Human chromosome 12 is required for optimal interactions between Tat and TAR of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in rodent cells.

Levels of trans activation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat (HIV-1 LTR) by the virally encoded transactivator Tat show marked species-specific differences. For example, levels of transactivation observed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) rodent cells are 10-fold lower than those in human cells or in CHO cells that contain the human chromosome 12. Thus, the human chromosome 12 codes for a protein or proteins that are required for optimal Tat activity. Here, the function of these cellular proteins was analyzed by using a number of modified HIV-1 LTRs and Tats. Neither DNA-binding proteins that bind to the HIV-1 LTR nor proteins that interact with the activation domain of Tat could be implicated in this defect. However, since species-specific differences were no longer observed with hybrid proteins that contain the activation domain of Tat fused to heterologous RNA-binding proteins, optimal interactions between Tat and the trans-acting responsive RNA (TAR) must depend on this factor(s).     

PITALRE, the Catalytic Subunit of TAK, Is Required for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Tat Transactivation In Vivo

The human cdc2-related kinase PITALRE is the catalytic component of TAK, the Tat-associated kinase. Previously, we have proposed that TAK is a cellular factor that mediates Tat transactivation function. Here we demonstrate that transient overexpression of PITALRE specifically squelches Tat-1 activation of both a transfected and an integrated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR), suggesting that PITALRE mediates Tat function as a multiprotein complex. A catalytic mutant of PITALRE, D167N, was found to be more efficient than wild-type PITALRE in squelching Tat transactivation. Neither wild-type PITALRE nor D167N was able to squelch transactivation of the human T-cell leukemia type 1 LTR by the Tax protein. Additionally, we show that artificial targeting of PITALRE to a nascent RNA element, in the absence of Tat, activated HIV-1 LTR expression. These results indicate that a PITALRE-containing complex mediates transactivation by Tat and suggest that Tat proteins function by localizing such a PITALRE-containing complex to the site of the transcribing provirus.     

人免疫缺陷病毒1型TAT突变蛋白及反义TAT RNA对TAT反式激活作用的抑制

Ｔａｔ是人免疫缺陷病毒（ＨＩＶ）基因组编码的反式激活因子,突变分析表明它含有几个重要的功能域。为寻找控制ＨＩＶ复制的途径,构建了以ＨＩＶ－１ＬＴＲ（－１５８－＋８０）为启动子的Ｔａｔ ｃＤＮＡ全长反义表达质粒ｐＡＳ－Ｔａｔ,并用已经构建的ＨＩＶ ＬＴＲ－１５８到＋８０为启动子,具有不同突变点的突变Ｔａｔ基因表达质粒,以荧光酶基因为报告基因,共转染Ｊｕｒｋａｔ细胞,结果发现无论是反义Ｔａｔ表达质粒还     

Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 transactivates the long terminal repeat of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected subjects show a high incidence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. This suggests that EBV may function as a cofactor that affects HIV-1 activation and may play a major role in the progression of AIDS. To test this hypothesis, we generated two EBV-negative human B-cell lines that stably express the EBNA2 gene of EBV. These EBNA2-positive cell lines were transiently transfected with plasmids that carry either the wild type or deletion mutants of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. There was a consistently higher HIV-1 LTR activation in EBNA2-expressing cells than in control cells, which suggested that EBNA2 proteins could activate the HIV-1 promoter, possibly by inducing nuclear factors binding to HIV-1 cis-regulatory sequences. To test this possibility, we used CAT-based plasmids carrying deletions of the NF-kappa B (pNFA-CAT), Sp1 (pSpA-CAT), or TAR (pTAR-CAT) region of the HIV-1 LTR and retardation assays in which nuclear proteins from EBNA2-expressing cells were challenged with oligonucleotides encompassing the NF-kappa B or Sp1 region of the HIV-1 LTR. We found that both the NF-kappa B and the Sp1 sites of the HIV-1 LTR are necessary for EBNA2 transactivation and that increased expression resulted from the induction of NF-kappa B-like factors. Moreover, experiments with the TAR-deleted pTAR-CAT and with the tat-expressing pAR-TAT plasmids indicated that endogenous Tat-like proteins could participate in EBNA2-mediated activation of the HIV-1 LTR and that EBNA2 proteins can synergize with the viral tat transactivator. Transfection experiments with plasmids expressing the EBNA1, EBNA3, and EBNALP genes did not cause a significant HIV-1 LTR activation. Thus, it appears that among the latent EBV genes tested, EBNA2 was the only EBV gene active on the HIV-1 LTR. The transactivation function of EBNA2 was also observed in the HeLa epithelial cell line, which suggests that EBV and HIV-1 infection of non-B cells may result in HIV-1 promoter activation. Therefore, a specific gene product of EBV, EBNA2, can transactivate HIV-1 and possibly contribute to the clinical progression of AIDS.     

JDV Tat反式激活LTR与HIV-1 Tat采用类似的细胞因子

为分析JDV Tat在反式激活JDV及HIV-1 LTR过程中是否采用与H1V-1 Tat类似的细胞因子,本文构建了包含完整激活域的jTat70和hTat47,同时构建了cyclin T1和CDK9真核表达及反义转译质粒。过量表达hTat47和jTat70对hTat反式激活HIV-1 LTR,jTat反式激活JDV和HIV-1 LTR均有明显的抑制作用推测jTat和hTat的反式激活作用可能涉及类似的细胞因子。通过cyclin T1和CDK9的反义转译质粒对jTat反式激活的抑制作用证实这两种细胞因子参与了jTat对JDV和HIV-1 LTR的反式激活。     

Characterization of the Jembrana Disease Virus tat Gene and the cis- and trans-Regulatory Elements in Its Long Terminal Repeats

Jembrana disease virus (JDV) is a newly identified bovine lentivirus that is closely related to the bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). JDV contains a tat gene, encoded by two exons, which has potent transactivation activity. Cotransfection of the JDV tat expression plasmid with the JDV promoter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) construct pJDV-U3R resulted in a substantial increase in the level of CAT mRNA transcribed from the JDV long terminal repeat (LTR) and a dramatic increase in the CAT protein level. Deletion analysis of the LTR sequences showed that sequences spanning nucleotides −68 to +53, including the TATA box and the predicted first stem-loop structure of the predicted Tat response element (TAR), were required for efficient transactivation. The results, derived from site-directed mutagenesis experiments, suggested that the base pairing in the stem of the first stem-loop structure in the TAR region was important for JDV Tat-mediated transactivation; in contrast, nucleotide substitutions in the loop region of JDV TAR had less effect. For the JDV LTR, upstream sequences, from nucleotide −196 and beyond, as well as the predicted secondary structures in the R region, may have a negative effect on basal JDV promoter activity. Deletion of these regions resulted in a four- to fivefold increase in basal expression. The JDV Tat is also a potent transactivator of other animal and primate lentivirus promoters. It transactivated BIV and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) LTRs to levels similar to those with their homologous Tat proteins. In contrast, HIV-1 Tat has minimal effects on JDV LTR expression, whereas BIV Tat moderately transactivated the JDV LTR. Our study suggests that JDV may use a mechanism of transactivation similar but not identical to those of other animal and primate lentiviruses.     

Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 induces expression of the virus-encoded latent membrane protein.

Infection of Epstein-Barr virus-negative human B-lymphoma cell lines with the fully transforming B95.8 Epstein-Barr virus strain was associated with complete virus latent gene expression and a change in the cell surface and growth phenotype toward that of in vitro-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. In contrast, the cells infected with the P3HR1 Epstein-Barr virus strain, a deletion mutant that cannot encode Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) or a full-length EBNA-LP, expressed EBNAs1, 3a, 3b, and 3c but were negative for the latent membrane protein (LMP) and showed no change in cellular phenotype. This suggests that EBNA2 and/or EBNA-LP may be required for subsequent expression of LMP in Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells. Recombinant vectors capable of expressing the B95.8 EBNA2A protein were introduced by electroporation into two P3HR1-converted B-lymphoma cell lines, BL30/P3 and BL41/P3. In both cases, stable expression of EBNA2A was accompanied by activation of LMP expression from the resident P3HR1 genome; control transfectants that did not express the EBNA2A protein never showed induction of LMP. In further experiments, a recombinant vector capable of expressing the full-length B95.8 EBNA-LP was introduced into the same target lines. Strong EBNA-LP expression was consistently observed in the transfected clones but was never accompanied by induction of LMP. The EBNA2A gene transfectants expressing EBNA2A and LMP showed a dramatic change in cell surface and growth phenotype toward a pattern like that of lymphoblastoid cell lines; some but not all of these changes could be reproduced in the absence of EBNA2A by transfection of P3HR1-converted cell lines with a recombinant vector expressing LMP. These studies suggest that EBNA2 plays an important dual role in the process of B-cell activation to the lymphoblastoid phenotype; the protein can have a direct effect upon cellular gene expression and is also involved in activating the expression of a second virus-encoded effector protein, LMP.     

Induction of bcl-2 expression by Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 protects infected B cells from programmed cell death.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) not only induces growth transformation in human B lymphocytes, but has more recently been shown to enhance B cell survival under suboptimal conditions where growth is inhibited; both effects are mediated through the coordinate action of eight virus-coded latent proteins. The effect upon cell survival is best recognized in EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines where activation of full virus latent gene expression protects the cells from programmed cell death (apoptosis). Here we show by DNA transfection into human B cells that protection from apoptosis is conferred through expression of a single EBV latent protein, the latent membrane protein LMP 1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that LMP 1 mediates this effect by up-regulating expression of the cellular oncogene bcl-2. The interplay between EBV infection and expression of this cellular oncogene has important implications for virus persistence and for the pathogenesis of virus-associated malignant disease.     

Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 transactivates latent membrane protein LMP1.

Several lines of evidence are compatible with the hypothesis that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) or leader protein (EBNA-LP) affects expression of the EBV latent infection membrane protein LMP1. We now demonstrate the following. (i) Acute transfection and expression of EBNA-2 under control of simian virus 40 or Moloney murine leukemia virus promoters resulted in increased LMP1 expression in P3HR-1-infected Burkitt's lymphoma cells and the P3HR-1 or Daudi cell line. (ii) Transfection and expression of EBNA-LP alone had no effect on LMP1 expression and did not act synergistically with EBNA-2 to affect LMP1 expression. (iii) LMP1 expression in Daudi and P3HR-1-infected cells was controlled at the mRNA level, and EBNA-2 expression in Daudi cells increased LMP1 mRNA. (iv) No other EBV genes were required for EBNA-2 transactivation of LMP1 since cotransfection of recombinant EBNA-2 expression vectors and genomic LMP1 DNA fragments enhanced LMP1 expression in the EBV-negative B-lymphoma cell lines BJAB, Louckes, and BL30. (v) An EBNA-2-responsive element was found within the -512 to +40 LMP1 DNA since this DNA linked to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene was transactivated by cotransfection with an EBNA-2 expression vector. (vi) The EBV type 2 EBNA-2 transactivated LMP1 as well as the EBV type 1 EBNA-2. (vii) Two deletions within the EBNA-2 gene which rendered EBV transformation incompetent did not transactivate LMP1, whereas a transformation-competent EBNA-2 deletion mutant did transactivate LMP1. LMP1 is a potent effector of B-lymphocyte activation and can act synergistically with EBNA-2 to induce cellular CD23 gene expression. Thus, EBNA-2 transactivation of LMP1 amplifies the biological impact of EBNA-2 and underscores its central role in EBV-induced growth transformation.     

Functional comparison of transactivation by simian immunodeficiency virus from rhesus macaques and human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Simian immunodeficiency virus from rhesus macaques (SIVmac), like human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), encodes a transactivator (tat) which stimulates long terminal repeat (LTR)-directed gene expression. We performed cotransfection assays of SIVmac and HIV-1 tat constructs with LTR-CAT reporter plasmids. The primary effect of transactivation for both SIVmac and HIV-1 is an increase in LTR-directed mRNA accumulation. The SIVmac tat gene product partially transactivates an HIV-1 LTR, whereas the HIV-1 tat gene product fully transactivates an SIVmac LTR. Significant transactivation is achieved by the product of coding exon 1 of the HIV-1 tat gene; however, inclusion of coding exon 2 results in a further increase in mRNA accumulation. In contrast, coding exon 2 of the SIVmac tat gene is required for significant transactivation. These results imply that the tat proteins of SIVmac and HIV-1 are functionally similar but not interchangeable. In addition, an in vitro-generated mutation in SIVmac tat disrupts splicing at the normal splice acceptor site at the beginning of coding exon 2 and activates a site approximately 15 nucleotides downstream. The product of this splice variant stimulates LTR-directed gene expression. This alternative splice acceptor site is also used by a biologically active provirus with an efficiency of approximately 5% compared with the upstream site. These data suggest that a novel tat protein is encoded during the course of viral infection.