with the endocytic protein dynamin.

Conclusions:

  • MxA influences cellular trafficking, specifically endocytosis and recycling.
  • The interaction between MxA and dynamin likely mediates the observed effects on transferrin trafficking.
  • This study reveals a novel role for MxA in modulating host cell transport processes.

More Related Videos

Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein09:39

Co-immunoprecipitation of the Mouse Mx1 Protein with the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein

Published on: April 21, 2015

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production08:32

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production

Published on: March 2, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
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...