The influenza A virus RNA polymerase is a heterotrimer that transcribes and replicates the viral genome in the cell nucleus. Newly synthesized RNA polymerase subunits must therefore be imported into the nucleus during an infection. While various models have been proposed for this process, the consensus is that the polymerase basic protein PB1 and polymerase acidic protein PA subunits form a dimer in the cytoplasm and are transported into the nucleus by the betaimportin Ran-binding protein 5 (RanBP5), with the PB2 subunit imported separately to complete the trimeric complex. In this study, we characterized the interaction of PB1 with RanBP5 further and assessed its importance for viral growth. In particular, we found that the N-terminal region of PB1 mediates its binding to RanBP5 and that basic residues in a nuclear localization signal are required for RanBP5 binding. Mutating these basic residues to alanines does not prevent PB1 forming a dimer with PA, but does reduce RanBP5 binding. RanBP5-binding mutations reduce, though do not entirely prevent, the nuclear accumulation of PB1. Furthermore, mutations affecting RanBP5 binding are incompatible with or severely attenuate viral growth, providing further support for a key role for RanBP5 in the influenza A virus life cycle.
INTRODUCTIONInfluenza A virus is the prototypic orthomyxovirus and a serious pathogen of humans and animals. The viral genome consists of eight segments of negative-sense, ssRNA, which are encapsidated as viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) by multiple copies of nucleoprotein (NP) and the trimeric RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP; consisting of the polymerase basic proteins PB1 and PB2, and the polymerase acidic protein PA) (Palese & Shaw, 2007). Unusually among RNA viruses, orthomyxoviruses replicate their genomes in the nucleus. Consequently, newly synthesized viral proteins must be imported into the nucleus to allow the assembly and export of new vRNPs, as well as to regulate host processes in the infected cell. Of the proteins expressed by influenza A virus, nuclear import is observed for the three polymerase proteins and NP, as well as matrix (M1) protein, non-structural (NS1) protein, nuclear export protein (NEP) and PB1-F2 (Chen et al., 2001;Smith et al., 1987). Nuclear import of structures larger than 20-30 kDa is selective and energy dependent, requiring binding of nuclear import factors (NIFs) through nuclear localization signals (NLSs) on import substrates (Görlich & Kutay, 1999). A number of influenza A virus proteins have been shown to contain NLSs and to bind NIFs Naito et al., 2007; Resa-Infante et al., 2008;Tarendeau et al., 2007). PB1 and PA, despite both having signals that can promote nuclear import when individually expressed (Akkina et al., 1987;Nath & Nayak, 1990;Nieto et al., 1994), do not accumulate efficiently in the nucleus unless expressed together, a requirement that appears to be particularly marked for PB1 (Fodor & Smith, 2004;Huet et al., 2010;Nieto et al., 1992). Although all possible pairwise interact...