VHL negatively regulates SARS coronavirus replication by modulating nsp16 ubiquitination and stability

Eukaryotic cellular and most viral RNAs carry a 5 '-terminal cap structure, a 5 '-5 ' triphosphate linkage between the 5 ' end of the RNA and a guanosine nucleotide (cap-0). SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nonstructural protein nsp16 functions as a methyltransferase, to rnethylate mRNA cap-0 structure at the ribose 2 '-0 position of the first nucleotide to form cap-1 structures. However, whether there is interplay between nsp16 and host proteins was not yet clear. In this report, we identified several potential cellular nsp16-interacting proteins from a human thymus cDNA library by yeast two-hybrid screening. VHL, one of these proteins, was proven to interact with nsp16 both in vitro and in vivo. Further studies showed that VHL can inhibit SARS-CoV replication by regulating nsp16 ubiquitination and promoting its degradation. Our results have revealed the role of cellular VHL in the regulation of SARS-CoV replication. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.