Nat Commun . Selective flexible packaging pathways of the segmented genome of influenza A virus

[tetano]

Nat Commun


. 2020 Aug 28;11(1):4355.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18108-1.
Selective flexible packaging pathways of the segmented genome of influenza A virus


Ivan Haralampiev ^{1 2} , Simon Prisner ¹ , Mor Nitzan ³ , Matthias Schade ¹ , Fabian Jolmes ^{1 4} , Max Schreiber ⁵ , Maria Loidolt-Kr?ger ^{6 4} , Kalle Jongen ¹ , Jasmine Chamiolo ⁷ , Niklaas Nilson ¹ , Franziska Winter ^{6 8} , Nir Friedman ^{3 9} , Oliver Seitz ⁷ , Thorsten Wolff ¹⁰ , Andreas Herrmann ¹¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 32859915
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18108-1

Abstract

The genome of influenza A viruses (IAV) is encoded in eight distinct viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) that consist of negative sense viral RNA (vRNA) covered by the IAV nucleoprotein. Previous studies strongly support a selective packaging model by which vRNP segments are bundling to an octameric complex, which is integrated into budding virions. However, the pathway(s) generating a complete genome bundle is not known. We here use a multiplexed FISH assay to monitor all eight vRNAs in parallel in human lung epithelial cells. Analysis of 3.9 ? 10⁵ spots of colocalizing vRNAs provides quantitative insights into segment composition of vRNP complexes and, thus, implications for bundling routes. The complexes rarely contain multiple copies of a specific segment. The data suggest a selective packaging mechanism with limited flexibility by which vRNPs assemble into a complete IAV genome. We surmise that this flexibility forms an essential basis for the development of reassortant viruses with pandemic potential.