Project description:Mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein is required for innate immune responses against RNA viruses. In virus-infected cells MAVS forms prion-like aggregates to activate antiviral signaling cascades, but the underlying structural mechanism is unknown. Here we report cryo-electron microscopic structures of the helical filaments formed by both the N-terminal caspase activation and recruitment domain (CARD) of MAVS and a truncated MAVS lacking part of the proline-rich region and the C-terminal transmembrane domain. Both structures are left-handed three-stranded helical filaments, revealing specific interfaces between individual CARD subunits that are dictated by electrostatic interactions between neighboring strands and hydrophobic interactions within each strand. Point mutations at multiple locations of these two interfaces impaired filament formation and antiviral signaling. Super-resolution imaging of virus-infected cells revealed rod-shaped MAVS clusters on mitochondria. These results elucidate the structural mechanism of MAVS polymerization, and explain how an ?-helical domain uses distinct chemical interactions to form self-perpetuating filaments. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01489.001.
Project description:BackgroundThe emerging threat to global health associated with the Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemics and its link to severe complications highlights a growing need to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms of ZIKV. Accumulating evidence for a critical role of type I interferon (IFN-I) in protecting hosts from ZIKV infection lies in the findings that ZIKV has evolved various strategies to subvert the host defense line by counteracting the early IFN induction or subsequent IFN signaling. Yet, mechanisms underlying the counter-IFN capability of ZIKV and its proteins, which might contribute to the well-recognized broad cellular tropisms and persistence of ZIKV, remain incompletely understood.ResultsUsing RNA sequencing-based transcriptional profiling of whole blood cells isolated from patients acutely infected by ZIKV, we found that transcriptional signature programs of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes and innate immune sensors in ZIKV-infected patients remained inactive as compared to those of healthy donors, suggesting that ZIKV was able to suppress the induction of IFN-I during the natural infection process in humans. Furthermore, by analyzing the molecular interaction in a ZIKV NS4A-overexpression system, or in the context of actual ZIKV infection, we identified that ZIKV NS4A directly bound MAVS and thereby interrupted the RIG-I/MAVS interaction through the CARD-TM domains, leading to attenuated production of IFN-I.ConclusionsOur findings collectively revealed that ZIKV NS4A targeted MAVS and contributed to ZIKV immune evasion through abrogating MAVS-mediated IFN production. These findings obtained from patient studies have added new knowledge and molecular details to our understanding regarding how ZIKV mediates suppression of the IFN-I system and may provide a new basis for the future development of anti-ZIKV strategies.
Project description:The emerging threat to global health associated with the Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemics and its link to severe complications highlights a growing need to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms of ZIKV. Accumulating evidence for a critical role of type I interferon (IFN-I) in protecting hosts from ZIKV infection lies in the findings that ZIKV has evolved various strategies to subvert the host defense line by counteracting the early IFN induction or subsequent IFN signaling. Yet, mechanisms underlying the counter-IFN capability of ZIKV and its proteins, which might contribute to the well-recognized broad cellular tropisms and persistence of ZIKV, remain to be fully understood. In our current study, using RNA sequencing-based transcriptional profiling from the whole blood cells isolated from patients acutely infected by ZIKV, we found that transcriptional signatures of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes and innate immune sensors was absent in ZIKV-infected patients presents inactive as compared to healthy donors, suggesting that ZIKV might suppress the induction of IFN-I during the natural infection process in human. Furthermore, utilizing cellular or extracellular analysis of molecular interaction in a ZIKV NS4A-overexpression system, or in the context of actual ZIKV infection, we have identified that ZIKV NS4A directly binds MAVS and thereby interrupts RIG-I/MAVS interaction through its CARD-TM domains, leading to attenuated production of IFN-I. Taken together, these findings originated from patient studies have added new knowledge and molecular details to our understanding regarding how ZIKV mediates suppression of the IFN-I system and may provide new basis for future development of anti-ZIKV strategies.
Project description:The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex necessary for the onset of inflammation. The adapter protein ASC assembles inflammasome components by acting as a molecular glue between danger-signal sensors and procaspase-1. The assembly is mediated by ASC self-association and protein interactions via its two Death Domains, PYD and CARD. Truncated versions of ASC have been shown to form filaments, but information on the filaments formed by full-length ASC is needed to construct a meaningful model of inflammasome assembly. To gain insights into this system, we used a combination of transmission EM, NMR, and computational analysis to investigate intact ASC structures. We show that ASC forms ∼6-7-nm-wide filaments that stack laterally to form bundles. The structural characteristics and dimensions of the bundles indicate that both PYD and CARD are integral parts of the filament. A truncated version of ASC with only the CARD domain (ASCCARD) forms different filaments (∼3-4-nm width), providing further evidence that both domains work in concert in filament assembly. Ring-shaped protein particles bound to pre-existing filaments match the size of ASC dimer structures generated by NMR-based protein docking, suggesting that the ASC dimer could be a basic building block for filament formation. Solution NMR binding studies identified the protein surfaces involved in the ASCCARD-ASCCARD interaction. These data provide new insights into the structural underpinnings of the inflammasome and should inform future efforts to interrogate this important biological system.
Project description:Canonical inflammasomes are cytosolic supramolecular complexes that activate caspase-1 upon sensing extrinsic microbial invasions and intrinsic sterile stress signals. During inflammasome assembly, adaptor proteins ASC and NLRC4 recruit caspase-1 through homotypic caspase recruitment domain (CARD) interactions, leading to caspase-1 dimerization and activation. Activated caspase-1 processes proinflammatory cytokines and Gasdermin D to induce cytokine maturation and pyroptotic cell death. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of NLRC4 CARD and ASC CARD filaments mediated by conserved three types of asymmetric interactions (types I, II, and III). We find that the CARDs of these two adaptor proteins share a similar assembly pattern, which matches that of the caspase-1 CARD filament whose structure we defined previously. These data indicate a unified mechanism for downstream caspase-1 recruitment through CARD-CARD interactions by both adaptors. Using structure modeling, we further show that full-length NLRC4 assembles via two separate symmetries at its CARD and its nucleotide-binding domain (NBD), respectively.
Project description:The caspase recruitment domain (CARD) is present in a large number of proteins. Initially, the CARD was recognized as part of the caspase activation machinery. CARD-CARD interactions play a role in apoptosis and are responsible for the Apaf-1-mediated activation of procaspase-9 in the apoptosome. CARD-containing proteins mediate the inflammasome-dependent activation of proinflammatory caspase-1. More recently, new roles for CARD-containing proteins have been reported in signaling pathways associated with immune responses. The functional role of CARD-containing proteins and CARDs in coordinating apoptosis and inflammatory and immune responses is not completely understood. We have explored the putative cross-talk between apoptosis and inflammation by analyzing the modulatory activity on both the Apaf-1/procaspase-9 interaction and the inflammasome-mediated procaspase-1 activation of CARD-derived polypeptides. To this end, we analyzed the activity of individual recombinant CARDs, rationally designed CARD-derived peptides, and peptides derived from phage display.
Project description:Cytosolic inflammasomes are supramolecular complexes that are formed in response to intracellular pathogens and danger signals. However, as to date, the detailed description of a homotypic caspase recruitment domain (CARD) interaction between NLRP1 and ASC has not been presented. We found the CARD-CARD interaction between purified NLRP1CARD and ASCCARD experimentally and the filamentous supramolecular complex formation in an in vitro proteins solution. Moreover, we determined a high-resolution crystal structure of the death domain fold of the human ASCCARD. Mutational and structural analysis revealed three conserved interfaces of the death domain superfamily (Type I, II, and III), which mediate the assembly of the NLRP1CARD/ASCCARD complex. In addition, we validated the role of the three major interfaces of CARDs in assembly and activation of NLRP1 inflammasome in vitro. Our findings suggest a Mosaic model of homotypic CARD interactions for the activation of NLRP1 inflammasome. The Mosaic model provides insights into the mechanisms of inflammasome assembly and signal transduction amplification.