The role of the encephalomyocarditis virus type 1 proteins L and 2A in the inhibition of the synthesis of cellular proteins and the accumulation of viral proteins during infection

Abstract

Introduction. Infection of cells with encephalomyocarditis virus type 1 (EMCV-1, Cardiovirus A: Picornaviridae) is accompanied by suppression of cellular protein synthesis. The main role in the inhibition of cellular translation is assigned to the L and 2A «security» proteins. The mechanism of the possible influence of the L protein on cellular translation is unknown. There are hypotheses about the mechanism of influence of 2A protein on the efficiency of cap-dependent translation, which are based on interaction with translation factors and ribosome subunits. However, the available experimental data are contradictory, obtained using different approaches, and do not form a unified model of the interaction between the L and 2A proteins and the cellular translation machinery. Aim. To study the role of L and 2A «security» proteins in the suppression of translation of cellular proteins and the efficiency of translation and processing of viral proteins in infected cells. Materials and methods. Mutant variants of EMCV-1 were obtained to study the properties of L and 2A viral proteins: Zfmut, which has a defective L; Δ2A encoding a partially deleted 2A; ZfmutΔ2A containing mutations in both proteins. Translational processes in infected cells were studied by Western-blot and the pulse method of incorporating radioactively labeled amino acids (14C) into newly synthesized proteins, followed by radioautography. Results. The functional inactivation of the 2A protein does not affect the inhibition of cellular protein synthesis. A direct correlation was found between the presence of active L protein and specific inactivation of cellular protein synthesis at an early stage of viral infection. Nonspecific suppression of the translational processes of the infected cell, accompanied by phosphorylation of eIF2α, occurs at the late stage of infection. Partial removal of the 2A protein from the EMCV-1 genome does not affect the development of this process, while inactivation of the L protein accelerates the onset of complete inhibition of protein synthesis. Partial deletion of the 2A disrupts the processing of viral capsid proteins. Suppression of L protein functions leads to a decrease in the efficiency of viral translation. Conclusion. A study of the role of EMCV-1 L and 2A proteins during the translational processes of an infected cell, first performed using infectious viral pathogens lacking active L and 2A proteins in one experiment, showed that 2A protein is not implicated in the inhibition of cellular translation in HeLa cells; L protein seems to play an important role not only in the specific inhibition of cellular translation but also in maintaining the efficient synthesis of viral proteins; 2A protein is involved not only in primary but also in secondary processing of EMCV-1 capsid proteins.