scholarly journals S2 from Equine infectious anemia virus is an infectivity factor which counteracts the retroviral inhibitors SERINC5 and SERINC3

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Chande ◽  
Cristiana Cuccurullo ◽  
Annachiara Rosa ◽  
Serena Ziglio ◽  
Susan Carpenter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Host Factor ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Accessory Protein ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACTThe lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) encodes S2, a pathogenic determinant important for virus replication and disease progression in horses. No molecular function has yet been linked to this accessory protein. We now report that S2 can replace the activity of Nef on HIV-1 infectivity, being required to antagonize the inhibitory activity of SERINC proteins on Nef-defective HIV-1. Similar to Nef, S2 excludes SERINC5 from virus particles and requires an ExxxLL motif predicted to recruit the clathrin adaptor AP2. Accordingly, a functional endocytic machinery is essential for S2-mediated infectivity enhancement, which is impaired by inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition to retargeting SERINC5 to a late endosomal compartment, S2 promotes the host factor degradation. Emphasizing the similarity with Nef, we show that S2 is myristoylated and, compatible with a crucial role of the post-translational modification, its N-terminal glycine is required for the anti-SERINC5 activity.EIAV-derived vectors devoid of S2 are less susceptible than HIV-1 to the inhibitory effect of both human and equine SERINC5. We then identified the envelope glycoprotein of EIAV as a determinant which also modulates retrovirus susceptibility to SERINC5, indicating a bi-modular ability of the equine lentivirus to counteract the host factor.S2 shares no sequence homology with other retroviral factors known to counteract SERINC5. Adding to primate lentivirus Nef and gammaretrovirus glycoGag, the accessory protein from EIAV makes another example of a retroviral virulence determinant which independently evolved SERINC5-antagonizing activity. SERINC5 therefore plays a critical role for the interaction of the host with diverse retrovirus pathogens.Significance StatementSERINC5 and SERINC3 are recently discovered cellular inhibitors of retroviruses, which are incorporated into virus particles and impair their ability to propagate the infection to target cells. Only two groups of viruses (represented by HIV-1 and MLV) have so far been identified to have evolved the ability of counteracting SERINC inhibition. We now discovered that Equine infectious anemia virus, which causes a debilitating disease in horses, also acquired the ability to protect the virus particle from inhibition by SERINC5 and SERINC3, using its small protein S2. The evidence that three different retroviruses have independently evolved the ability to elude inhibition bySERINC5 and SERINC3 indicates that these cellular factors play a fundamental role against various retrovirus pathogens.

scholarly journals S2 from equine infectious anemia virus is an infectivity factor which counteracts the retroviral inhibitors SERINC5 and SERINC3

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (46) ◽  
pp. 13197-13202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Chande ◽  
Emilia Cristiana Cuccurullo ◽  
Annachiara Rosa ◽  
Serena Ziglio ◽  
Susan Carpenter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Host Factor ◽  
Accessory Protein ◽  
Endocytic Machinery ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

The lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) encodes the small protein S2, a pathogenic determinant that is important for virus replication and disease progression in horses. No molecular function had been linked to this accessory protein. We report that S2 can replace the activity of Negative factor (Nef) in HIV-1 infectivity, being required to antagonize the inhibitory activity of Serine incorporator (SERINC) proteins on Nef-defective HIV-1. Like Nef, S2 excludes SERINC5 from virus particles and requires an ExxxLL motif predicted to recruit the clathrin adaptor, Adaptor protein 2 (AP2). Accordingly, functional endocytic machinery is essential for S2-mediated infectivity enhancement, and S2-mediated enhancement is impaired by inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition to retargeting SERINC5 to a late endosomal compartment, S2 promotes host factor degradation. Emphasizing the similarity with Nef, we show that S2 is myristoylated, and, as is compatible with a crucial role in posttranslational modification, its N-terminal glycine is required for anti-SERINC5 activity. EIAV-derived vectors devoid of S2 are less susceptible than HIV-1 to the inhibitory effect of both human and equine SERINC5. We then identified the envelope glycoprotein of EIAV as a determinant that also modulates retroviral susceptibility to SERINC5, indicating that EIAV has a bimodal ability to counteract the host factor. S2 shares no sequence homology with other retroviral factors known to counteract SERINC5. Like the primate lentivirus Nef and the gammaretrovirus glycoGag, the accessory protein from EIAV is an example of a retroviral virulence determinant that independently evolved SERINC5-antagonizing activity. SERINC5 therefore plays a critical role in the interaction of the host with diverse retrovirus pathogens.

scholarly journals Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Gag p9 Function in Early Steps of Virus Infection and Provirus Production

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (14) ◽  
pp. 8793-8801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sha Jin ◽  
Chaoping Chen ◽  
Ronald C. Montelaro
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Productive Infection ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Viral Budding ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT We have previously reported that serial truncation of the Gag p9 protein of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) revealed a progressive loss in replication phenotypes in transfected cells, such that a proviral mutant (E32) expressing the N-terminal 31 amino acids of p9 produced infectious virus particles similarly to parental provirus, while a proviral mutant (K30) with two fewer amino acids produced replication-defective virus particles, despite containing apparently normal levels of processed Gag and Pol proteins (C. Chen, F. Li, and R. C. Montelaro, J. Virol. 75:9762-9760, 2001). Based on these observations, we sought in the current study to identify the precise defect in K30 virion infection of permissive equine dermal (ED) cells. The results of these experiments clearly demonstrated that K30 virions entered target ED cells and produced early (minus-strand strong-stop) and late (Gag) viral DNA products as efficiently as did the replication-competent E32 mutant and parental EIAVUK viruses. However, in contrast to the replication-competent E32 mutant and parental viruses, infection with K30 mutant virus failed to produce detectable two-long-terminal-repeat DNA circles, stable integrated provirus, virus-specific Gag mRNA expression, or intracellular viral protein expression. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the K30 mutant is defective in the ability to produce sufficient nuclear viral DNA to establish a productive infection in ED cells. Thus, these observations indicate for the first time that the EIAV Gag p9 protein performs a critical role in viral DNA production and processing to provirus during EIAV infection, in addition to its previously defined role in viral budding mediated by the p9 L domain.

scholarly journals Functional Replacement and Positional Dependence of Homologous and Heterologous L Domains in Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Replication

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1569-1577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Li ◽  
Chaoping Chen ◽  
Bridget A. Puffer ◽  
Ronald C. Montelaro
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Virus Particle ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Particle Production ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Virus Infectivity ◽  
Gag Protein ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT We have previously demonstrated by Gag polyprotein budding assays that the Gag p9 protein of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) utilizes a unique YPDL motif as a late assembly domain (L domain) to facilitate release of the budding virus particle from the host cell plasma membrane (B. A. Puffer, L. J. Parent, J. W. Wills, and R. C. Montelaro, J. Virol. 71:6541-6546, 1997). To characterize in more detail the role of the YPDL L domain in the EIAV life cycle, we have examined the replication properties of a series of EIAV proviral mutants in which the parental YPDL L domain was replaced by a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) PTAP or Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) PPPY L domain in the p9 protein or by proviruses in which the parental YPDL or HIV-1 PTAP L domain was inserted in the viral matrix protein. The replication properties of these L-domain variants were examined with respect to Gag protein expression and processing, virus particle production, and virus infectivity. The data from these experiments indicate that (i) the YPDL L domain of p9 is required for replication competence (assembly and infectivity) in equine cell cultures, including the natural target equine macrophages; (ii) all of the functions of the YPDL L domain in the EIAV life cycle can be replaced by replacement of the parental YPDL sequence in p9 with the PTAP L-domain segment of HIV-1 p6 or the PPPY L domain of RSV p2b; and (iii) the assembly, but not infectivity, functions of the EIAV proviral YPDL substitution mutants can be partially rescued by inclusions of YPDL and PTAP L-domain sequences in the C-terminal region of the EIAV MA protein. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the EIAV YPDL L domain mediates distinct functions in viral budding and infectivity and that the HIV-1 PTAP and RSV PPPY L domains can effectively facilitate these dual replication functions in the context of the p9 protein. In light of the fact that YPDL, PTAP, and PPPY domains evidently have distinct characteristic binding specificities, these observations may indicate different portals into common cellular processes that mediate EIAV budding and infectivity, respectively.

scholarly journals The S2 Gene of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Is Dispensable for Viral Replication In Vitro

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 8344-8348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Li ◽  
Bridget A. Puffer ◽  
Ronald C. Montelaro
Keyword(s):  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Parental Virus ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Monocyte Differentiation ◽  
Cell Culture Systems ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) contains the simplest genome among lentiviruses in that it encodes only three putative regulatory genes (S1, S2, S3) in addition to the canonical gag, pol, and envgenes, presumably reflecting its limited tropism to cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. Tat and Rev functions have been assigned to S1 and S3, respectively, but the specific function for the S2 gene has yet to be determined. Thus, the function of S2 in virus replication in vitro was investigated by using an infectious molecular viral clone, EIAVUK. Various EIAVUK mutants lackingS2 were constructed, and their replication kinetics were examined in several equine cell culture systems, including the natural in vivo target equine macrophage cells. The EIAV S2 mutants showed replication kinetics similar to those of the parental virus in all of the tested primary and transformed equine cell cultures, without any detectable reversion of mutant genomes. The EIAVUKmutants also showed replication kinetics similar to those of the parental virus in an equine blood monocyte differentiation-maturation system. These results demonstrate for the first time that the EIAVS2 gene is not essential and does not appear to affect virus infection and replication properties in target cells in vitro.

scholarly journals Gag Protein Epitopes Recognized by ELA-A-Restricted Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes from Horses with Long-Term Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Infection

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 9612-9620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Scott M. Lonning ◽  
Travis C. McGuire
Keyword(s):  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Class I ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Ctl Epitopes ◽  
Peptide Epitopes ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus

ABSTRACT Most equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-infected horses have acute clinical disease, but they eventually control the disease and become lifelong carriers. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are considered an important immune component in the control of infections with lentiviruses including EIAV, but definitive evidence for CTL in the control of disease in carrier horses is lacking. By using retroviral vector-transduced target cells expressing different Gag proteins and overlapping synthetic peptides of 16 to 25 amino acids, peptides containing at least 12 Gag CTL epitopes recognized by virus-stimulated PBMC from six long-term EIAV-infected horses were identified. All identified peptides were located within Gag matrix (p15) and capsid (p26) proteins, as no killing of target cells expressing p11 and p9 occurred. Each of the six horses had CTL recognizing at least one Gag epitope, while CTL from one horse recognized at least eight different Gag epitopes. None of the identified peptides were recognized by CTL from all six horses. Two nonamer peptide epitopes were defined from Gag p26; one (18a) was likely restricted by class I equine leukocyte alloantigen A5.1 (ELA-A5.1) molecules, and the other (28b-1) was likely restricted by ELA-A9 molecules. Sensitization of equine kidney target cells for CTLm killing required 10 nM peptide 18a and 1 nM 28b-1. The results demonstrated that diverse CTL responses against Gag epitopes were generated in long-term EIAV-infected horses and indicated that ELA-A class I molecules were responsible for the diversity of CTL epitopes recognized. This information indicates that multiple epitopes or whole proteins will be needed to induce CTL in horses with different ELA-A alleles in order to evaluate their role in controlling EIAV.

scholarly journals Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Utilizes Host Vesicular Protein Sorting Machinery during Particle Release

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (15) ◽  
pp. 8440-8447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giancarlo O. Tanzi ◽  
Andrew J. Piefer ◽  
Paul Bates
Keyword(s):  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Protein Sorting ◽  
Gag Protein ◽  
Particle Release ◽  
Late Domain ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Vacuolar Protein ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT A final step in retrovirus assembly, particle release from the cell, is modulated by a small motif in the Gag protein known as a late domain. Recently, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) were shown to require components of the cellular vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) machinery for efficient viral release. HIV-1 interacts with the VPS pathway via an association of HIV-1 Gag with TSG101, a component of the cellular complexes involved in VPS. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is unique among enveloped viruses studied to date because it utilizes a novel motif, YPDL in Gag, as a late domain. Our analysis of EIAV assembly demonstrates that EIAV Gag release is blocked by inhibition of the VPS pathway. However, in contrast to HIV-1, EIAV Gag release is insensitive to TSG101 depletion and EIAV particles do not contain significant levels of TSG101. Finally, we demonstrate that fusing EIAV Gag directly with another cellular component of the VPS machinery, VPS28, can restore efficient release of an EIAV Gag late-domain mutant. These results provide evidence that retroviruses can interact with the cellular VPS machinery in several different ways to accomplish particle release.

scholarly journals Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Gag Assembly and Export Are Directed by Matrix Protein throughtrans-Golgi Networks and Cellular Vesicles

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 1824-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeli Zhang ◽  
Jian Ma ◽  
Xiang Zhang ◽  
Chao Su ◽  
Qiu-Cheng Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Multivesicular Bodies ◽  
Microtubule Depolymerization ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Gag Assembly ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACTGag intracellular assembly and export are very important processes for lentiviruses replication. Previous studies have demonstrated that equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) matrix (MA) possesses distinct phosphoinositide affinity compared with HIV-1 MA and that phosphoinositide-mediated targeting to peripheral and internal membranes is a critical factor in EIAV assembly and release. In this study, we compared the cellular assembly sites of EIAV and HIV-1. We observed that the assembly of EIAV particles occurred on interior cellular membranes, while HIV-1 was targeted to the plasma membrane (PM) for assembly. Then, we determined that W7 and K9 in the EIAV MA N terminus were essential for Gag assembly and release but did not affect the cellular distribution of Gag. The replacement of EIAV MA with HIV-1 MA directed chimeric Gag to the PM but severely impaired Gag release. MA structural analysis indicated that the EIAV and HIV-1 MAs had similar spatial structures but that helix 1 of the EIAV MA was closer to loop 2. Further investigation indicated that EIAV Gag accumulated in thetrans-Golgi network (TGN) but not the early and late endosomes. The 9 N-terminal amino acids of EIAV MA harbored the signal that directed Gag to the TGN membrane system. Additionally, we demonstrated that EIAV particles were transported to the extracellular space by the cellular vesicle system. This type of EIAV export was not associated with multivesicular bodies or microtubule depolymerization but could be inhibited by the actin-depolymerizing drug cytochalasin D, suggesting that dynamic actin depolymerization may be associated with EIAV production.IMPORTANCEIn previous studies, EIAV Gag was reported to localize to both the cell interior and the plasma membrane. Here, we demonstrate that EIAV likely uses the TGN as the assembly site in contrast to HIV-1, which is targeted to the PM for assembly. These distinct assembly features are determined by the MA domain. We also identified two sites in the N terminus of EIAV MA that were important for Gag assembly and release. Furthermore, the observation of EIAV transport by cellular vesicles but not by multivesicular bodies sheds light on the mechanisms underlying EIAV cellular replication.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in protection against equine infectious anemia virus

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis C. McGuire ◽  
Darrilyn G. Fraser ◽  
Robert H. Mealey
Keyword(s):  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Mhc Class I ◽  
Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
T Helper ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus

AbstractCytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are associated with virus control in horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Early in infection, control of the initial viremia coincides with the appearance of CTL and occurs before the appearance of neutralizing antibody. In carrier horses, treatment with immunosuppressive drugs results in viremia before a change in serum neutralizing antibody occurs. Clearance of initial viremia caused by other lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus-1 and simian immunodeficiency virus, is also associated with CTL and not neutralizing antibody. In addition, depletion of CD8+cells prior to infection of rhesus monkeys with simian immunodeficiency prevents clearance of virus and the same treatment of persistently infected monkeys results in viremia. Cats given adoptive transfers of lymphocytes from vaccinated cats were protected and the protection was MHC-restricted, occurred in the absence of antiviral humoral immunity, and correlated with the transfer of cells with feline immunodeficiency virus-specific CTL and T-helper lymphocyte activities. Therefore, a lentiviral vaccine, including one for EIAV, needs to induce CTL. Based on initial failures to induce CTL to EIAV proteins by any means other than infection, we attempted to define an experimental system for the evaluation of methods for CTL induction. CTL epitopes restricted by the ELA-A1 haplotype were identified and the MHC class I molecule presenting these peptides was identified. This was done by expressing individual MHC class I molecules from cDNA clones in target cells. The target cells were then pulsed with peptides and used with effector CTL stimulated with the same peptides. In a preliminary experiment, immunization of three ELA-A1 haplotype horses with an Env peptide restricted by this haplotype resulted in CTL in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) which recognized the Env peptide and virus-infected cells, but the CTL response was transient. Nevertheless there was significant protection against clinical disease following EIAV challenge of these immunized horses when compared with three control horses given the same virus challenge. These data indicated that responses to peptides in immunized horses needed to be enhanced. Optimal CTL responses require help from CD4+T lymphocytes, and experiments were done to identify EIAV peptides which stimulated CD4+T lymphocytes in PBMC from infected horses with different MHC class II types. Two broadly cross-reactive Gag peptides were identified which stimulated only an interferon γ response by CD4+T lymphocytes, which indicated a T helper 1 response is needed for CTL stimulation. Such peptides should facilitate CTL responses; however, other problems in inducing protection against lentiviruses remain, the most significant of them being EIAV variants that can escape both CTL and neutralizing antibody. A possible solution to CTL escape variants is the induction of high-avidity CTL to multiple EIAV epitopes.

scholarly journals Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Resists the Antiretroviral Activity of Equine APOBEC3 Proteins through a Packaging-Independent Mechanism

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (23) ◽  
pp. 11889-11901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Rebecca L. Tallmadge ◽  
J. Lindsay Oaks ◽  
Susan Carpenter ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Cytidine Deaminase ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Virion Incorporation ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), uniquely among lentiviruses, does not encode a vif gene product. Other lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), use Vif to neutralize members of the APOBEC3 (A3) family of intrinsic immunity factors that would otherwise inhibit viral infectivity. This suggests either that equine cells infected by EIAV in vivo do not express active A3 proteins or that EIAV has developed a novel mechanism to avoid inhibition by equine A3 (eA3). Here, we demonstrate that horses encode six distinct A3 proteins, four of which contain a single copy of the cytidine deaminase (CDA) consensus active site and two of which contain two CDA motifs. This represents a level of complexity previously seen only in primates. Phylogenetic analysis of equine single-CDA A3 proteins revealed two proteins related to human A3A (hA3A), one related to hA3C, and one related to hA3H. Both equine double-CDA proteins are similar to hA3F and were named eA3F1 and eA3F2. Analysis of eA3F1 and eA3F2 expression in vivo shows that the mRNAs encoding these proteins are widely expressed, including in cells that are natural EIAV targets. Both eA3F1 and eA3F2 inhibit retrotransposon mobility, while eA3F1 is a potent inhibitor of a Vif-deficient HIV-1 mutant and induces extensive editing of HIV-1 reverse transcripts. However, both eA3F1 and eA3F2 are weak inhibitors of EIAV. Surprisingly, eA3F1 and eA3F2 were packaged into EIAV and HIV-1 virions as effectively as hA3G, although only the latter inhibited EIAV infectivity. Moreover, all three proteins bound both the HIV-1 and EIAV nucleocapsid protein specifically in vitro. It therefore appears that EIAV has evolved a novel mechanism to specifically neutralize the biological activities of the cognate eA3F1 and eA3F2 proteins at a step subsequent to virion incorporation.

scholarly journals Distinct Intracellular Trafficking of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag during Viral Assembly and Budding Revealed by Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation Assays

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (20) ◽  
pp. 11226-11235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Jin ◽  
Timothy Sturgeon ◽  
Chaoping Chen ◽  
Simon C. Watkins ◽  
Ora A. Weisz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Cellular Pathways ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Gag Assembly ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Retroviral Gag polyproteins are necessary and sufficient for virus budding. Numerous studies of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag assembly and budding mechanisms have been reported, but relatively little is known about these fundamental pathways among animal lentiviruses. While there may be a general assumption that lentiviruses share common assembly mechanisms, studies of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have indicated alternative cellular pathways and cofactors employed among lentiviruses for assembly and budding. In the current study, we used bimolecular fluorescence complementation to characterize and compare assembly sites and budding efficiencies of EIAV and HIV-1 Gag in both human and rodent cells. The results of these studies demonstrated that replacing the natural RNA nuclear export element (Rev-response element [RRE]) used by HIV-1 and EIAV with the hepatitis B virus posttranscriptional regulatory element (PRE) altered HIV-1, but not EIAV, Gag assembly sites and budding efficiency in human cells. Consistent with this novel observation, different assembly sites were revealed in human cells for Rev-dependent EIAV and HIV-1 Gag polyproteins. In rodent cells, Rev-dependent HIV-1 Gag assembly and budding were blocked, but changing RRE to PRE rescued HIV-1 Gag assembly and budding. In contrast, EIAV Gag polyproteins synthesized from mRNA exported via either Rev-dependent or PRE-dependent mechanisms were able to assemble and bud efficiently in rodent cells. Taken together, our results suggest that lentivirus assembly and budding are regulated by the RNA nuclear export pathway and that alternative cellular pathways can be adapted for lentiviral Gag assembly and budding.

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