A transient protein expression system in COS-1 cells was used to study the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-encoded NS4A protein on HCV nonstructural polyprotein processing. By analyzing the protein expression and processing of a deletion mutant polypeptide, NS⌬4A, which encodes the entire putative HCV nonstructural polyprotein except the region encoding NS4A, the versatile functions of NS4A were revealed. Most of the NS3 processed from NS⌬4A was localized in the cytosol fraction and was degraded promptly. Coproduction of NS4A stabilizes NS3 and assists in its localization in the membrane. NS4A was found to be indispensable for cleavage at the 4B/5A site but not essential for cleavage at the 5A/5B site in NS⌬4A. The functioning of NS4A as a cofactor for cleavage at the 4B/5A site was also observed when 30 amino acids around this site was used as a substrate and a serine proteinase domain of 167 amino acids, from Gly-1049 to Ser-1215, was used as an enzyme protein, suggesting that possible domains for the interaction of NS4A were in those regions of the enzyme protein (NS3) and/or the substrate protein. Two proteins, p58 and p56, were produced from NS5A. For the production of p58, equal or excess molar amounts of NS4A relative to NS⌬4A were required. Deletion analysis of NS4A revealed a minimum functional domain of NS4A of 10 amino acids, from Gly-1678 to Ile-1687.

Two proteins, a 56-kDa protein (p56) and a 58-kDa protein (p58), are produced from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural region 5A (NS5A). Recently, we found that both proteins are phosphorylated at serine residues and that p58 is a hyperphosphorylated form of p56. Furthermore, hyper-phosphorylation depends on the production of an intact form of the HCV NS4A protein. To clarify the nature of NS5A phosphorylation, pulse-chase analysis was performed with a transient protein production system in cultured cells. The study indicated that basal and hyperphosphorylation of NS5A occurred after proteolytic production of NS5A was complete. In an attempt to identify the location of the hyperphosphorylation sites in p58, proteins with sequential deletions from the C-terminal region of NS5A and with mutations of possible phosphorylated serine residues to a neutral amino acid, alanine, were constructed. The deleted or mutated proteins were then tested for hyperphosphorylation in the presence of the NS4A product. Here, we report that serine residues 2197, 2201, and/or 2204 are important for hyper-phosphorylation. Important sites for basal phosphorylation were identified in the region from residues 2200 to 2250 and in the C-terminal region of the NS5A product. A subcellular localization study showed that most of the NS5A products were localized in the nuclear periplasmic membrane fraction.

Hepatitis C virus proteins are produced by proteolytic processing of the viral precursor polyprotein that is encoded in the largest open reading frame of the viral genome. Processing of the nonstructural viral polyprotein requires the viral serine-type proteinase present in nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). The cleavage of the junction between NS4B and NS5A is mediated by NS3 only when NS4A is present. NS4A is thought to be a cofactor that enhances the cleavage efficiency of NS3 in hepatitis C virus protein-producing cells. Stable NS3-NS4A complex formation required the N-terminal 22 amino acid residues of NS3. This interaction contributed to stabilization of the NS3 product as well as increased the efficiency of cleavage at the NS4B/5A site. The N-terminal 22 amino acid residues fused to Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase also formed a stable complex with NS4A. NS3 derivatives which lacked the N-terminal 22 amino acid residues showed drastically reduced cleavage activity at the NS4B/5A site even in the presence of NS4A. These data suggested that the interaction with NS4A through the 22 amino acid residues of NS3 is primarily important for the NS4A-dependent processing of the NS4B/5A site by NS3.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) serine proteinase (Cpro-2) is responsible for the processing of HCV nonstructural (NS) protein processing. To clarify the mechanism of Cpro-2-dependent processing, pulse-chase and mutation analyses were performed by using a transient protein production system in cultured cells. Pulse-chase study revealed the sequential production of HCV-NS proteins. Production of p70(NS3) and p66(NS5B) were rapid. An 89-kDa processing intermediate protein (p89) was observed during the early part of the chase. p89 seemed to be cleaved first into a 31-kDa protein (p31) and a p58/56(NS5A). p31 was further processed into p4(NS4A) and p27(NS4B). Mutation analysis of cleavage sites of NS4A/4B, NS4B/5A, and NS5A/5B revealed that cleavage at each site is essentially independent from cleavage occurring at the other site.

We determined the partial amino (N)-terminal amino acid sequence of hepatitis C virus p21(nonstructural protein 2 [NS2]). Cleavage at the p21 (NS2) N tenninus depended on the presence of microsomal membranes. The amino-terminal position of p21(NS2) was assigned to amino acid 810 of the hepatitis C virus strain IIJ precursor polyprotein. Mutation of the alanine residue at position P1 of the putative cleavage site inhibited membrane-dependent processing. This alteration in processing together with the fact that hydrophobic amino acid residues are clustered upstream of the putative cleavage site suggested the involvement of a signal peptidase(s) in the cleavage. Furthermore, mutation analysis of this possible cleavage site revealed the presence of another microsome membrane-dependent cleavage site upstream of the N terminus of p21 (NS2).

In previous investigations, we have examined the effect of OmpA signal peptide mutations on the secretion of the two heterologous proteins TEM beta-lactamase and nuclease A. During these studies, we observed that a given signal peptide mutation could affect differentially the processing of precursor OmpA-nuclease or precursor OmpA-lactamase. This observation led us to further investigate the influence of the mature region of a precursor protein on protein export. Preexisting OmpA signal peptide mutations of known secretion phenotype when directing heterologous protein export (nuclease A or beta-lactamase) were fused to the homologous mature OmpA protein. Four signal peptide mutations that have previously been shown to prevent export of nuclease A and beta-lactamase were found to support OmpA protein export, albeit at reduced rates. This remarkable retention of export activity by severely defective precursor OmpA signal peptide mutants may be due to the ability of mature OmpA to interact with the cytoplasmic membrane. In addition, these same signal peptide mutations can affect the level of OmpA synthesis as well as its proper assembly in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. Two signal peptide mutations dramatically stimulate the rate of precursor OmpA synthesis three- to fivefold above the level observed when a wild-type signal peptide is directing export. The complete removal of the OmpA signal peptide does not result in increased OmpA synthesis. This finding suggests that the signal peptide mutations function positively to stimulate OmpA synthesis, rather than bypass a down-regulatory mechanism effected by a wild-type signal peptide. Overproduction of wild-type precursor OmpA or precursors containing signal peptide mutations which lead to relatively minor kinetic processing defects results in accumulation of an improperly assembled OmpA species (imp-OmpA). In contrast, signal peptide mutations which cause relatively severe processing defects accumulate no or only small quantities of imp-OmpA. All mutations result in equivalent levels of properly assembled OmpA. Thus, a strong correlation between imp-OmpA accumulation and cell toxicity was observed. A mutation in the mature region of OmpA which prevents the proper outer membrane assembly of OmpA was suppressed when export was directed by a severely defective signal peptide. These findings suggest that signal peptide mutations indirectly influence OmpA assembly in the outer membrane by altering both the level and rate of OmpA secretion across the cytoplasmic membrane.

The terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune forms macroscopic colonies in its natural habitats, and these colonies consist of both cellular filaments and massive extracellular matrixes. In this study, the biochemical features of the extracellular matrix components were investigated. Naturally growing N. commune was tolerant to desiccation, and produced massive extracellular polysaccharides that contained both neutral sugars and glucuronic acid as constituent monosaccharides. The extracellular polysaccharide contents and desiccation tolerance were compared in laboratory culture strains of Nostoc species. The laboratory culture of N. commune strain KU002 was sensitive to desiccation and produced smaller amounts of extracellular polysaccharides, unlike the field-isolated naturally growing colonies. Nostoc punctiforme strain M-15, which is genetically closed to N. commune, was able to tolerate desiccation, although the other Nostoc strains were desiccation-sensitive. A laboratory culture strain of the aquatic cyanobacterium Nostoc sphaericum produced massive extracellular polysaccharides but was sensitive to desiccation, suggesting that extracellular matrix production is not enough to make this strain tolerant to desiccation. WspA (water stress protein) and SodF (superoxide dismutase) were found to be characteristic protein components of the extracellular matrix of N. commune. Because the WspA proteins were heterogeneous, the wspA genes were highly diverse among the different genotypes of N. commune, although the sodF gene was rather conservative. The heterogeneity of the WspA proteins suggests their complex roles in the environmental adaptation mechanism in N. commune.

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