article published yes Tibor Füzik author Růžena Píchalová author Florian Schur author 48AD8942-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0003-4790-8078 Karolína Strohalmová author Ivana Křížová author Romana Hadravová author Michaela Rumlová author John Briggs author Pavel Ulbrich author Tomáš Ruml author The Gag polyprotein of retroviruses drives immature virus assembly by forming hexameric protein lattices. The assembly is primarily mediated by protein-protein interactions between capsid (CA) domains and by interactions between nucleocapsid (NC) domains and RNA. Specific interactions between NC and the viral RNA are required for genome packaging. Previously reported cryoelectron microscopy analysis of immature Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) particles suggested that a basic region (residues RKK) in CA may serve as an additional binding site for nucleic acids. Here, we have introduced mutations into the RKK region in both bacterial and proviral M-PMV vectors and have assessed their impact on M-PMV assembly, structure, RNA binding, budding/release, nuclear trafficking, and infectivity using in vitro and in vivo systems. Our data indicate that the RKK region binds and structures nucleic acid that serves to promote virus particle assembly in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the RKK region appears to be important for recruitment of viral genomic RNA into Gag particles, and this function could be linked to changes in nuclear trafficking. Together these observations suggest that in M-PMV, direct interactions between CA and nucleic acid play important functions in the late stages of the viral life cycle. American Society for Microbiology2016 eng 0022-538X 1098-5514 2691261310.1128/JVI.03197-15 9094593 - 4603 yes Füzik T, Píchalová R, Schur FK, et al. Nucleic acid binding by Mason-Pfizer monkey virus CA promotes virus assembly and genome packaging. <i>Journal of Virology</i>. 2016;90(9):4593-4603. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15">10.1128/JVI.03197-15</a> T. Füzik <i>et al.</i>, “Nucleic acid binding by Mason-Pfizer monkey virus CA promotes virus assembly and genome packaging,” <i>Journal of Virology</i>, vol. 90, no. 9. American Society for Microbiology, pp. 4593–4603, 2016. Füzik, T., Píchalová, R., Schur, F. K., Strohalmová, K., Křížová, I., Hadravová, R., … Ruml, T. (2016). Nucleic acid binding by Mason-Pfizer monkey virus CA promotes virus assembly and genome packaging. <i>Journal of Virology</i>. American Society for Microbiology. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15">https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15</a> Füzik, Tibor, et al. “Nucleic Acid Binding by Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CA Promotes Virus Assembly and Genome Packaging.” <i>Journal of Virology</i>, vol. 90, no. 9, American Society for Microbiology, 2016, pp. 4593–603, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15">10.1128/JVI.03197-15</a>. Füzik T, Píchalová R, Schur FK, Strohalmová K, Křížová I, Hadravová R, Rumlová M, Briggs J, Ulbrich P, Ruml T. 2016. Nucleic acid binding by Mason-Pfizer monkey virus CA promotes virus assembly and genome packaging. Journal of Virology. 90(9), 4593–4603. T. Füzik, R. Píchalová, F.K. Schur, K. Strohalmová, I. Křížová, R. Hadravová, M. Rumlová, J. Briggs, P. Ulbrich, T. Ruml, Journal of Virology 90 (2016) 4593–4603. Füzik, Tibor, Růžena Píchalová, Florian KM Schur, Karolína Strohalmová, Ivana Křížová, Romana Hadravová, Michaela Rumlová, John Briggs, Pavel Ulbrich, and Tomáš Ruml. “Nucleic Acid Binding by Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CA Promotes Virus Assembly and Genome Packaging.” <i>Journal of Virology</i>. American Society for Microbiology, 2016. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15">https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03197-15</a>. 8132018-12-11T11:48:38Z2026-05-20T07:34:00Z