Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells
09:10

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells

Published on: October 28, 2019

Membrane fusion-mediated autophagy induction enhances morbillivirus cell-to-cell spread

Sébastien Delpeut1, Penny A Rudd, Patrick Labonté

  • 1INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, University of Quebec, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.

Journal of Virology
|June 1, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Morbilliviruses rapidly induce autophagy, a cellular process essential for their efficient cell-to-cell spread. This autophagy induction is linked to membrane fusion events, suggesting a common mechanism among paramyxoviruses.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Autophagy's role in viral infections is complex, acting as both beneficial and inhibitory.
  • Morbilliviruses are the only Paramyxoviridae family members known to induce autophagy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of autophagy induction in morbillivirus replication and spread.
  • To explore the correlation between paramyxovirus glycoproteins, membrane fusion, and autophagy.

Main Methods:

  • Studied autophagy induction in cells infected with morbilliviruses.
  • Analyzed the role of viral glycoproteins and cellular receptors in autophagy.
  • Observed LC3 punctum formation as an indicator of autophagy within syncytia.

Main Results:

  • Morbilliviruses rapidly induce autophagy, which is crucial for their efficient cell-to-cell spread.
  • Autophagy induction required coexpression of both viral glycoproteins and cellular receptors.
  • LC3 punctum formation was predominantly observed in syncytia, indicating autophagy is linked to cell-cell fusion.

Conclusions:

  • Morbillivirus-induced autophagy is essential for efficient viral spread.
  • Membrane fusion mediated by paramyxovirus glycoproteins likely triggers autophagy.
  • This membrane fusion-mediated autophagy may be a conserved mechanism across paramyxoviruses and other enveloped viruses.

More Related Videos

Method for Measurement of Viral Fusion Kinetics at the Single Particle Level14:59

Method for Measurement of Viral Fusion Kinetics at the Single Particle Level

Published on: September 7, 2009

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo12:42

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

Published on: January 7, 2019

Related Concept Videos

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion01:43

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion

Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies01:38

Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies

Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) are small vesicles 50-80 nm in diameter formed during the maturation of early endosomes. A specialized endosome containing numerous ILVs is called a multivesicular body (MVB). ILVs contain internalized molecules such as antigens, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Some of these molecules are released from the MVBs inside exosomes and are transported to other cells. Other MVBs contain molecules that are retained in the ILVs and are later degraded within the...
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...