Author:
Ramphan Suwipa,Yimpring Nathamon,Tangsongcharoen Chontida,Sornprasert Suthatta,Hitakarun Atitaya,Sornjai Wannapa,Roytrakul Sittiruk,Panya Atikorn,Smith Duncan R.
Abstract
Abstract
Objective
Studies have shown that Flavivirus infection remodels the host cell to favour viral replication. In particular, the host cell lipid profile is altered, and it has been proposed that this process alters membrane fluidity to allow wrapping of the outer structural proteins around the viral nucleocapsid. We investigated whether expression of the Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) protease induced alterations in the cellular lipid profile, and subsequently whether co-expression of these proteases with VLP constructs was able to improve VLP yield.
Results
Our results showed that both ZIKV and DENV proteases induced alterations in the lipid profile, but that both active and inactive proteases induced many of the same changes. Neither co-transfection of protease and VLP constructs nor bicistronic vectors allowing expression of both protease and VLP separated by a cell cleavable linker improved VLP yield, and indeed many of the constructs showed significantly reduced VLP production. Further work in developing improved VLP expression platforms is required.
Funder
Thailand Research Fund
National Research Council of Thailand
Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology
National Science and Technology Development Agency
Mahidol University
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine