title: 5' regions of HIV-1 RNAs are not sufficient for encapsidation: implications for the HIV-1 packaging signal.
abstract: The location and nature of the HIV-1 packaging signal are largely unknown, despite several genetic and biochemical mutational analyses. In this report we present our attempts to define a minimal HIV-1 packaging signal through the generation of test RNAs containing small blocks of HIV-1 sequences. We constructed RNAs differing in the position and identity of the HIV-1 sequence and the segments of heterologous sequences. However, none of the vectors were efficiently, encapsidated by wild-type HIV-1 virions. These results contrast those of Moloney murine leukemia virus and Rous sarcoma virus, where small viral segments mediate the efficient encapsidation of heterologous RNAs. The results suggest that the HIV-1 packaging signal may be extremely dispersed or heavily context-dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Berkowitz
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hammarskjöld
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helga-Maria
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rekosh
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Goff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000821:virology; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral