Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly

Summary

A simple, efficient and robust way to synchronize the delivery of multiple viral components to plant cells via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression is described. This approach is amenable for studying replication, encapsidation followed by in vitro reassembly of non-viral components into genome depleted optical viral ghosts suitable for biomedical applications.

Abstract

In viruses with positive-sense RNA genomes pathogenic to humans, animals and plants, progeny encapsidation into mature and stable virions is a cardinal phase during establishment of infection in a given host. Consequently, study of encapsidation deciphers the information regarding the know-how of the mechanism regulating virus assembly to form infectious virions. Such information is vital in formulating novel methods of curbing virus spread and disease control. Virus encapsidation can be studied in vivo and in vitro. Genome encapsidation in vivo is a highly regulated selective process involving macromolecular interactions and subcellular compartmentalization. Therefore, study leading to dissect events encompassing virus encapsidation in vivo would provide basic knowledge to understand how viruses proliferate and assemble. Recently in vitro encapsidation has been exploited for the research in the area of biomedical imaging and therapeutic applications. Non-enveloped plant viruses stand far ahead in the venture of in vitro encapsidation of the negatively charged foreign material. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), a non-enveloped multicomponent RNA virus pathogenic to plants, has been used as a model system for studying genome packaging in vivo and in vitro. For encapsidation assays in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression, refer to as agroinfiltration, is an efficient and robust technique for the synchronized delivery and expression of multiple components to the same cell. In this approach, a suspension of Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells carrying binary plasmid vectors carrying cDNAs of desiredviral mRNAs is infiltrated into the intercellular space withina leaf using nothing more sophisticated than a 1 ml disposable syringe (without needle). This process results in the transfer of DNA insert into plant cells; the T-DNA insert remains transiently in the nucleus and is then transcribed by the host polymerase II, leading to the transient expression. The resulting mRNA transcript (capped and polyadenylated) is then exported to the cytoplasm for translation. After approximately 24 to 48 hours of incubation,sections of infiltrated leaves can be sampled for microscopyor biochemical analyses. Agroinfiltration permits large numbers (hundreds to thousands) of cells to be transfected simultaneously. For in vitro encapsidation, purified virions of BMV are dissociated into capsid protein by dialyzing against dissociation buffer containing calcium chloride followed by removal of RNA and un-dissociated virions by centrifugation. Genome depleted capsid protein subunits are then reassembled with desired viral genome components or non-viral components such as indocyanine dye.

Protocol

1. Plant material

1. Nicotiana benthamiana plants to be used in the encapsidation assay should be at 4 leaves stage (approximately 3-4 week old plants).

2. Delivery and expression of functional viral genome components to plant cells by agroinfiltration

1. Day 1: The Agrobacterium strain (eg. EH 105 or GV 3101) harboring the pCass- BMV RNA 1, BMV RNA 2 and BMV RNA 3^1,2 are grown on LB agar plates supplemented with 50 mg/ml of kanamycin (selects for the pCASS vector) and 100mg/ml of rifampicin (selects for the Agrobacterium). Incubation is being carried out at 28 °C for two days.

Discussion

Agroinfiltration approach presented here can widely be applicable to a wide range of plant viruses. A hallmark feature of this approach is synchronized delivery of multiple agroconstruct to the same cell-a major drawback commonly associated with routinely used mechanical inoculation of plant viruses. In vivo and in vitro assembly studies using brome mosaic virus as a model can be conducted efficiently by following few tips.(i)For successful infiltration of N. benthamiana leaves, do not water th.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
MES Sodium salts	Sigma-Aldrich	M2993
Indocyanine green	Sigma-Aldrich	I2633
Beckman ultracentrifuge	Beckman Coulter Inc.	Model: L8-70M
Centricon-100 column	EMD Millipore	YM-100
Spectrophotometer	Varian, Inc.	Part number 10068900
Spectrofluorometer	Fluorolog 3, Jobin-Yvon.	Part number FL3-21