Abstract
The influenza A virus M2 protein has important roles during virus entry and in the assembly of infectious virus particles. The cytoplasmic tail of the protein can be palmitoylated at a cysteine residue, but this residue is not conserved in a number of human influenza A virus isolates. Recombinant viruses encoding M2 proteins with a serine substituted for the cysteine at position 50 were generated in the A/WSN/33 (H1N1) and A/Udorn/72 (H3N2) genetic backgrounds. The recombinant viruses were not attenuated for replication in MDCK cells, Calu-3 cells, or in primary differentiated murine trachea epithelial cell cultures, indicating there was no significant contribution of M2 palmitoylation to virus replication in vitro. The A/WSN/33 M2C50S virus displayed a slightly reduced virulence after infection of mice, suggesting that there may be novel functions for M2 palmitoylation during in vivo infection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 8655-8661 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of virology |
Volume | 83 |
Issue number | 17 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2009 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Insect Science
- Virology