scholarly journals Duplication of the Primary Encapsidation and Dimer Linkage Region of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 RNA Results in the Appearance of Monomeric RNA in Virions

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 2557-2565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-ichi Sakuragi ◽  
Tatsuo Shioda ◽  
Antonito T. Panganiban

ABSTRACT The dimerization initiation site (DIS) and the dimer linkage sequences (DLS) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 have been shown to mediate in vitro dimerization of genomic RNA. However, the precise role of the DIS-DLS region in virion assembly and RNA dimerization in virus particles has not been fully elucidated, since deletion or mutation of the DIS-DLS region also abolishes the packaging ability of genomic RNA. To characterize the DIS-DLS region without altering packaging ability, we generated mutant constructs carrying a duplication of approximately 1,000 bases including the encapsidation signal and DIS-DLS (E/DLS) region. We found that duplication of the E/DLS region resulted in the appearance of monomeric RNA in virus particles. No monomers were observed in virions of mutants carrying the E/DLS region only at ectopic positions. Monomers were not observed whenpol or env regions were duplicated, indicating an absolute need for two intact E/DLS regions on the same RNA for generating particles with monomeric RNA. These monomeric RNAs were most likely generated by intramolecular interaction between two E/DLS regions on one genome. Moreover, incomplete genome dimerization did not affect RNA packaging and virion formation. Examination of intramolecular interaction between E/DLS regions could be a convenient tool for characterizing the E/DLS region in virion assembly and RNA dimerization within virus particles.

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 3046-3057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Cimarelli ◽  
Sara Sandin ◽  
Stefan Höglund ◽  
Jeremy Luban

ABSTRACT Retroviral Gag polyproteins drive virion assembly by polymerizing to form a spherical shell that lines the inner membrane of nascent virions. Deletion of the nucleocapsid (NC) domain of the Gag polyprotein disrupts assembly, presumably because NC is required for polymerization. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 NC possesses two zinc finger motifs that are required for specific recognition and packaging of viral genomic RNA. Though essential, zinc fingers and genomic RNA are not required for virion assembly. NC promiscuously associates with cellular RNAs, many of which are incorporated into virions. It has been hypothesized that Gag polymerization and virion assembly are promoted by nonspecific interaction of NC with RNA. Consistent with this model, we found an inverse relationship between the number of NC basic residues replaced with alanine and NC's nonspecific RNA-binding activity, Gag's ability to polymerize in vitro and in vivo, and Gag's capacity to assemble virions. In contrast, mutation of NC's zinc fingers had only minor effects on these properties.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 5292-5300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayanta Bhattacharya ◽  
Alexander Repik ◽  
Paul R. Clapham

ABSTRACT Assembly of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein on budding virus particles is important for efficient infection of target cells. In infected cells, lipid rafts have been proposed to form platforms for virus assembly and budding. Gag precursors partly associate with detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs) that are believed to represent lipid rafts. The cytoplasmic domain of the envelope gp41 usually carries palmitate groups that were also reported to confer DRM association. Gag precursors confer budding and carry envelope glycoproteins onto virions via specific Gag-envelope interactions. Thus, specific mutations in both the matrix domain of the Gag precursor and gp41 cytoplasmic domain abrogate envelope incorporation onto virions. Here, we show that HIV-1 envelope association with DRMs is directly influenced by its interaction with Gag. Thus, in the absence of Gag, envelope fails to associate with DRMs. A mutation in the p17 matrix (L30E) domain in Gag (Gag L30E) that abrogates envelope incorporation onto virions also eliminated envelope association with DRMs in 293T cells and in the T-cell line, MOLT 4. These observations are consistent with a requirement for an Env-Gag interaction for raft association and subsequent assembly onto virions. In addition to this observation, we found that mutations in the gp41 cytoplasmic domain that abrogated envelope incorporation onto virions and impaired infectivity of cell-free virus also eliminated envelope association with DRMs. On the basis of these observations, we propose that Gag-envelope interaction is essential for efficient envelope association with DRMs, which in turn is essential for envelope budding and assembly onto virus particles.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (20) ◽  
pp. 10444-10454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jielin Zhang ◽  
Clyde S. Crumpacker

ABSTRACT An important aspect of the pathophysiology of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is the ability of the virus to replicate in the host vigorously without a latent phase and to kill cells with a dynamic turnover of 1.8 × 109 cells/day and 10.3 × 109 virions/24 h. The transcription of HIV-1 RNA in acute infection occurs at two stages; the transcription of viral spliced mRNA occurs early, and the transcription of viral genomic RNA occurs later. The HIV-1 Tat protein is translated from the early spliced mRNA and is critical for HIV-1 genomic RNA expression. The cellular transcription factors are important for HIV-1 early spliced mRNA expression. In this study we show that virion nucleocapsid protein (NC) has a role in expression of HIV-1 early spliced mRNA. The HIV-1 NC migrates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and accumulates in the nucleus at 18 h postinfection. Mutations on HIV-1 NC zinc fingers change the pattern of early viral spliced mRNA expression and result in a delayed expression of early viral mRNA in HIV-infected cells. This delayed HIV-1 early spliced mRNA expression occurs after proviral DNA has been integrated into the cellular genome, as shown by a quantitative integration assay. These results show that virion NC plays an important role in inducing HIV-1 early mRNA expression and contributes to the rapid viral replication that occurs during HIV-1 infection.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 11811-11824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalpana Gupta ◽  
David Ott ◽  
Thomas J. Hope ◽  
Robert F. Siliciano ◽  
Jef D. Boeke

ABSTRACT Active nuclear import of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) preintegration complex (PIC) is essential for the productive infection of nondividing cells. Nuclear import of the PIC is mediated by the HIV-1 matrix protein, which also plays several critical roles during viral entry and possibly during virion production facilitating the export of Pr55Gag and genomic RNA. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified a novel human virion-associated matrix-interacting protein (VAN) that is highly conserved in vertebrates and expressed in most human tissues. Its expression is upregulated upon activation of CD4+ T cells. VAN is efficiently incorporated into HIV-1 virions and, like matrix, shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Furthermore, overexpression of VAN significantly inhibits HIV-1 replication in tissue culture. We propose that VAN regulates matrix nuclear localization and, by extension, both nuclear import of the PIC and export of Pr55Gag and viral genomic RNA during virion production. Our data suggest that this regulatory mechanism reflects a more global process for regulation of nucleocytoplasmic transport.


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