Chronic hepatitis caused by infection with the Hepatitis B virus is a life-threatening condition. In fact, 1 million people die annually due to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, several studies demonstrated a molecular connection between the host DNA damage response (DDR) pathway and HBV replication and reactivation. Here, we investigated the role of Ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) PI3-kinases in phosphorylation of the HBV core protein (HBc). We determined that treatment of HBc-expressing hepatocytes with genotoxic agents, e.g., etoposide or hydrogen peroxide, activated the host ATM-Chk2 pathway, as determined by increased phosphorylation of ATM at Ser1981 and Chk2 at Thr68. The activation of ATM led, in turn, to increased phosphorylation of cytoplasmic HBc at serine-glutamine (SQ) motifs located in its C-terminal domain. Conversely, down-regulation of ATM using ATM-specific siRNAs or inhibitor effectively reduced etoposide-induced HBc phosphorylation. Detailed mutation analysis of S-to-A HBc mutants revealed that S170 (S168 in a 183-aa HBc variant) is the primary site targeted by ATM-regulated phosphorylation. Interestingly, mutation of two major phosphorylation sites involving serines at positions 157 and 164 (S155 and S162 in a 183-aa HBc variant) resulted in decreased etoposide-induced phosphorylation, suggesting that the priming phosphorylation at these serine-proline (SP) sites is vital for efficient phosphorylation of SQ motifs. Notably, the mutation of S172 (S170 in a 183-aa HBc variant) had the opposite effect and resulted in massively up-regulated phosphorylation of HBc, particularly at S170. Etoposide treatment of HBV infected HepG2-NTCP cells led to increased levels of secreted HBe antigen and intracellular HBc protein. Together, our studies identified HBc as a substrate for ATM-mediated phosphorylation and mapped the phosphorylation sites. The increased expression of HBc and HBe antigens in response to genotoxic stress supports the idea that the ATM pathway may provide growth advantage to the replicating virus.

• MeSH
• aminokyselinové motivy MeSH
• ATM protein metabolismus   MeSH
• buňky Hep G2 MeSH
• checkpoint kinasa 2 metabolismus   MeSH
• cytoplazma metabolismus   virologie   MeSH
• etoposid farmakologie   MeSH
• fosforylace MeSH
• hepatitida B - antigeny e metabolismus   MeSH
• hepatocyty virologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• peroxid vodíku farmakologie   MeSH
• poškození DNA * MeSH
• proteiny virového jádra chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• replikace viru účinky léků   MeSH
• serin metabolismus   MeSH
• trans-aktivátory genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• virové regulační a přídatné proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• virus hepatitidy B účinky léků   fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies the general need to better understand viral infections. The positive single-strand RNA genome of its causative agent, the SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), encodes all viral enzymes. In this work, we focused on one particular methyltransferase (MTase), nsp16, which, in complex with nsp10, is capable of methylating the first nucleotide of a capped RNA strand at the 2'-O position. This process is part of a viral capping system and is crucial for viral evasion of the innate immune reaction. In light of recently discovered non-canonical RNA caps, we tested various dinucleoside polyphosphate-capped RNAs as substrates for nsp10-nsp16 MTase. We developed an LC-MS-based method and discovered four types of capped RNA (m7Gp3A(G)- and Gp3A(G)-RNA) that are substrates of the nsp10-nsp16 MTase. Our technique is an alternative to the classical isotope labelling approach for the measurement of 2'-O-MTase activity. Further, we determined the IC50 value of sinefungin to illustrate the use of our approach for inhibitor screening. In the future, this approach may be an alternative technique to the radioactive labelling method for screening inhibitors of any type of 2'-O-MTase.

• MeSH
• chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
• COVID-19 virologie   MeSH
• hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• methyltransferasy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• metylace MeSH
• regulace exprese virových genů MeSH
• RNA čepičky MeSH
• RNA virová genetika   MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 enzymologie   genetika   MeSH
• substrátová specifita MeSH
• virové nestrukturální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• virové regulační a přídatné proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic. One of the key components of the coronavirus replication complex are the RNA methyltransferases (MTases), RNA-modifying enzymes crucial for RNA cap formation. Recently, the structure of the 2'-O MTase has become available; however, its biological characterization within the infected cells remains largely elusive. Here, we report a novel monoclonal antibody directed against the SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein nsp10, a subunit of both the 2'-O RNA and N7 MTase protein complexes. Using this antibody, we investigated the subcellular localization of the SARS-CoV-2 MTases in cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2.

• MeSH
• COVID-19 virologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• methyltransferasy analýza   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• monoklonální protilátky analýza   MeSH
• RNA čepičky genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• RNA virová genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 chemie   enzymologie   genetika   MeSH
• transport proteinů MeSH
• virové nestrukturální proteiny analýza   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• virové regulační a přídatné proteiny analýza   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH