Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Analysis of Group IV Viral SSHHPS Using In Vitro and In Silico Methods
10:40

Analysis of Group IV Viral SSHHPS Using In Vitro and In Silico Methods

Published on: December 21, 2019

UV radiation induces genome-mediated, site-specific cleavage in viral proteins

Krista Rule Wigginton1, Laure Menin, Therese Sigstam

  • 1Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Chembiochem : a European Journal of Chemical Biology
|March 15, 2012
PubMed

Insights

UV light causes specific virus protein cleavage through a genome-mediated pathway. Viral RNA is essential for this process, which involves radical formation at Cys46-Ser47.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Understanding UV damage to biomolecules is crucial, but specific pathways remain unclear.
  • Viral protein structure and function can be affected by external factors like UV radiation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of site-specific virus protein cleavage induced by UV irradiation.
  • To investigate the role of the viral genome in UV-induced protein damage.

Main Methods:

  • UV irradiation (254 nm) of bacteriophage MS2.
  • Mass spectrometry (ESI-, MALDI-FT-ICR, Orbitrap, TOF) for protein damage characterization.
  • Computational QM/MM studies to confirm radical mechanism.

Main Results:

  • Identified Cys46-Ser47 backbone cleavage site in MS2 capsid protein.
  • Demonstrated essential role of viral RNA in inducing cleavage.
  • Proposed a radical formation mechanism involving Cys46 oxidation and Ser47 hydrogen abstraction.
  • Observed no site-specific cleavage in bacteriophage GA.

Conclusions:

  • A novel genome-mediated mechanism for UV-induced, site-specific protein cleavage is described.
  • This process occurs without external sensitizers, highlighting a unique interaction between viral RNA and protein.
  • The findings provide new insights into viral response to UV damage.

More Related Videos

A Simple and Efficient Approach to Construct Mutant Vaccinia Virus Vectors09:16

A Simple and Efficient Approach to Construct Mutant Vaccinia Virus Vectors

Published on: October 30, 2016

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigations of DNA Lesion Recognition in Nucleotide Excision Repair10:59

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigations of DNA Lesion Recognition in Nucleotide Excision Repair

Published on: May 24, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Nucleotide Excision Repair01:08

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:38

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Mutations01:35

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
DNA Bacteriophages01:26

DNA Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...