Nipah virus induces two inclusion body populations: Identification of novel inclusions at the plasma membrane

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e1007733
• Main Authors: Ringel, Marc, Heiner, Anja, Behner, Laura, Halwe, Sandro, Sauerhering, Lucie, Becker, Nico, Dietzel, Erik, Sawatsky, Bevan, Kolesnikova, Larissa, Maisner, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.04.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Antiviral agents; Cell Membrane - virology; Cell membranes; Chlorocebus aethiops; Drug therapy; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Henipavirus Infections - metabolism; Henipavirus Infections - pathology; Henipavirus Infections - virology; Humans; Inclusion Bodies, Viral - metabolism; Inclusion Bodies, Viral - pathology; Inclusion Bodies, Viral - virology; Infection; Marburg virus disease; Medical research; Nipah Virus - pathogenicity; Novels; Proteins; Risk factors; RNA; RNA virus infections; Tubulin; Vero Cells; Viral Matrix Proteins - metabolism; Virus Assembly; Virus Internalization
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007733

Formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs) is a hallmark of infections with non-segmented negative-strand RNA viruses (order Mononegavirales). We show here that Nipah virus (NiV), a bat-derived highly pathogenic member of the Paramyxoviridae family, differs from mononegaviruses of the Rhabdo-, Filo- and Pneumoviridae families by forming two types of IBs with distinct localizations, formation kinetics, and protein compositions. IBs in the perinuclear region form rapidly upon expression of the nucleocapsid proteins. These IBperi are highly mobile and associate with the aggresome marker y-tubulin. IBperi can recruit unrelated overexpressed cytosolic proteins but do not contain the viral matrix (M) protein. Additionally, NiV forms an as yet undescribed IB population at the plasma membrane (IBPM) that is y-tubulin-negative but contains the M protein. Infection studies with recombinant NiV revealed that IBPM require the M protein for their formation, and most likely represent sites of NiV assembly and budding. The identification of this novel type of plasma membrane-associated IBs not only provides new insights into NiV biology and may open new avenues to develop novel antiviral approaches to treat these highly pathogenic viruses, it also provides a basis for a more detailed characterization of IBs and their role in virus assembly and replication in infections with other Mononegavirales.