Expression of an RNase P ribozyme against the mRNA encoding human cytomegalovirus protease inhibits viral capsid protein processing and growth.

A sequence-specific ribozyme (M1GS RNA) derived from the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli was used to target the mRNA encoding human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) protease (PR), a viral protein that is responsible for the processing of the viral capsid assembly protein. We showed that the constructed ribozyme cleaved the PR mRNA sequence efficiently in vitro. Moreover, a reduction of about 80% in the expression level of the protease and a reduction of about 100-fold in HCMV growth were observed in cells that expressed the ribozyme stably. In contrast, a reduction of less than 10% in the expression of viral protease and viral growth was observed in cells that either did not express the ribozyme or produced a catalytically inactive ribozyme mutant. Further examination of the antiviral effects of the ribozyme-mediated cleavage of PR mRNA indicates that (1) the proteolytic cleavage of the capsid assembly protein is inhibited significantly, and (2) the packaging of the viral genomic DNA into the CMV capsids is blocked. These observations are consistent with the notion that the protease functions to process the capsid assembly protein and is essential for viral capsid assembly. Moreover, our results indicate that the RNase P ribozyme-mediated cleavage specifically reduces the expression of the protease, but not other viral genes examined. Thus, M1GS ribozyme is highly effective in inhibiting HCMV growth by targeting the PR mRNA and may represent a novel class of general gene-targeting agents for the studies and treatment of infections caused by human viruses, including HCMV.