Electron Tomography to Study the Three-dimensional Structure of the Reovirus Egress Pathway in Mammalian Cells

Mammalian orthoreoviruses (reoviruses) are nonenveloped, double-stranded RNA viruses that replicate and assemble in cytoplasmic membranous organelles called viral inclusions (Vls). To define the cellular compartments involved in nonlytic reovirus egress, we imaged viral egress in infected, nonpolarized human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs). Electron and confocal microscopy showed that reovirus mature virions are recruited from Vls to modified lysosomes termed sorting organelles (SOs). Later in infection, membranous carriers (MCs) emerge from SOs and transport new virions to the plasma membrane for nonlytic egress. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with electron tomography (ET) and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction revealed that these compartments are connected and form the exit pathway. Connections are established by channels through which mature virions are transported from Vls to MCs. In the last step, MCs travel across the cytoplasm and fuse with the plasma membrane, which facilitates reovirus egress. This bio-protocol describes the combination of imaging approaches (TEM, ET, and 3D reconstruction) to analyze reovirus egress zones. The spatial information present in the 3D reconstructions, along with the higher resolution relative to 2D projections, allowed us to identify components of a new nonlytic viral egress pathway.

Automated summary

This study utilized TEM, ET, and 3D reconstruction to visualize the egress process of reoviruses in infected HBMECs. It was found that reovirus mature virions are recruited from Vls to SOs, then to MCs, and eventually achieve nonlytic egress through fusion with the plasma membrane.