Sialic acids are important sugars at the reducing end of glycoproteins and glycolipids. They are among many other functions involved in cell-cell interactions, host-pathogen recognition and the regulation of serum half-life of glycoproteins. An important modification of sialic acids is O-acetylation, which can alter or mask the biological properties of the parent sialic acid molecule. The nature of mammalian sialate-O-acetyltransferases (EC 2.3.1.45) involved in their biosynthesis is still unknown. We have identified the human CasD1 (capsule structure1 domain containing 1) gene as a candidate to encode the elusive enzyme. The human CasD1 gene encodes a protein with a serine-glycine-asparagine-histidine hydrolase domain and a hydrophobic transmembrane domain. Expression of the Cas1 protein tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein in mammalian and insect cells directed the protein to the medial and trans-cisternae of the Golgi. Overexpression of the Cas1 protein in combination with α-N-acetyl-neuraminide α-2,8-sialyltransferase 1 (GD3 synthase) resulted in an up to 40% increased biosynthesis of 7-O-acetylated ganglioside GD3. By quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we found up to 5-fold increase in CasD1 mRNA in tumor cells overexpressing O-Ac-GD3. CasD1-specific small interfering RNA reduced O-acetylation in tumor cells. These results suggest that the human Cas1 protein is directly involved in O-acetylation of α2-8-linked sialic acids.

The initial stage of host cell infection by influenza A viruses (IAV) is mediated through interaction of the viral haemagglutinin (HA) with cell surface glycans. The binding requirement of IAVs for Galβ(1,4)Glc/ GlcNAc (lactose/lactosamine) glycans with a terminal α(2,6)-linked (human receptors) or α(2,3)-linked (avian receptors) N-acetylneuraminic residue commonly found on N-glycans, is well-established. However the role and significance of sialylated Galβ(1,3)GalNAc (core 1) epitopes that are typical O-glycoforms in influenza virus pathogenesis remains poorly detailed. Here we report a multidisciplinary study using NMR spectroscopy, virus neutralization assays and molecular modelling, into the potential for IAV to engage sialyl-Galβ(1,3)GalNAc O-glycoforms for cell attachment. H5 containing virus like particles (VLPs) derived from an H5N1 avian IAV strain show a significant involvement of the O-glycan-specific GalNAc residue, coordinated by a EQTKLY motif conserved in highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strains. Notably, human pandemic H1N1 influenza viruses shift the preference from ‘human-like’ α(2,6)-linkages in sialylated Galβ(1,4)Glc/GlcNAc fragments to ‘avian-like’ α(2,3)-linkages in sialylated Galβ(1,3)GalNAc without involvement of the GalNAc residue. Overall, our study suggests that sialylated Galβ(1,3)GalNAc as O-glycan core 1 glycoforms are involved in the influenza A virus life cycle and play a particularly crucial role during infection of HPAI strains.

We report the establishment of a reverse-genetics system for the rescue of recombinant influenza C/JJ/50 virus from seven plasmids. The nucleotide sequence of the whole C/JJ/50 genome was determined and full-length cDNAs were cloned into an RNA pol I/pol II-based bidirectional vector. Transfection of Vero cells and subsequent amplification on MDCK cells yielded viral HA titres of 128. The utility of this bidirectional approach was proved by generating a reassortant virus encoding the NS segment from strain C/JHB/1/66 and a virus with mutations in the noncoding ends of PB1. The latter virus, which has a base-pair mutation within the proposed double-stranded region of the PB1 termini, exhibited impaired replication. In conclusion, our efficient seven-plasmid system for the rescue of recombinant influenza C virus may be used to study the influenza C virus life cycle in more detail and for generation of influenza C virus-based vectors.

Both, the influenza C (INF-C) virus haemagglutinin esterase fusion and bovine coronavirus (BCoV) haemagglutinin esterase surface glycoproteins exhibit a lectin binding capability and a receptor-destroying 9-O-acetyl esterase activity that recognise 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac(2))-containing glycans. Here we report nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular modelling studies on the 9-O-acetyl esterase showing that the alpha-configured Neu5,9Ac(2) is strictly preferred by the INF-C and BCoV esterases. Interestingly, we have discovered that the INF-C esterase function releases acetate independently of the chemical nature of the aglycon moiety, whereas subtle differences in substrate recognition were found for BCoV esterase. Analysis of the apo and complexed X-ray crystal structure of INF-C esterase revealed that binding of 9-O-acetylated N-acetylneuraminic acids is a dynamic process that involves conformational rearrangement of serine-57 in the esterase active site. This study provides valuable insights towards the design of drugs to combat INF-C virus and coronavirus infections causing outbreaks of upper respiratory infections and severe diarrhea in calves, respectively.

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are respiratory pathogens that are able to hijack multiple cellular mechanisms to drive their replication. Consequently, several viral and cellular proteins undergo posttranslational modifications such as dynamic phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. In eukaryotic cells, dephosphorylation is mainly catalyzed by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). While the function of kinases in IAV infection is quite well studied, only little is known about the role of PP2A in IAV replication. Here, we show, by using knockdown and inhibition approaches of the catalytic subunit PP2Ac, that this phosphatase is important for efficient replication of several IAV subtypes. This could neither be attributed to alterations in the antiviral immune response nor to changes in transcription or translation of viral genes. Interestingly, decreased PP2Ac levels resulted in a significantly reduced cell viability after IAV infection. Comprehensive kinase activity profiling identified an enrichment of process networks related to apoptosis and indicated a synergistic action of hyper-activated PI3K/Akt, MAPK/JAK-STAT and NF-kB signaling pathways, collectively resulting in increased cell death. Taken together, while IAV seems to effectively tap leftover PP2A activity to ensure efficient viral replication, reduced PP2Ac levels fail to orchestrate cell survival mechanisms to protect infected cells from early cell death.