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A PY-nuclear localization signal is required for nuclear accumulation of HCMV UL79 protein

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Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus UL79 protein is recently reported to be required for transcription or efficient accumulation of late viral mRNAs during viral infection. An absolute nuclear distribution of UL79 proteins has been observed with immunofluorescence assay, both during the infection of Flag-tagged UL79 recombinant virus and in the HFFs expressing HA-tagged UL79, with or without virus infection. However, little is known about the nuclear import mechanism of UL79 protein. Here, by utilizing living cells fluorescent microscopy, a predominant nuclear localization of UL79 protein in living cells was detected. Furthermore, the nuclear import of UL79 protein was demonstrated to be dependent on the transportin-1-mediated pathway. Finally, a hydrophobic PY-nuclear localization signal (PY-NLS) was delineated between the amino acids 66–92 of UL79 protein. Collectively, we provide evidence that a PY-NLS, firstly described in viral proteins, is responsible for the nuclear accumulation of UL79 protein.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (2011CB504800) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (30900059 and 81000736). We thank Drs. Thomas Shenk, Nobuyuki Nukina and Gualtiero Alvisi for the generous gifts: pAD/Cre, RFP-M9M/RFP-Bimax2 and UL30NLS, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Virology and Viral Immunology Research Group, State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 44 Xiaohongshan, Wuchang, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Lin Wang, Mingsheng Cai, Junji Xing, Shuai Wang & Chunfu Zheng

  2. Department of Pathogenic Biology, Immunology Guangzhou Medical University, 195 Dongfeng Xi Road, Guangzhou, 510182, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Meili Li

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  1. Lin Wang
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  2. Meili Li
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  3. Mingsheng Cai
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  4. Junji Xing
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  5. Shuai Wang
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  6. Chunfu Zheng
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Correspondence to Chunfu Zheng.

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Wang, L., Li, M., Cai, M. et al. A PY-nuclear localization signal is required for nuclear accumulation of HCMV UL79 protein. Med Microbiol Immunol 201, 381–387 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-012-0243-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-012-0243-4

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