Master mitotic kinases regulate viral genome delivery during papillomavirus cell entry

ABSTRACT: Cell cycle progression into mitosis induce cellular rearrangements such as mitotic spindle formation, Golgi fragmentation, and nuclear envelope breakdown. Like certain retroviruses, nuclear delivery of HPV16 genomes is facilitated by these processes during entry into host cells by tethering of the viral DNA to mitotic chromosomes through the minor capsid protein L2. However, the mechanism of delivery onto and tethering to the condensed chromosomes is barely understood on a mechanistic level. To date it is unclear, which cellular proteins facilitate this process in interaction with L2 or how this process is regulated. Here, we discovered that HPV16 minor capsid protein L2 is phosphorylated during entry upon mitosis onset on conserved residues within the chromosome-binding region (CBR) that is responsible for nuclear import. The crucial L2 phosphorylations occurred sequentially by the master mitotic kinases CDK1 and PLK1. L2 phosphorylation, thus, not only regulated timely delivery of HPV16 vDNA to mitotic chromatin at mitosis onset, but also likely resulted in a conformational switch in L2 that allowed engagement of cellular proteins for this purpose. In summary, our work demonstrates for the first time a crucial role of mitotic kinases for nuclear entry of a DNA virus and provides important insights into the molecular mechanism of pathogen import into the nucleus during mitosis.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive HF

ORGANISM(S): Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Homo Sapiens (human) Escherichia Coli

TISSUE(S): Permanent Cell Line Cell

SUBMITTER: Hannes Drexler  

LAB HEAD: Hannes C. A. Drexler

PROVIDER: PXD028704 | Pride | 2022-12-22

REPOSITORIES: Pride