Ebola Viral Glycoprotein Bound to Its Endosomal Receptor Niemann-Pick C1

Cell. 2016 Jan 14;164(1-2):258-268. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.12.044.

Abstract

Filoviruses, including Ebola and Marburg, cause fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and primates. Understanding how these viruses enter host cells could help to develop effective therapeutics. An endosomal protein, Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), has been identified as a necessary entry receptor for this process, and priming of the viral glycoprotein (GP) to a fusion-competent state is a prerequisite for NPC1 binding. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of the primed GP (GPcl) of Ebola virus bound to domain C of NPC1 (NPC1-C) at a resolution of 2.3 Å. NPC1-C utilizes two protruding loops to engage a hydrophobic cavity on head of GPcl. Upon enzymatic cleavage and NPC1-C binding, conformational change in the GPcl further affects the state of the internal fusion loop, triggering membrane fusion. Our data therefore provide structural insights into filovirus entry in the late endosome and the molecular basis for design of therapeutic inhibitors of viral entry.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Ebolavirus / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / chemistry*
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / metabolism*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis
  • Niemann-Pick C1 Protein
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / chemistry*
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / metabolism*
  • Virus Internalization

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • NPC1 protein, human
  • Niemann-Pick C1 Protein
  • Viral Envelope Proteins
  • envelope glycoprotein, Ebola virus