scholarly journals Identification of Staufen in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag Ribonucleoprotein Complex and a Role in Generating Infectious Viral Particles

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 2637-2648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Chatel-Chaix ◽  
Jean-Francois Clément ◽  
Catherine Martel ◽  
Véronique Bériault ◽  
Anne Gatignol ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Staufen is a host protein that is selectively incorporated into human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles in a poorly defined process that involves the selection of HIV-1 genomic RNA for encapsidation and the activity of its third double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD3). To better understand this, we characterized its interactions with pr55Gag, the principal mediator of HIV-1 genomic RNA encapsidation. Chimeric proviruses harboring wild-type or mutant forms of Staufen were expressed in 293T cells. Cell fractionation analyses demonstrated that Staufen cosedimented with pr55Gag within detergent-resistant, trypsin-sensitive complexes that excluded mature capsid and matrix proteins. Coimmunoprecipitation and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assays demonstrated a specific and direct interaction between Staufen and the nucleocapsid domain of pr55Gag in vitro and in live cells. This interaction is shown here to be mediated by Staufen's dsRBD3, with a contribution from its C-terminal domain. Immunoprecipitation and reverse transcription-PCR analyses showed that the 9-kb genomic RNA was found within Staufen-containing immune complexes. Spliced HIV-1 RNAs were not detected in these Staufen complexes, indicating a preferential association of Staufen with the 9-kb species. These results substantiate that Staufen and pr55Gag interact directly during HIV-1 expression. Knockdown of Staufen expression by small interfering RNAs in HIV-1-expressing cells demonstrated that this cellular protein was important for the generation of infectious virus. These data show that Staufen, pr55Gag, and genomic RNA are part of the same intracellular complex and support a role for Staufen in pr55Gag function in viral assembly, genomic RNA encapsidation, and the generation of infectious viral particles.

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (12) ◽  
pp. 6216-6230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Chatel-Chaix ◽  
Levon Abrahamyan ◽  
Céline Fréchina ◽  
Andrew J. Mouland ◽  
Luc DesGroseillers

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires the sequential activities of virus-encoded proteins during replication. The activities of several host cell proteins and machineries are also critical to the completion of virus assembly and the release of infectious virus particles from cells. One of these proteins, the double-stranded RNA-binding protein Staufen1 (Stau1), selectively associates with the HIV-1 genomic RNA and the viral precursor Gag protein, pr55Gag. In this report, we tested whether Stau1 modulates pr55Gag assembly using a new and specific pr55Gag oligomerization assay based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) in both live cells and extracts after cell fractionation. Our results show that both the overexpression and knockdown of Stau1 increase the pr55Gag-pr55Gag BRET levels, suggesting a role for Stau1 in regulating pr55Gag oligomerization during assembly. This effect of Stau1 on pr55Gag oligomerization was observed only in membranes, a cellular compartment in which pr55Gag assembly primarily occurs. Consistently, expression of Stau1 harboring a vSrc myristylation signal led to a 6.5-fold enrichment of Stau1 in membranes and a corresponding enhancement in the Stau1-mediated effect on pr55Gag-pr55Gag BRET, demonstrating that Stau1 acts on assembly when targeted to membranes. A role for Stau1 in the formation of particles is further supported by the detection of membrane-associated detergent-resistant pr55Gag complexes and the increase of virus-like particle release when Stau1 expression levels are modulated. Our results indicate that Stau1 influences HIV-1 assembly by modulating pr55Gag-pr55Gag interactions, as shown in a live cell interaction assay. This likely occurs when Stau1 interacts with membrane-associated assembly intermediates.


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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 5670-5677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiji Hamamoto ◽  
Hironori Nishitsuji ◽  
Teruo Amagasa ◽  
Mari Kannagi ◽  
Takao Masuda

ABSTRACT Retroviral integrase (IN) catalyzes the integration of viral cDNA into a host chromosome. Additional roles have been suggested for IN, including uncoating, reverse transcription, and nuclear import of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, using a yeast two-hybrid system, we identified a survival motor neuron (SMN)-interacting protein 1 (Gemin2) that binds to HIV-1 IN. Reduction of Gemin2 with small interfering RNA duplexes (siGemin2) dramatically reduced HIV-1 infection in human primary monocyte-derived macrophages and also reduced viral cDNA synthesis. In contrast, siGemin2 did not affect HIV-1 expression from the integrated proviral DNA. Although Gemin2 was undetectable in cell-free viral particles, coimmunoprecipitation experiments using FLAG-tagged Gemin2 strongly suggested that Gemin2 interacts with the incoming viral genome through IN. Further experiments reducing SMN or other SMN-interacting proteins suggested that Gemin2 might act on HIV-1 either alone or with unknown proteins to facilitate efficient viral cDNA synthesis soon after infection. Thus, we provide the evidence for a novel host protein that binds to HIV-1 IN and facilitates viral cDNA synthesis and subsequent steps that precede integration in vivo.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 5547-5556 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Ott ◽  
Lori V. Coren ◽  
Elena N. Chertova ◽  
Tracy D. Gagliardi ◽  
Kunio Nagashima ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The nucleocapsid (NC) region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag is required for specific genomic RNA packaging. To determine if NC is absolutely required for virion formation, we deleted all but seven amino acids from NC in a full-length NL4-3 proviral clone. This construct, DelNC, produced approximately four- to sixfold fewer virions than did the wild type, and these virions were noninfectious (less than 10−6 relative to the wild type) and severely genomic RNA deficient. Immunoblot and high-pressure liquid chromatography analyses showed that all of the mature Gag proteins except NC were present in the mutant virion preparations, although there was a modest decrease in Gag processing. DelNC virions had lower densities and were more heterogeneous than wild-type particles, consistent with a defect in the interaction assembly or I domain. Electron microscopy showed that the DelNC virions displayed a variety of aberrant morphological forms. Inactivating the protease activity of DelNC by mutation or protease inhibitor treatment restored virion production to wild-type levels. DelNC-protease mutants formed immature-appearing particles that were as dense as wild-type virions without incorporating genomic RNA. Therefore, protease activity combined with the absence of NC causes the defect in DelNC virion production, suggesting that premature processing of Gag during assembly causes this effect. These results show that HIV-1 can form particles efficiently without NC.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (15) ◽  
pp. 8524-8531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor F. McGrath ◽  
James S. Buckman ◽  
Tracy D. Gagliardi ◽  
William J. Bosche ◽  
Lori V. Coren ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A family of cellular nucleic acid binding proteins (CNBPs) contains seven Zn2+ fingers that have many of the structural characteristics found in retroviral nucleocapsid (NC) Zn2+ fingers. The sequence of the NH2-terminal NC Zn2+ finger of the pNL4-3 clone of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was replaced individually with sequences from each of the seven fingers from human CNBP. Six of the mutants were normal with respect to protein composition and processing, full-length genomic RNA content, and infectivity. One of the mutants, containing the fifth CNBP Zn2+ finger (CNBP-5) packaged reduced levels of genomic RNA and was defective in infectivity. There appear to be defects in reverse transcription in the CNBP-5 infections. Models of Zn2+ fingers were constructed by using computational methods based on available structural data, and atom-atom interactions were determined by the hydropathic orthogonal dynamic analysis of the protein method. Defects in the CNBP-5 mutant could possibly be explained, in part, by restrictions of a set of required atom-atom interactions in the CNBP-5 Zn2+ finger compared to mutant and wild-type Zn2+ fingers in NC that support replication. The present study shows that six of seven of the Zn2+ fingers from the CNBP protein can be used as substitutes for the Zn2+ finger in the NH2-terminal position of HIV-1 NC. This has obvious implications in antiviral therapeutics and DNA vaccines employing NC Zn2+ finger mutants.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 5441-5451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Mouland ◽  
Johanne Mercier ◽  
Ming Luo ◽  
Luc Bernier ◽  
Luc DesGroseillers ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Human Staufen (hStau), a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding protein that is involved in mRNA transport, is incorporated in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and in other retroviruses, including HIV-2 and Moloney murine leukemia virus. Sucrose and Optiprep gradient analyses reveal cosedimentation of hStau with purified HIV-1, while subtilisin assays demonstrate that it is internalized. hStau incorporation in HIV-1 is selective, is dependent on an intact functional dsRNA-binding domain, and quantitatively correlates with levels of encapsidated HIV-1 genomic RNA. By coimmunoprecipitation and reverse transcription-PCR analyses, we demonstrate that hStau is associated with HIV-1 genomic RNA in HIV-1-expressing cells and purified virus. Overexpression of hStau enhances virion incorporation levels, and a corresponding, threefold increase in HIV-1 genomic RNA encapsidation levels. This coordinated increase in hStau and genomic RNA packaging had a significant negative effect on viral infectivity. This study is the first to describe hStau within HIV-1 particles and provides evidence that hStau binds HIV-1 genomic RNA, indicating that it may be implicated in retroviral genome selection and packaging into assembling virions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (19) ◽  
pp. 8938-8945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Dettenhofer ◽  
Shan Cen ◽  
Bradley A. Carlson ◽  
Lawrence Kleiman ◽  
Xiao-Fang Yu

ABSTRACT The vif gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is essential for viral replication, although the functional target of Vif remains elusive. HIV-1 vif mutant virions derived from nonpermissive H9 cells displayed no significant differences in the amount, ratio, or integrity of their protein composition relative to an isogenic wild-type virion. The amounts of the virion-associated viral genomic RNA and tRNA3 Lyswere additionally present at normal levels in vif mutant virions. We demonstrate that Vif associates with RNA in vitro as well as with viral genomic RNA in virus-infected cells. A functionally conserved lentivirus Vif motif was found in the double-stranded RNA binding domain of Xenopus laevis, Xlrbpa. The natural intravirion reverse transcriptase products were markedly reduced invif mutant virions. Moreover, purified vifmutant genomic RNA-primer tRNA complexes displayed severe defects in the initiation of reverse transcription with recombinant reverse transcriptase. These data point to a novel role for Vif in the regulation of efficient reverse transcription through modulation of the virion nucleic acid components.


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (16) ◽  
pp. 7252-7265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Khan ◽  
Claudia Aberham ◽  
Sandra Kao ◽  
Hirofumi Akari ◽  
Robert Gorelick ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vif protein plays a critical role in the production of infectious virions. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of small amounts of Vif in virus particles. However, Vif packaging was assumed to be nonspecific, and its functional significance has been questioned. We now report that packaging of Vif is dependent on the packaging of viral genomic RNA in both permissive and restrictive HIV-1 target cells. Mutations in the nucleocapsid zinc finger domains that abrogate packaging of viral genomic RNA abolished packaging of Vif. Additionally, an RNA packaging-defective virus exhibited significantly reduced packaging of Vif. Finally, deletion of a putative RNA-interacting domain in Vif abolished packaging of Vif into virions. Virion-associated Vif was resistant to detergent extraction and copurified with components of the viral nucleoprotein complex and functional reverse transcription complexes. Thus, Vif is specifically packaged into virions as a component of the viral nucleoprotein complex. Our data suggest that the specific association of Vif with the viral nucleoprotein complex might be functionally significant and could be a critical requirement for infectivity of viruses produced from restrictive host cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 4331-4340 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shehu-Xhilaga ◽  
M. Hill ◽  
J. A. Marshall ◽  
J. Kappes ◽  
S. M. Crowe ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The packaging of a mature dimeric RNA genome is an essential step in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. We have previously shown that overexpression of a protease (PR)-inactive HIV-1 Gag-Pro-Pol precursor protein generates noninfectious virions that contain mainly monomeric RNA (M. Shehu-Xhilaga, S. M. Crowe, and J. Mak, J. Virol. 75:1834-1841, 2001). To further define the contribution of HIV-1 Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol to RNA maturation, we analyzed virion RNA dimers derived from Gag particles in the absence of Gag-Pro-Pol. Compared to wild-type (WT) dimeric RNAs, these RNA dimers have altered mobility and low stability under electrophoresis conditions, suggesting that the HIV-1 Gag precursor protein alone is not sufficient to stabilize the dimeric virion RNA structure. The inclusion of an active viral PR, without reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN), rescued the stability of the virion RNA dimers in the Gag particles but did not restore the mobility of the RNAs, suggesting that RT and IN are also required for virion RNA dimer maturation. Thin-section electron microscopy showed that viral particles deficient in RT and IN contain empty cone-shaped cores. The abnormal core structure indicates a requirement for Gag-Pro-Pol packaging during core maturation. Supplementing viral particles with either RT or IN via Vpr-RT or Vpr-IN alone did not correct the conformation of the dimer RNAs, whereas expression of both RT and IN in trans as a Vpr-RT-IN fusion restored RNA dimer conformation to that of the WT virus and also restored the electron-dense, cone-shaped virion core characteristic of WT virus. Our data suggest a role for RT-IN in RNA dimer conformation and the formation of the electron-dense viral core.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document