Molecular domains involved in oligomerization of the Friend murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein.

The oligomeric structure of the Friend murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein has been investigated using crosslinking reagents and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The results obtained provide evidence that both the precursor and the processed molecules are oligomeric and probably form tetramers. Pulse-chase analyses indicate that assembly occurs sequentially, within 30 min of protein synthesis and prior to cleavage of the precursor. Studies using chimeric envelope glycoproteins and deletion mutants indicate that the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains are not essential for the formation of oligomers. Evidence is also presented that the SU subunit remains in an oligomeric form following disassociation from the TM subunit. Oligomeric envelope glycoprotein complexes linked by intermolecular disulfide bonds were also observed under certain conditions. Mink cell focus-forming virus envelope glycoprotein constructs lacking the transmembrane domain or both the transmembrane and the cytoplasmic domains formed intermolecular disulfide bonds more readily than the full-length molecule, suggesting that these regions are likely to make a contribution to the conformation of the glycoprotein. These data indicate that there are several points of interaction between retrovirus envelope glycoprotein monomers which contribute to assembly of the oligomer and that contacts within the ectodomain appear to be of critical importance.