Intraviral protein interactions of Chandipura virus.

Chandipura virus (CHPV) is an emerging rhabdovirus responsible for several outbreaks of fatal encephalitis among children in India. The characteristic structure of the virus is a result of extensive and specific interplay among its five encoded proteins. The revelation of interactions among CHPV proteins can help in gaining insight into viral architecture and pathogenesis. In the current study, we carried out comprehensive yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) analysis to elucidate intraviral protein-protein interactions. All of the interactions identified by Y2H were assessed for reliability by GST pull-down and ELISA. A total of eight interactions were identified among four viral proteins. Five of these interactions are being reported for the first time for CHPV. Among these, the glycoprotein (G)-nucleocapsid (N) interaction could be considered novel, as this has not been reported for any members of the family Rhabdoviridae. This study provides a framework within which the roles of the identified protein interactions can be explored further for understanding the biology of this virus at the molecular level.