Regulation of Ebola GP conformation and membrane binding by the chemical environment of the late endosome

Interaction between the Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein (GP) and the endosomal membrane is an essential step during virus entry into the cell. Acidic pH and Ca2+ have been implicated in mediating the GP-membrane interaction. However, the molecular mechanism by which these environmental factors regulate the conformational changes that enable engagement of GP with the target membrane is unknown. Here, we apply fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) imaging to elucidate how the acidic pH, Ca2+ and anionic phospholipids in the late endosome promote GP-membrane interaction, thereby facilitating virus entry. We find that bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP), which is specific to the late endosome, is especially critical in determining the Ca2+-dependence of the GP-membrane interaction. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggested residues in GP that sense pH and induce conformational changes that make the fusion loop available for insertion into the membrane. We similarly confirm residues in the fusion loop that mediate GP's interaction with Ca2+, which likely promotes local conformational changes in the fusion loop and mediates electrostatic interactions with the anionic phospholipids. Collectively, our results provide a mechanistic understanding of how the environment of the late endosome regulates the timing and efficiency of virus entry.