Adenovirus serotype 7 retention in a late endosomal compartment prior to cytosol escape is modulated by fiber protein

The intracellular trafficking of adenovirus (Ad) subgroup B (e.g,, Ad7) differs from that of subgroup C (e.g., Ad5) in that Ad5 rapidly escapes from endocytic compartments following infection whereas Ad7 accumulates in organelles. To assess the hypothesis that Ad7 is targeted to the lysosomal pathway, Ad7 and Ad5 were conjugated with fluorophores and their trafficking in A549 epithelial cells was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. Within 1 h after infection, Ad7, but not Ad5, accumulated in the cytoplasm of A549 cells. The pH in the environment of Ad5 was nearly neutral (pH 7), while Ad7 occupied acidic compartments (pH 5) over the first 2 h with a gradual shift toward neutrality by 8 h. Ad7 partially colocalized with alpha (2)-macroglobulin and late endosomal and lysosomal marker proteins, including Rab7, mannose-6-phosphate receptor, and LAMP-1. The pH optimum for membrane lysis by Ad7, as well as a chimeric Ad5 capsid that expressed the Ad7 fiber (Ad5fiber7), was pH 5.5, while that for lysis by Ad5 was pH 6.0. Thus, the native trafficking pathway for Ad7 involves residence in late endosomes and lysosomes, with information encoded in the Ad7 fiber acting as a pa-dependent trigger for membrane lysis and escape to the cytosol.