Human Dlg protein binds to the envelope glycoproteins of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 and regulates envelope mediated cell-cell fusion in T lymphocytes

J Cell Sci. 2004 Aug 1;117(Pt 17):3983-93. doi: 10.1242/jcs.01266.

Abstract

Human homologue of the Drosophila Dlg tumor suppressor (hDlg) is a widely expressed scaffold protein implicated in the organization of multi-protein complexes at cell adhesion sites such as the neuronal synapse. hDlg contains three PDZ domains that mediate its binding to the consensus motifs present at the C-termini of various cell surface proteins, thus inducing their clustering and/or stabilization at the plasma membrane. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified hDlg as a cellular binding partner of a viral membrane integral protein, the envelope glycoprotein (Env) of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). HTLV-1 is a human retrovirus that infects CD4+ T lymphocytes and is preferentially transmitted via direct contacts between infected and target cells, through a structure referred to as the virological synapse. Here, we demonstrate that hDlg interacts with a classical PDZ domain-binding motif present at the C-terminus of the cytoplasmic domain of HTLV-1 Env and conserved in the related HTLV-2 virus. We further document that, in HTLV-1 infected primary T cells, hDlg and Env are concentrated in restricted areas of the plasma membrane, enriched in molecules involved in T-cell contacts. The presence of Gag proteins responsible for viral assembly and budding in these areas indicated that they constitute platforms for viral assembly and transmission. Finally, a mutant virus unable to bind hDlg exhibited a decreased ability to trigger Env mediated cell fusion between T lymphocytes. We thus propose that hDlg stabilizes HTLV-1 envelope glycoproteins at the virological synapse formed between infected and target cells, hence assisting the cell-to-cell transmission of the virus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism*
  • Amino Acid Motifs
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Fusion
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Cytosol / metabolism
  • Discs Large Homolog 1 Protein
  • Gene Products, env / metabolism
  • Gene Products, gag / metabolism
  • Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Glycoproteins / metabolism
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Jurkat Cells
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Retroviridae / genetics
  • T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques
  • Viral Fusion Proteins / chemistry

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • DLG1 protein, human
  • Discs Large Homolog 1 Protein
  • Gene Products, env
  • Gene Products, gag
  • Glycoproteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Viral Fusion Proteins
  • Glutathione Transferase