Overexpression of thiol/disulfide isomerases enhances membrane fusion directed by the Newcastle disease virus fusion protein.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) fusion (F) protein directs membrane fusion, which is required for virus entry and cell-cell fusion. We have previously shown that free thiols are present in cell surface-expressed NDV F protein and that blocking the production of free thiols by thiol-disulfide exchange inhibitors inhibited the membrane fusion mediated by F protein (J Virol. 81:2328-2339, 2007). Extending these observations, we evaluated the role of the overexpression of two disulfide bond isomerases, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERdj5, in cell-cell fusion mediated by NDV glycoproteins. The overexpression of these isomerases resulted in significantly increased membrane fusion, as measured by syncytium formation and content mixing. The overexpression of these isomerases enhanced the production of free thiols in F protein when expressed without hemagglutination-neuraminidase (HN) protein but decreased free thiols in F protein expressed with HN protein. By evaluating the binding of conformation-sensitive antibodies, we found that the overexpression of these isomerases favored a postfusion conformation of surface-expressed F protein in the presence of HN protein. These results suggest that isomerases belonging to the PDI family catalyze the production of free thiols in F protein, and free thiols in F protein facilitate membrane fusion mediated by F protein.