title: Tat protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 is a monomer when expressed in mammalian cells.
abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) encodes a transactivator protein, known as Tat, that stimulates transcription directed by the HIV-1 long terminal repeat sequences. Tat appears to bind directly to the TAR RNA element present at the 5' end of nascent HIV-1 transcripts and thereby stimulates the activity of transcription complexes. We have expressed Tat in simian COS cells by transfection of a mammalian expression vector. Using immunoblots to detect Tat, the results of gel filtration and velocity sedimentation analyses demonstrate that Tat is a monomer in COS cell extracts. These results agree with other studies which indicate that Tat is a monomeric protein.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Virology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001358:Avian Sarcoma Viruses / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005091:Exons; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015756:Genes, tat; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015696:Gene Products, tat; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus