title: Mutational analysis of the conserved cysteine-rich region of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat protein.
abstract: The Tat transactivator protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 contains a highly conserved cysteine-rich region, containing seven cysteines from residues 22 through 37. To investigate the importance of noncysteine residues in this region of the Tat protein, we have carried out a mutational analysis, in most cases substituting a single alanine for the wild-type noncysteine residue. Alanine substitution of residue 23, 24, 46, or 47 had no effect on Tat activity in plasmid transfection assays. In contrast, alanine substitutions of all eight noncysteines analyzed, from residues 26 through 41, significantly reduced the activity of the Tat protein, in some cases as drastically as mutations in cysteine residues. The results demonstrate that the precise sequence of the cysteine-rich region is crucial for a fully functional Tat protein.
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York 11724.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carlotti
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003545:Cysteine; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000235:genetics*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015696:Gene Products, tat; D015534:Trans-Activators; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D003545:Cysteine