Double-membraned liposomes sculpted by poliovirus 3AB protein

Abstract

Infection with many positive-strand RNA viruses dramatically remodels cellular membranes, resulting in the accumulation of double-membraned vesicles that resemble cellular autophagosomes. In this study, a single protein encoded by poliovirus, 3AB, is shown to be sufficient to induce the formation of double-membraned liposomes via the invagination of single-membraned liposomes. Poliovirus 3AB is a 109-amino acid protein with a natively unstructured N-terminal domain. HeLa cells transduced with 3AB protein displayed intracellular membrane disruption; specifically, the formation of cytoplasmic invaginations. The abilityofasingle viral proteintoproduce structures of similar topology to cellular autophagosomes should facilitate the understanding of both cellular and viral mechanisms for membrane remodeling. © 2013 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.