Mutational changes in the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein affect the requirement of carbohydrate in morphogenesis.

The role of carbohydrate in the morphogenesis of vesicular stomatitis virus was studied, using the antibiotic tunicamycin to inhibit glycosylation. It has been reported previously (Gibson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 254:3600-3607, 1979) that the San Juan strain of vesicular stomatitis virus requires carbohydrate for efficient migration of the glycoprotein (G) to the cell surface and for virion formation, whereas the prototype or Orsay strain of vesicular stomatitis virus is less stringent in its carbohydrate requirement at 30 degrees C. However, there are many differences between the two strains. We found that mutational changes within the G protein of the same strain of virus (prototype or Orsay) alters the requirement for carbohydrate at 30 degrees C. Group V or G protein mutants tsO45 and tsO44, like their prototype parent, did not require carbohydrate for efficient morphogenesis. In contrast, the G protein of another group V mutant, tsO110, was totally dependent upon carbohydrate addition for migration to the cell surface. Furthermore, no tsO110 particles were released in the absence of glycosylation. The wild-type prototype strain did require carbohydrate at 39.5 degrees C for insertion of the G protein into the plasma membrane and virion formation. However, a pseudorevertant of tsO44 (tsO44R), unlike the prototype parent, no longer exhibited this temperature-sensitive requirement for carbohydrate. At 39.5 degrees C in the presence of tunicamycin, tsO44R-infected cells released normal yields of particles and the unglycosylated G reached the cell surface very efficiently. In contrast to tsO110, which absolutely requires carbohydrate, mutational change in the tsO44R G protein has eliminated the requirement for carbohydrate. Thus, simple mutational changes, as opposed to many changes in the molecule, are sufficient to alter the carbohydrate requirement.