EF1A interacting with nucleocapsid protein of transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus and plays a role in virus replication

Zhang, Xin; Shi, Hongyan; Chen, Jianfei; Shi, Da; Li, Changlong; Feng, Li

Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) is an enteropathogenic coronavirus that causes diarrhea in pigs, which is correlated with high morbidity and mortality in suckling piglets. Using the method of GST pull-down with the nucleocapsid (N), N protein was found to interact with swine testes (ST) cells elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1A), an essential component of the translational machinery with an important role in cells. In vitro and in virus-infected cells interaction was then confirmed by co-precipitation. Knockdown of EF1A impairs N protein proliferation and TGEV replication in host cell. It was demonstrated that EF1A plays a role in TGEV replication. The present study thus provides a protein-related information that should be useful for underlying mechanism of coronavirus replication.