Identification and characterization of a human herpesvirus 6 gene segment capable of transactivating the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat in an Sp1 binding site-dependent manner.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR) is transactivated by various extracellular signals and viral cofactors that include human herpesviruses. These transactivators are capable of transactivating the HIV-1 LTR through the transactivation response element, NF-kappa B, or other regulatory binding elements. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a potential cofactor of HIV-1. Here, we report that an HHV-6 gene segment, ZVH14, which can neoplastically transform NIH 3T3 and human keratinocytes, is capable of transactivating HIV-1 LTR chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs in an Sp1 binding site-dependent manner. Transactivation increased synergistically in the presence of multiple Sp1 sites and was dramatically reduced by cotransfection with oligomers designed to form triplex structures with HIV-1 LTR Sp1 binding sites. HIV-1 LTR NF-kappa B sites were not essential for ZVH14-mediated transactivation. A putative open reading frame in ZVH14, B115, which may encode a highly basic peptide consisting of 115 amino acid residues, showed transactivation capacity similar to that of ZVH14. This open reading frame also transactivated the HIV-1 LTR in an Sp1 site-dependent fashion in African green monkey kidney cells and human T cells. These data suggest that HHV-6 may stimulate HIV-1 replication via transactivation of Sp1 binding sites present in the HIV-1 promoter.     

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.     

Umbilical Cord Blood Mononuclear Cell HIV-1 LTR Binding Activities

Vertically transmitted HIV disease constitutes a significant problem in pediatrics. In order to characterize some of the possible host factors involved in HIV replication in fetuses and newborns, we surveyed the HIV-1 LTR binding factors present in nuclear extracts from cord blood mononuclear cells. A series of electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) showed that protein extracts from cord blood interacted with several regions of the HIV LTR. The most prominent binding activities involved the NF-kB sites, but other regions of the LTR also showed factor binding with the cord blood extracts. Some of these cord blood extract binding activities displayed qualitative differences when compared to adult peripheral blood mononuclear cell extracts in EMSA and UV cross-linking studies. Transient transfection experiments indicated that the NF-kB and Sp1 sequences were important for wild type levels of expression in cord blood cells, but that additional sequences 5 to the NF-kB sites also contributed activity. Thus, factors that interact with many of the well-known HIV LTR regulatory sites are present in cord blood cells. However, certain qualitative differences distinguished cord blood and adult peripheral blood binding activities and these may contribute to pathogenesis of HIV infection in neonates.     

人免疫缺陷病毒1型TAT蛋白点突变对其反式激活作用的影响

不同免疫缺陷病毒（ＨＩＶ－１,ＨＩＶ－２和ＳＩＶ）的Ｔａｔ均有３个高度保守的结构域：Ｃｙｓ富集域、核心域和碱性氨基酸富集域,用ＰＣＲ定点突变法在ＨＩＶ－１Ｔａｔ蛋白的这些区域引入单氨基酸或多氨基酸突变;构建了以ＨＩＶ－１ＬＴＲ－１５８到＋８Ｏ区域为启动子,含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,瞬时共转染Ｊｕｒｋａｔ细胞：分析不同氨基酸突变对Ｔａｔ的反式激活作用的影响。结果发现,突变后的Ｔａｔ蛋白的活性均极大地降低或丧失,表明这些序列内的氨基酸的确定性对Ｔａｔ的活性至关重要。     

End-filling of an oligonucleotide duplex containing an MDBP site in the human HSP70 promoter inhibits protein-DNA complex formation

A site from the promoter region of the human hsp70 gene binds with a high affinity to the ubiquitous mammalian protein called methylated DNA-binding protein (MDBP) when it is present in a CpG-methylated oligonucleotide duplex with only 14 base-pairs. Binding to this site is dependent upon CpG methylation. Surprisingly, when the same methylated sequence is present in a duplex that has 22 or more base-pairs, binding to this protein is greatly inhibited. Such a requirement for a short duplex region is seen only in certain of the cytosine methylation-dependent binding sites for this protein and is proposed to reflect differences in the conformation of the duplex due to small differences in the nucleotide sequence.