Biophysical analysis of HTLV-1 particles reveals novel insights into particle morphology and Gag stochiometry

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an important human retrovirus that is a cause of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. While an important human pathogen, the details regarding virus replication cycle, including the nature of HTLV-1 particles, remain largely unknown due to the difficulties in propagating the virus in tissue culture. In this study, we created a codon-optimized HTLV-1 Gag fused to an EYFP reporter as a model system to quantitatively analyze HTLV-1 particles released from producer cells. The codon-optimized Gag led to a dramatic and highly robust level of Gag expression as well as virus-like particle (VLP) production. The robust level of particle production overcomes previous technical difficulties with authentic particles and allowed for detailed analysis of particle architecture using two novel methodologies. We quantitatively measured the diameter and morphology of HTLV-1 VLPs in their native, hydrated state using cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Furthermore, we were able to determine HTLV-1 Gag stoichiometry as well as particle size with the novel biophysical technique of fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS). The average HTLV-1 particle diameter determined by cryo-TEM and FFS was 71 ± 20 nm and 75 ± 4 nm, respectively. These values are significantly smaller than previous estimates made of HTLV-1 particles by negative staining TEM. Furthermore, cryo-TEM reveals that the majority of HTLV-1 VLPs lacks an ordered structure of the Gag lattice, suggesting that the HTLV-1 Gag shell is very likely to be organized differently compared to that observed with HIV-1 Gag in immature particles. This conclusion is supported by our observation that the average copy number of HTLV-1 Gag per particle is estimated to be 510 based on FFS, which is significantly lower than that found for HIV-1 immature virions. In summary, our studies represent the first quantitative biophysical analysis of HTLV-1-like particles and reveal novel insights into particle morphology and Gag stochiometry.