The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms

Paramyxovirus membrane fusion requires an attachment protein for receptor binding and a fusion protein for membrane fusion triggering. Nipah virus (NiV) attachment protein (G) binds to ephrinB2 or -B3 receptors, and fusion protein (F) mediates membrane fusion. NiV-F is a class I fusion protein and i...

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Main Authors: Qian Wang, Jinxin Liu, Yuhang Luo, Vicky Kliemke, Giuliana Leonarda Matta, Jingjing Wang, Qian Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-01-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/97017
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author Qian Wang
Jinxin Liu
Yuhang Luo
Vicky Kliemke
Giuliana Leonarda Matta
Jingjing Wang
Qian Liu
author_facet Qian Wang
Jinxin Liu
Yuhang Luo
Vicky Kliemke
Giuliana Leonarda Matta
Jingjing Wang
Qian Liu
author_sort Qian Wang
collection DOAJ
description Paramyxovirus membrane fusion requires an attachment protein for receptor binding and a fusion protein for membrane fusion triggering. Nipah virus (NiV) attachment protein (G) binds to ephrinB2 or -B3 receptors, and fusion protein (F) mediates membrane fusion. NiV-F is a class I fusion protein and is activated by endosomal cleavage. The crystal structure of a soluble GCN4-decorated NiV-F shows a hexamer-of-trimer assembly. Here, we used single-molecule localization microscopy to quantify the NiV-F distribution and organization on cell and virus-like particle membranes at a nanometer precision. We found that NiV-F on biological membranes forms distinctive clusters that are independent of endosomal cleavage or expression levels. The sequestration of NiV-F into dense clusters favors membrane fusion triggering. The nano-distribution and organization of NiV-F are susceptible to mutations at the hexamer-of-trimer interface, and the putative oligomerization motif on the transmembrane domain. We also show that NiV-F nanoclusters are maintained by NiV-F–AP-2 interactions and the clathrin coat assembly. We propose that the organization of NiV-F into nanoclusters facilitates membrane fusion triggering by a mixed population of NiV-F molecules with varied degrees of cleavage and opportunities for interacting with the NiV-G/receptor complex. These observations provide insights into the in situ organization and activation mechanisms of the NiV fusion machinery.
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spelling doaj-art-9202a6206d364da6ad936455ff817f4e2025-01-02T16:34:21ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-01-011310.7554/eLife.97017The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanismsQian Wang0Jinxin Liu1Yuhang Luo2Vicky Kliemke3Giuliana Leonarda Matta4Jingjing Wang5Qian Liu6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6174-8982Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaInstitute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Mark Wainberg Center for Viral Diseases, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, CanadaParamyxovirus membrane fusion requires an attachment protein for receptor binding and a fusion protein for membrane fusion triggering. Nipah virus (NiV) attachment protein (G) binds to ephrinB2 or -B3 receptors, and fusion protein (F) mediates membrane fusion. NiV-F is a class I fusion protein and is activated by endosomal cleavage. The crystal structure of a soluble GCN4-decorated NiV-F shows a hexamer-of-trimer assembly. Here, we used single-molecule localization microscopy to quantify the NiV-F distribution and organization on cell and virus-like particle membranes at a nanometer precision. We found that NiV-F on biological membranes forms distinctive clusters that are independent of endosomal cleavage or expression levels. The sequestration of NiV-F into dense clusters favors membrane fusion triggering. The nano-distribution and organization of NiV-F are susceptible to mutations at the hexamer-of-trimer interface, and the putative oligomerization motif on the transmembrane domain. We also show that NiV-F nanoclusters are maintained by NiV-F–AP-2 interactions and the clathrin coat assembly. We propose that the organization of NiV-F into nanoclusters facilitates membrane fusion triggering by a mixed population of NiV-F molecules with varied degrees of cleavage and opportunities for interacting with the NiV-G/receptor complex. These observations provide insights into the in situ organization and activation mechanisms of the NiV fusion machinery.https://elifesciences.org/articles/97017membrane fusionsingle-molecule localization microscopyparamyxovirus
spellingShingle Qian Wang
Jinxin Liu
Yuhang Luo
Vicky Kliemke
Giuliana Leonarda Matta
Jingjing Wang
Qian Liu
The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
eLife
membrane fusion
single-molecule localization microscopy
paramyxovirus
title The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
title_full The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
title_fullStr The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
title_full_unstemmed The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
title_short The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
title_sort nanoscale organization of the nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms
topic membrane fusion
single-molecule localization microscopy
paramyxovirus
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/97017
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