Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Chandipura virus glycoprotein G

Fusion in members of the Rhabdoviridae virus family is mediated by the G glycoprotein. At low pH, the G glycoprotein catalyzes fusion between viral and endosomal membranes by undergoing a major conformational change from a pre-fusion trimer to a post-fusion trimer. The structure of the G glycoprotein from vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV G), the prototype of Vesiculovirus, has recently been solved in its trimeric pre-fusion and post-fusion conformations; however, little is known about the structural details of the transition. In this work, a soluble form of the ectodomain of Chandipura virus G glycoprotein (CHAV G(th)) was purified using limited proteolysis of purified virus; this soluble ectodomain was also crystallized. This protein shares 41% amino-acid identity with VSV G and thus its structure could provide further clues about the structural transition of rhabdoviral glycoproteins induced by low pH. Crystals of CHAV G(th) obtained at pH 7.5 diffracted X-rays to 3.1 Å resolution. These crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 150.3, b = 228.2, c = 78.8 Å. Preliminary analysis of the data based on the space group and the self-rotation function indicated that there was no trimeric association of the protomers. This unusual oligomeric status could result from the presence of fusion intermediates in the crystal.