The transforming growth factor-β receptor genes and the risk of intracranial aneurysms

Background Mutations in the receptor genes of the transforming growth factor β pathway, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2, cause syndromes with thoracic aortic aneurysms, while genetic variants in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 are associated with abdominal aortic aneurysms. The transforming growth factor-β pathway may be involved in aneurysm development in general. Aims To analyze whether genetics variants in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 are also involved in the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms. Methods Using tag single nucleotide polymorphisms, we analyzed all common genetic variants in TGFBR1 (five single nucleotide polymorphisms) and TGFBR2 (26 single nucleotide polymorphisms) in a Dutch intracranial aneurysm case-control population approach using a two-stage genotyping approach. Results In stage 1, on analyzing 481 patients and 648 controls, two of the five single nucleotide polymorphisms in TGFBR1 were associated with intracranial aneurysm with P<0·10. In an independent cohort of 310 intracranial aneurysm patients and 376 controls, a predominance of the allele of the two single nucleotide polymorphisms found more frequently in patients in stage 1 was also observed in patients of stage 2 but the associations were not statistically significant. On combined analyses of both stages, there was a statistically significant association of both single nucleotide polymorphisms with intracranial aneurysm (single nucleotide polymorphism rs1626340, odds ratio 1·24, 95% confidence intervals 1·05-1·46, P=0·01; single nucleotide polymorphism rs10819634, odds ratio 1·23, 95% confidence intervals 1·03-1·46, P=0·02) but these associations did not hold after multiple testing correction (i.e., P<0·0016, 0·05/31). Also, no differences in the single nucleotide polymorphism frequency were observed for TGFBR2 between patients and controls. Conclusions We found no evidence for TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 as susceptibility genes for intracranial aneurysm in the Dutch population.     

Nuclear traffic of influenza virus proteins and ribonucleoprotein complexes

Influenza virus is a negative strand RNA virus and is one of the rare RNA viruses to replicate in the nucleus. The viral RNA is associated with 4 viral proteins to form ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs). After cell entry the RNPs are dissociated from the viral matrix protein in the low pH of the endosome and are actively imported into the cell nucleus. After translation of viral mRNAs, the proteins necessary for the assembly of new RNPs (the nucleoprotein and the three subunits of the polymerase complex) are also imported into the nucleus. Apart from these four proteins, part of the newly made matrix protein is also imported and the nuclear export protein (NEP) enters the nucleus probably through diffusion. Finally, NS1 also enters the nucleus in order to regulate a number of nuclear processes. The nuclear localization signals on all these viral proteins and their interaction with the cellular transport system are discussed. In the nucleus, the matrix protein binds to the newly assembled RNPs and NEP then binds to the matrix protein. NEP contains the nuclear export signal necessary for transport of the RNPs to the cytoplasm, necessary for the budding of new virus particles. There appears to be a intricate ballet in exposing and hiding nuclear transport signals which leads to a unidirectional transport of the RNPs to the nucleus at the start of the infection process and an opposite unidirectional export of RNPs at the end of the infection.     

Structure of the C-terminal head domain of the fowl adenovirus type 1 short fibre

There are more than 100 known adenovirus serotypes, including 50 human serotypes. They can infect all 5 major vertebrate classes but only Aviadenovirus infecting birds and Mastadenovirus infecting mammals have been well studied. CELO (chicken embryo lethal orphan) adenovirus is responsible for mild respiratory pathologies in birds. Most studies on CELO virus have focussed on its genome sequence and organisation whereas the structural work on CELO proteins has only recently started. Contrary to most adenoviruses, the vertices of CELO virus reveal pentons with two fibres of different lengths. The distal parts (or head) of those fibres are involved in cellular receptor binding. Here we have determined the atomic structure of the short-fibre head of CELO (amino acids 201-410) at 2.0 A resolution. Despite low sequence identity, this structure is conserved compared to the other adenovirus fibre heads. We have used the existing CELO long-fibre head structure and the one we show here for a structure-based alignment of 11 known adenovirus fibre heads which was subsequently used for the construction of an evolutionary tree. Both the fibre head sequence and structural alignments suggest that enteric human group F adenovirus 41 (short fibre) is closer to the CELO fibre heads than the canine CAdV-2 fibre head, that lies closer to the human virus fibre heads.     

Human importin alpha and RNA do not compete for binding to influenza A virus nucleoprotein

Influenza virus has a segmented genome composed of eight negative stranded RNA segments. Each segment is covered with NP forming ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) and carries a copy of the heterotrimeric polymerase complex. As a rare phenomenon among the RNA viruses, the viral replication occurs in the nucleus and therefore implies interactions between host and viral factors, such as between importin alpha and nucleoprotein. In the present study we report that through binding with the human nuclear receptor importin α5 (Impα5), the viral NP is no longer oligomeric but maintained as a monomer inside the complex. In this regard, Impα5 acts as a chaperone until NP is delivered in the nucleus for viral RNA encapsidation. Moreover, we show that the association of NP with the host transporter does not impair the binding of NP to RNA. The complex human Impα5-NP binds RNA with the same affinity as wt NP alone, whereas engineered monomeric NP through point mutations binds RNA with a strongly reduced affinity.