Membrane insertion by the Sec61 translocon in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is highly dependent on hydrophobicity. This places stringent hydrophobicity requirements on transmembrane domains (TMDs) from single-spanning membrane proteins. On examining the single-spanning influenza A membrane proteins, we found that the strict hydrophobicity requirement applies to the N-out-C-in HA and M2 TMDs but not the N-in-C-out TMDs from the type II membrane protein neuraminidase (NA). To investigate this discrepancy, we analyzed NA TMDs of varying hydrophobicity, followed by increasing polypeptide lengths, in mammalian cells and ER microsomes. Our results show that the marginally hydrophobic NA TMDs (Delta G(app) > 0 kcal/mol) require the cotranslational insertion process for facilitating their inversion during translocation and a positively charged N-terminal flanking residue and that NA inversion enhances its plasma membrane localization. Overall the cotranslational inversion of marginally hydrophobic NA TMDs initiates once similar to 70 amino acids past the TMD are synthesized, and the efficiency reaches 50% by similar to 100 amino acids, consistent with the positioning of this TMD class in type II human membrane proteins. Inversion of the M2 TMD, achieved by elongating its C-terminus, underscores the contribution of cotranslational synthesis to TMD inversion.

Transmembrane domains (TMDs) from single-spanning membrane proteins are commonly viewed as membrane anchors for functional domains. Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) exemplifies this concept, as it retains enzymatic function upon proteolytic release from the membrane. However, the subtype 1 NA TMDs have become increasingly more polar in human strains since 1918, which suggests that selection pressure exists on this domain. Here, we investigated the N1 TMD-head domain relationship by exchanging a prototypical old TMD (1933) with a recent (2009), more polar TMD and an engineered hydrophobic TMD. Each exchange altered the TMD association, decreased the NA folding efficiency, and significantly reduced viral budding and replication at 37 degrees C compared to at 33 degrees C, at which NA folds more efficiently. Passaging the chimera viruses at 37 degrees C restored the NA folding efficiency, viral budding, and infectivity by selecting for NA TMD mutations that correspond with their polar or hydrophobic assembly properties. These results demonstrate that single-spanning membrane protein TMDs can influence distal domain folding, as well as membrane-related processes, and suggest the NA TMD in H1N1 viruses has become more polar to maintain compatibility with the evolving enzymatic head domain. IMPORTANCE The neuranainidase (NA) protein from influenza A viruses (IAVs) functions to promote viral release and is one of the major surface antigens. The receptor-destroying activity in NA resides in the distal head domain that is linked to the viral membrane by an N-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain (TMD). Over the last century, the subtype 1 NA TMDs (N1) in human H1N1 viruses have become increasingly more polar, and the head domains have changed to alter their antigenicity. Here, we provide the first evidence that an old N1 head domain from 1933 is incompatible with a recent (2009), more polar N1 TMD sequence and that, during viral replication, the head domain drives the selection of TMD mutations. These mutations modify the intrinsic TMD assembly to restore the head domain folding compatibility and the resultant budding deficiency. This likely explains why the N1 TMDs have become more polar and suggests the N1 TMD and head domain have coevolved.

Influenza neuraminidase (NA) is a sialidase that contributes to viral mobility by removing the extracellular receptors for the haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein. However, it remains unclear why influenza NAs evolved to function as Ca2+-dependent tetramers that display variable stability. Here, we show that the Ca2+ ion located at the centre of the NA tetramer is a major stability determinant, as this Ca2+ ion is required for catalysis and its binding affinity varies between NAs. By examining NAs from 2009 pandemic-like H1N1 viruses, we traced the affinity variation to local substitutions that cause residues in the central Ca2+-binding pocket to reposition. A temporal analysis revealed that these local substitutions predictably alter the stability of the 2009 pandemic-like NAs and contribute to the tendency for the stability to vary up and down over time. In addition to the changes in stability, the structural plasticity of NA was also shown to support the formation of heterotetramers, which creates a mechanism for NA to obtain hybrid properties and propagate suboptimal mutants. Together, these results demonstrate how the structural restrictions for activity provide influenza NA with several mechanisms for adaptation and diversification.

N-linked glycans commonly contribute to secretory protein folding, sorting and signaling. For enveloped viruses such as the influenza A virus (IAV), the addition of large N-linked glycans can also alter epitopes displayed by the surface antigens HA and NA. Computational analysis shows that three N-linked glycosylation sites (Asn88, Asn146 and Asn235) are conserved in the NA head domain from H1N1 IAVs and that one additional site (Asn200) is conserved in H3N2 IAVs. In IAVs of human origin, the number of these sites has increased and then decreased over time in H1N1 strains, whereas the number has primarily increased over time in in H3N2 strains. Experimental analysis shows that the three conserved head glycosylation sites are not essential for H1N1 IAV replication in cells or eggs, but influences the final NA amount in the virion, and that the more efficiently recognized N-X-T sites located on top of the NA tetramer affect thermostability. These results imply that nucleotide changes which alter N-linked glycosylation sites in NA can change the enzymatic and virion properties in addition to antigenicity.