scholarly journals Particle Size Determinants in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag Protein

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 4667-4677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Garnier ◽  
Lee Ratner ◽  
Benjamin Rovinski ◽  
Shi-Xian Cao ◽  
John W. Wills

ABSTRACT The retroviral Gag protein plays the central role in the assembly process and can form membrane-enclosed, virus-like particles in the absence of any other viral products. These particles are similar to authentic virions in density and size. Three small domains of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein have been previously identified as being important for budding. Regions that lie outside these domains can be deleted without any effect on particle release or density. However, the regions of Gag that control the size of HIV-1 particles are less well understood. In the case of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), the size determinant maps to the CA (capsid) and adjacent spacer sequences within Gag, but systematic mapping of the HIV Gag protein has not been reported. To locate the size determinants of HIV-1, we analyzed a large collection of Gag mutants. To our surprise, all mutants with defects in the MA (matrix), CA, and the N-terminal part of NC (nucleocapsid) sequences produced dense particles of normal size, suggesting that oncoviruses (RSV) and lentiviruses (HIV-1) have different size-controlling elements. The most important region found to be critical for determining HIV-1 particle size is the p6 sequence. Particles lacking all or small parts of p6 were uniform in size distribution but very large as measured by rate zonal gradients. Further evidence for this novel function of p6 was obtained by placing this sequence at the C terminus of RSV CA mutants that produce heterogeneously sized particles. We found that the RSV-p6 chimeras produced normally sized particles. Thus, we present evidence that the entire p6 sequence plays a role in determining the size of a retroviral particle.

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (23) ◽  
pp. 14498-14506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayna Alfadhli ◽  
Tenzin Choesang Dhenub ◽  
Amelia Still ◽  
Eric Barklis

ABSTRACT The nucleocapsid (NC) domains of retrovirus precursor Gag (PrGag) proteins play an essential role in virus assembly. Evidence suggests that NC binding to viral RNA promotes dimerization of PrGag capsid (CA) domains, which triggers assembly of CA N-terminal domains (NTDs) into hexamer rings that are interconnected by CA C-terminal domains. To examine the influence of dimerization on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein assembly in vitro, we analyzed the assembly properties of Gag proteins in which NC domains were replaced with cysteine residues that could be linked via chemical treatment. In accordance with the model that Gag protein pairing triggers assembly, we found that cysteine cross-linking or oxidation reagents induced the assembly of virus-like particles. However, efficient assembly also was observed to be temperature dependent or required the tethering of NTDs. Our results suggest a multistep pathway for HIV-1 Gag protein assembly. In the first step, Gag protein pairing through NC-RNA interactions or C-terminal cysteine linkage fosters dimerization. Next, a conformational change converts assembly-restricted dimers or small oligomers into assembly-competent ones. At the final stage, final particle assembly occurs, possibly through a set of larger intermediates.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (20) ◽  
pp. 9937-9950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel W. Martinez ◽  
Xiaoxiao Xue ◽  
Reem G. Berro ◽  
Geri Kreitzer ◽  
Marilyn D. Resh

ABSTRACT Retroviral Gag proteins are synthesized as soluble, myristoylated precursors that traffic to the plasma membrane and promote viral particle production. The intracellular transport of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag to the plasma membrane remains poorly understood, and cellular motor proteins responsible for Gag movement are not known. Here we show that disrupting the function of KIF4, a kinesin family member, slowed temporal progression of Gag through its trafficking intermediates and inhibited virus-like particle production. Knockdown of KIF4 also led to increased Gag degradation, resulting in reduced intracellular Gag protein levels; this phenotype was rescued by reintroduction of KIF4. When KIF4 function was blocked, Gag transiently accumulated in discrete, perinuclear, nonendocytic clusters that colocalized with endogenous KIF4, with Ubc9, an E2 SUMO-1 conjugating enzyme, and with SUMO. These studies identify a novel transit station through which Gag traffics en route to particle assembly and highlight the importance of KIF4 in regulating HIV-1 Gag trafficking and stability.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (22) ◽  
pp. 10957-10971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine S. Adamson ◽  
Sherimay D. Ablan ◽  
Ioana Boeras ◽  
Ritu Goila-Gaur ◽  
Ferri Soheilian ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT 3-O-(3′,3′-dimethylsuccinyl)betulinic acid (PA-457 or bevirimat) potently inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) maturation by blocking a late step in the Gag processing pathway, specifically the cleavage of SP1 from the C terminus of capsid (CA). To gain insights into the mechanism(s) by which HIV-1 could evolve resistance to PA-457 and to evaluate the likelihood of such resistance arising in PA-457-treated patients, we sought to identify and characterize a broad spectrum of HIV-1 variants capable of conferring resistance to this compound. Numerous independent rounds of selection repeatedly identified six single-amino-acid substitutions that independently confer PA-457 resistance: three at or near the C terminus of CA (CA-H226Y, -L231F, and -L231M) and three at the first and third residues of SP1 (SP1-A1V, -A3T, and -A3V). We determined that mutations CA-H226Y, CA-L231F, CA-L231M, and SP1-A1V do not impose a significant replication defect on HIV-1 in culture. In contrast, mutations SP1-A3V and -A3T severely impaired virus replication and inhibited virion core condensation. The replication defect imposed by SP1-A3V was reversed by a second-site compensatory mutation in CA (CA-G225S). Intriguingly, high concentrations of PA-457 enhanced the maturation of SP1 residue 3 mutants. The different phenotypes associated with mutations that confer PA-457 resistance suggest the existence of multiple mechanisms by which HIV-1 can evolve resistance to this maturation inhibitor. These findings have implications for the ongoing development of PA-457 to treat HIV-1 infection in vivo.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (18) ◽  
pp. 9675-9688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Melamed ◽  
Michal Mark-Danieli ◽  
Michal Kenan-Eichler ◽  
Osnat Kraus ◽  
Asher Castiel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The retroviral Gag precursor plays an important role in the assembly of virion particles. The capsid (CA) protein of the Gag molecule makes a major contribution to this process. In the crystal structure of the free CA protein of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), 11 residues of the C terminus were found to be unstructured, and to date no information exists on the structure of these residues in the context of the Gag precursor molecule. We performed phylogenetic analysis and demonstrated a high degree of conservation of these 11 amino acids. Deletion of this cluster or introduction of various point mutations into these residues resulted in significant impairment of particle infectivity. In this cluster, two putative structural regions were identified, residues that form a hinge region (353-VGGP-356) and those that contribute to an α-helix (357-GHKARVL-363). Overall, mutations in these regions resulted in inhibition of virion production, but mutations in the hinge region demonstrated the most significant reduction. Although all the Gag mutants appeared to have normal Gag-Gag and Gag-RNA interactions, the hinge mutants were characterized by abnormal formation of cytoplasmic Gag complexes. Gag proteins with mutations in the hinge region demonstrated normal membrane association but aberrant rod-like membrane structures. More detailed analysis of these structures in one of the mutants demonstrated abnormal trapped Gag assemblies. These data suggest that the conserved CA C terminus is important for HIV-1 virion assembly and release and define a putative target for drug design geared to inhibit the HIV-1 assembly process.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 1026-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsutomu Murakami ◽  
Sherimay Ablan ◽  
Eric O. Freed ◽  
Yuetsu Tanaka

ABSTRACT We and others have presented evidence for a direct interaction between the matrix (MA) domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein and the cytoplasmic tail of the transmembrane envelope (Env) glycoprotein gp41. In addition, it has been postulated that the MA domain of Gag undergoes a conformational change following Gag processing, and the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 has been shown to modulate Env-mediated membrane fusion activity. Together, these results raise the possibility that the interaction between the gp41 cytoplasmic tail and MA is regulated by protease (PR)-mediated Gag processing, perhaps affecting Env function. To examine whether Gag processing affects Env-mediated fusion, we compared the ability of wild-type (WT) HIV-1 Env and a mutant lacking the gp41 cytoplasmic tail to induce fusion in the context of an active (PR+) or inactive (PR−) viral PR. We observed that PR− virions bearing WT Env displayed defects in cell-cell fusion. Impaired fusion did not appear to be due to differences in the levels of virion-associated Env, in CD4-dependent binding to target cells, or in the formation of the CD4-induced gp41 six-helix bundle. Interestingly, truncation of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail reversed the fusion defect. These results suggest that interactions between unprocessed Gag and the gp41 cytoplasmic tail suppress fusion.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (14) ◽  
pp. 9134-9144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Gottwein ◽  
Hans-Georg Kräusslich

ABSTRACT Ubiquitin is important for the release of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and several other retroviruses, but the functional significance of Gag ubiquitination is unknown. To address this problem, we decided to analyze Gag ubiquitination in detail. A low percentage of the HIV-1 p6 protein has previously been shown to be ubiquitinated, and published mutagenesis data suggested that Gag ubiquitination is largely lost upon mutation of the two lysine residues in p6. In this study, we show that Gag proteins lacking the p6 domain or the two lysine residues within p6 are ubiquitinated at levels comparable to those of the wild-type Gag protein. We detected monoubiquitinated forms of the matrix (MA), capsid (CA), and nucleocapsid (NC) proteins in mature virus preparations. Protease digestion of Gag polyproteins extracted from immature virions indicated that ubiquitinated MA, CA, and possibly NC are as abundant as ubiquitinated p6. The HIV-1 late-domain motifs PTAP and LRSLF were not required for Gag ubiquitination, and mutation of the PTAP motif even resulted in an increase in the amount of Gag-Ub conjugates detected. Finally, at steady state, ubiquitinated Gag proteins were not enriched in either membrane-associated or virus-derived Gag fractions. In summary, these results indicate that HIV-1 Gag can be monoubiquitinated in all domains and that ubiquitination of lysine residues outside p6 may thus contribute to viral release and/or infectivity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1843-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahfuz Khan ◽  
Lingling Jin ◽  
Ming Bo Huang ◽  
Lesa Miles ◽  
Vincent C. Bond ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The viral protein Nef and the cellular factor cyclophilin A are both required for full infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virions. In contrast, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) do not incorporate cyclophilin A into virions or need it for full infectivity. Since Nef and cyclophilin A appear to act in similar ways on postentry events, we determined whether chimeric HIV-1 virions that contained either HIV-2 or SIV Nef would have a direct effect on cyclophilin A dependence. Our results show that chimeric HIV-1 virions containing either HIV-2 or SIV Nef are resistant to treatment by cyclosporine and enhance the infectivity of virions with mutations in the cyclophilin A binding loop of Gag. Amino acids at the C terminus of HIV-2 and SIV are necessary for inducing cyclosporine resistance. However, transferring these amino acids to the C terminus of HIV-1 Nef is insufficient to induce cyclosporine resistance in HIV-1. These results suggest that HIV-2 and SIV Nef are able to compensate for the need for cyclophilin A for full infectivity and that amino acids present at the C termini of these proteins are important for this function.


2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (20) ◽  
pp. 10448-10459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tareq Jaber ◽  
Christopher R. Bohl ◽  
Gentry L. Lewis ◽  
Charles Wood ◽  
John T. West ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Ubc9 was identified as a cellular protein that interacts with the Gag protein of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus. We show here that Ubc9 also interacts with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein and that their interaction is important for virus replication. Gag was found to colocalize with Ubc9 predominantly at perinuclear puncta. While cells in which Ubc9 expression was suppressed with RNA interference produced normal numbers of virions, these particles were 8- to 10-fold less infectious than those produced in the presence of Ubc9. The nature of this defect was assayed for dependence on Ubc9 during viral assembly, trafficking, and Env incorporation. The Gag-mediated assembly of virus particles and protease-mediated processing of Gag and Gag-Pol were unchanged in the absence of Ubc9. However, the stability of the cell-associated Env glycoprotein was decreased and Env incorporation into released virions was altered. Interestingly, overexpression of the Ubc9 trans-dominant-negative mutant C93A, which is a defective E2-SUMO-1 conjugase, suggests that this activity may not be required for interaction with Gag, virion assembly, or infectivity. This finding demonstrates that Ubc9 plays an important role in the production of infectious HIV-1 virions.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 2405-2417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melody R. Davis ◽  
Jiyang Jiang ◽  
Jing Zhou ◽  
Eric O. Freed ◽  
Christopher Aiken

ABSTRACT The Gag protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) associates with the envelope protein complex during virus assembly. The available evidence indicates that this interaction involves recognition of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail (CT) by the matrix protein (MA) region of Pr55Gag. Here we show that substitution of Asp for Leu at position 49 (L49D) in MA results in a specific reduction in particle-associated gp120 without affecting the levels of gp41. Mutant virions were markedly reduced in single-cycle infectivity despite a relatively modest defect in fusion with target cells. Studies with HIV-1 particles containing decreased levels of envelope proteins suggested that the L49D mutation also inhibits a postentry step in infection. Truncation of the gp41 tail, or pseudotyping by vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein, restored both the fusion and infectivity of L49D mutant virions to wild-type levels. Truncation of gp41 also resulted in equivalent levels of gp120 on particles with and without the MA mutation and enhanced the replication of the L49D mutant virus in T cells. The impaired fusion and infectivity of L49D mutant particles were also complemented by a single point mutation in the gp41 CT that disrupted the tyrosine-containing endocytic motif. Our results suggest that an altered interaction between the MA domain of Gag and the gp41 cytoplasmic tail leads to dissociation of gp120 from gp41 during HIV-1 particle assembly, thus resulting in impaired fusion and infectivity.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (13) ◽  
pp. 5845-5855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Tritel ◽  
Marilyn D. Resh

ABSTRACT The assembly and budding of lentiviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), are mediated by the Gag protein precursor, but the molecular details of these processes remain poorly defined. In this study, we have combined pulse-chase techniques with density gradient centrifugation to identify, isolate, and characterize sequential kinetic intermediates in the lentivirus assembly process. We show that newly synthesized HIV-1 Gag rapidly forms cytoplasmic protein complexes that are resistant to detergent treatment, sensitive to protease digestion, and degraded intracellularly. A subpopulation of newly synthesized Gag binds membranes within 5 to 10 min and over several hours assembles into membrane-bound complexes of increasing size and/or density that can be resolved on Optiprep density gradients. These complexes likely represent assembly intermediates because they are not observed with assembly-defective Gag mutants and can be chased into extracellular viruslike particles. At steady state, nearly all of the Gag is present as membrane-bound complexes in various stages of assembly. The identification of sequential assembly intermediates provides the first demonstration that HIV-1 particle assembly proceeds via an ordered process. Assembly intermediates should serve as attractive targets for the design of antiviral agents that interfere with the process of particle production.


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