Abstract
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), an arterivirus, in common with many other positive strand RNA viruses, encodes a nucleocapsid (N) protein which can localise not only to the cytoplasm but also to the nucleolus in virus-infected cells and cells over-expressing N protein. The dynamic trafficking of positive strand RNA virus nucleocapsid proteins and PRRSV N protein in particular between the cytoplasm and nucleolus is unknown. In this study live imaging of permissive and non-permissive cell lines, in conjunction with photo-bleaching (FRAP and FLIP), was used to investigate the trafficking of fluorescent labeled (EGFP) PRRSV-N protein. The data indicated that EGFP-PRRSV-N protein was not permanently sequestered to the nucleolus and had equivalent mobility to cellular nucleolar proteins. Further the nuclear import of N protein appeared to occur faster than nuclear export, which may account for the observed relative distribution of N protein between the cytoplasm and the nucleolus.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 34-47 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Virology |
Volume | 378 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 15 2008 |
Keywords
- Arterivirus
- Confocal
- Cytoplasm
- FLIP
- FRAP
- Nuclear export
- Nuclear import
- Nucleocapsid protein
- Nucleolar
- Nucleolus
- Nucleus
- PRRSV
- Virus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Virology