The Paramyxovirus Simian Virus 5 V Protein Slows Progression of the Cell Cycle

Infection of cells by many viruses affects the cell division cycle of the host cell to favor viral replication. We examined the ability of the paramyxovirus simian parainfluenza virus 5 (SV5) to affect cell cycle progression, and we found that SV5 slows the rate of proliferation of HeLa T4 cells. The SV5-infected cells had a delayed transition from G(1) to S phase and prolonged progression through S phase, and some of the infected cells were arrested in G(2) or M phase. The levels of p53 and p21(CIP1) were not increased in SV5-infected cells compared to mock-infected cells, suggesting that the changes in the cell cycle occur through a p53-independent mechanism. However, the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) was delayed and prolonged in SV5-infected cells. The changes in the cell cycle were also observed in cells expressing the SV5 V protein but not in the cells expressing the SV5 P protein or the V protein lacking its unique C terminus (VΔC). The unique C terminus of the V protein of SV5 was shown previously to interact with DDB1, which is the 127-kDa subunit of the multifunctional damage-specific DNA-binding protein (DDB) heterodimer. The coexpression of DDB1 with V can partially restore the changes in the cell cycle caused by expression of the V protein.