title: Efficient replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 requires a threshold level of Rev: potential implications for latency.
abstract: The Rev protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is essential for the expression of the structural genes of HIV-1. To determine whether a functional threshold level of Rev is required to allow efficient HIV-1 replication, CD4-positive HeLa cells, constitutively expressing a Rev-deficient provirus, were transfected with various quantities of a Rev-expressing plasmid. Compared with the quantity of the Rev-producing plasmid transfected, HIV-1 replication was distinctly nonlinear as measured by HIV-1 p24 antigen and HIV-1-specific RNA production. A quantitative RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstrated that Rev mRNA expression was linearly correlated with the quantity of Rev-expressing plasmid which was transfected into these cells. These data suggest that a critical threshold of Rev is required for a highly productive HIV-1 infection. This threshold level of Rev may be involved in the generation and maintenance of HIV-1 proviral latency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pomerantz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seshamma
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trono
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D015694:Gene Products, rev / Q000502:physiology*; D015757:Genes, rev; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000254:growth & development*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication; D054321:rev Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015694:Gene Products, rev; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D054321:rev Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus