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Establishment of papillomavirus infection is enhanced by promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) expression

Patricia M Day1, Carl C Baker, Douglas R Lowy

  • 1Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. pmd@nih.gov

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 24, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Papillomaviruses utilize promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) to enhance viral infectivity. PML facilitates the transport of viral DNA to nuclear domain 10 (ND10) for efficient transcription and infection.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Papillomaviruses are known to enter host cells via endocytosis.
  • Later steps in viral entry and nuclear targeting remain less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the intracellular trafficking and nuclear localization of papillomavirus components post-entry.
  • To determine the role of promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) in papillomavirus infection.

Main Methods:

  • Confocal microscopy was used to track L2 and viral DNA in HeLa cells.
  • Infectious virions and L1/L2 pseudovirions were utilized.
  • Experiments were conducted in both PML-expressing and PML-deficient cells.

Main Results:

  • Papillomavirus capsids uncoated in cytoplasmic vesicles.
  • Both L2 and viral DNA localized to nuclear domain 10 (ND10).
  • PML presence significantly increased viral infectivity and genome transcription, with L2 showing punctate localization at ND10.

Conclusions:

  • PML plays a crucial role in enhancing papillomavirus infectivity early in the viral life cycle.
  • A model is proposed where L2 chaperones the viral genome to ND10 for efficient transcription initiation.

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