Spatiotemporal Coupling of the Hepatitis C Virus Replication Cycle by Creating a Lipid Droplet- Proximal Membranous Replication Compartment

Publication date: 18 June 2019Source: Cell Reports, Volume 27, Issue 12Author(s): Ji-Young Lee, Mirko Cortese, Uta Haselmann, Keisuke Tabata, Inés Romero-Brey, Charlotta Funaya, Nicole L. Schieber, Yu Qiang, Marie Bartenschlager, Stephanie Kallis, Christian Ritter, Karl Rohr, Yannick Schwab, Alessia Ruggieri, Ralf BartenschlagerSummaryThe hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease, affecting around 71 million people worldwide. Viral RNA replication occurs in a membranous compartment composed of double-membrane vesicles (DMVs), whereas virus particles are thought to form by budding into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is unknown how these steps are orchestrated in space and time. Here, we established an imaging system to visualize HCV structural and replicase proteins in live cells and with high resolution. We determined the conditions for the recruitment of viral proteins to putative assembly sites and studied the dynamics of this event and the underlying ultrastructure. Most notable was the selective recruitment of ER membranes around lipid droplets where structural proteins and the viral replicase colocalize. Moreover, ER membranes wrapping lipid droplets were decorated with double membrane vesicles, providing a topological map of how HCV might coordinate the steps of viral replication and virion assembly.Graphical Abstract
Source: Cell Reports - Category: Cytology Source Type: research