Abstract
For enveloped viruses, such as viruses within the herpesvirus family, of which Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member, infection of target cells includes two distinct steps. The first is characterized by the binding of viral envelope glycoproteins to host cellular receptors. After binding, the viral membrane and the cellular membrane fuse. Without both binding and fusion, the virus is not able to enter the host target cell efficiently. Combined with the specific tropism of EBV for primarily two cell types, B lymphocytes and epithelial cells, and the difficulty in inducing lytic replication of EBV in vitro, there is a lack of a good experimental model to study EBV-induced viral fusion. To study fusion more efficiently and effectively, we have employed a virus-free cell-cell fusion assay. In the effector cell, the viral glycoproteins and a plasmid containing the T7 promoter, driving the luciferase gene, are expressed. In the target cell type, T7 RNA polymerase is transfected. Fusion is quantitated by the amount of luciferase expression after mixing of the two cell types. Alongside the fusion assay, a CELISA is performed to determine glycoprotein expression on the effector cells. This methodology has been useful in studying membrane fusion induced by other herpesvirus family members.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Haan, K. M., Lee, S. K., and Longnecker, R. (2001) Different functional domains in the cytoplasmic tail of glycoprotein B are involved in Epstein-Barr virus-induced membrane fusion. Virology 290, 106–114.
Pertel, P. E. (2002) Human herpesvirus 8 glycoprotein B (gB), gH, and gL can mediate cell fusion. J. Virol. 76, 4390–4400.
Pertel, P. E., Fridberg, A., Parish, M. L., and Spear, P. G. (2001) Cell fusion induced by herpes simplex virus glycoproteins gB, gD, and gH-gL requires a gD receptor but not necessarily heparan sulfate. Virology 279, 313–324.
Klupp, B. G., Nixdorf, R., and Mettenleiter, T. C. (2000) Pseudorabies virus glycoprotein M inhibits membrane fusion. J. Virol. 74, 6760–6768.
Muggeridge, M. I. (2000) Characterization of cell-cell fusion mediated by herpes simplex virus 2 glycoproteins gB, gD, gH and gL in transfected cells. J. Gen. Virol. 81, 2017–2027.
Turner, A., Bruun, B., Minson, T., and Browne, H. (1998) Glycoproteins gB, gD, and gHgL of herpes simplex virus type 1 are necessary and sufficient to mediate membrane fusion in a Cos cell transfection system. J. Virol. 7 2, 873–875.
Kobasa, D., Rogers, M. E., Wells, K., and Kawaoka, Y. (1997) Neuraminidase hemadsorption activity, conserved in avian influenza A viruses, does not influence viral replication in ducks. J. Virol. 71, 6706–6713.
Lake, C. M. and Hutt-Fletcher, L. M. (2000) Epstein-Barr virus that lacks glycopro-tein gN is impaired in assembly and infection. J. Virol. 74, 11162–11172.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Humana Press Inc.
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
McShane, M.P., Longnecker, R. (2005). Analysis of Fusion Using a Virus-Free Cell Fusion Assay. In: Lieberman, P.M. (eds) DNA Viruses. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 292. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-848-X:187
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-848-X:187
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-353-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-848-9
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols