Frog virus 3 (FV3) belongs to the genus Ranavirus within the Iridoviridae family.Its 105,903 base genome encodes 98 open reading frames (ORFs), including ORF 97R, a putative apoptosis regulator sharing 31% structural similarity with the anti-apoptotic Bcl- 2 family protein, myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1). 97R contains a BH1 domain, implicated in apoptosis regulation, and a predicted C-terminal transmembrane domain, which acts as a membrane-anchoring domain, localizing 97R to the ER membrane. To study its role in host cell modulation, 97R was cloned into a vector and transfected into HeLa cells. Immunofluorescence revealed a time-dependent decrease in Protein Disulfide Isomerase (PDI) in 97R-transfected cells. Immunoprecipitation and western blotting revealed that 97R interacts with Prohibitin 1 (PHB1), a host protein involved in apoptosis regulation. This research provides insight into the novel functional role of 97R in host cells, enhancing our understanding of how FV3 may manipulate its host.
Author Keywords: Bcl-2 protein family, frog virus 3, Iridoviridae, ORF 97R, Protein-protein interactions, Ranavirus