Protonation of individual histidine residues is not required for the pH-dependent entry of west nile virus: evaluation of the "histidine switch" hypothesis

J Virol. 2009 Dec;83(23):12631-5. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01072-09. Epub 2009 Sep 23.

Abstract

Histidine residues have been hypothesized to function as sensors of environmental pH that can trigger the activity of viral fusion proteins. We investigated a requirement for histidine residues in the envelope (E) protein of West Nile virus during pH-dependent entry into cells. Each histidine was individually replaced with a nonionizable amino acid and tested functionally. In each instance, mutants capable of orchestrating pH-dependent infection were identified. These results do not support a requirement for any single histidine as a pH-sensing "switch," and they suggest that additional features of the E protein are involved in triggering pH-dependent steps in the flavivirus life cycle.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics
  • Cell Line
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Histidine / genetics
  • Histidine / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / metabolism*
  • Virus Internalization*
  • West Nile virus / physiology*

Substances

  • Viral Envelope Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Histidine