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UL34 Deletion Restricts Human Cytomegalovirus Capsid Formation and Maturation
Declan L Turner1, Rachel M Templin2, Adele A Barugahare1,3
1Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|May 28, 2022
Summary
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL34 protein is essential for efficient virion production. Deleting UL34 reduces infectious virions by over 100-fold, impacting viral maturation.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects over 50% of the global population.
- HCMV causes severe issues in immunocompromised individuals and is a major cause of congenital defects.
- Understanding HCMV proteins, particularly those affecting virion maturation, is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the HCMV UL34 protein.
- To determine UL34's role in viral replication and virion production.
Main Methods:
- Generated a HCMV UL34 deletion mutant (ΔUL34).
- Analyzed viral DNA replication, protein expression (IE1, MCP, gB, UL26, UL83, UL99), and virion production.
- Examined viral assembly compartments and capsid maturation in the nucleus and cytoplasm.
Main Results:
- UL34 is expressed with leaky late kinetics and localizes to the nucleus.
- ΔUL34 mutant produced >100-fold fewer infectious virions but was dispensable for viral DNA replication.
- Virion maturation was abrogated in the cytoplasm, and nuclear replication compartments showed aberrant morphology with fewer capsids.
Conclusions:
- UL34 acts as an augmenting gene, critical for efficient HCMV virion production.
- UL34 plays a significant role in nuclear organization and capsid maturation during HCMV infection.
- Further research into UL34's function in these processes is warranted.
