title: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat gene enhances human papillomavirus early gene expression.
abstract: To investigate the possible direct/indirect role of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a cofactor in human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenesis, cotransfection experiments were carried out in which a recombinant plasmid containing the HPV16 long control region (LCR) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene was cotransfected into cultured cells with a plasmid expressing HIV-1 Tat protein. Tat expression efficiency and transactivation activity were evaluated in different cell lines by cotransfecting plasmids containing the HIV tat gene and HIV LTR-driven CAT-coding sequences. HeLa and CaSki cell lines represented the most appropriate recipient cells for Tat-directed transactivation of both the HIV LTR and the HPV LCR promoters. Furthermore, HIV tat was transfected into HeLa cells (containing 10-20 copies per cell of HPV18), and HPV18 E7 protein expression was evaluated by a radioimmunoprecipitation assay using polyclonal antibodies against the E7 protein. Our results show that the Tat protein can transactivate the HPV LCR and increase HPV18 E7 expression in HeLa cells.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione Pascale, Napoli, Italia.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tornesello
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Buonaguro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beth-Giraldo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giraldo
mesh_terms: D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015756:Genes, tat / Q000502:physiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C068651:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C059731:oncogene protein E7, Human papillomavirus type 16