title: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha induces circular forms of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 DNA in the persistently infected low-level expressing cell line, ACH-2.
abstract: The low human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) expressing T-cell line, ACH-2, was used to investigate accumulation of the circular, extrachromosomal form of HIV DNA (HD) after tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induction. We chose the 2 long terminal repeat (LTR) circular form to analyze unintegrated HD by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using primer pairs which flank the 2 LTR HD. Approximately a 10-fold increase in 2 LTR HD was detected intracellularly in the TNF-alpha-induced ACH-2 cells using an end point-dilution assay. To examine the cellular compartment location of the 2 LTR HD accumulation, ACH-2 cells were fractionated into cytoplasmic and nuclear components and further subjected to PCR. A 4- to 5-fold increase in the 2 LTR HD signal was observed in the nuclear fraction. These results indicate that unintegrated HD increases in a chronically infected cell line after TNF-alpha induction. This phenomenon, which previously had been observed only with acute infections, may offer insight into basic pathogenic mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Retrovirus Disease Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Greer
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Folks
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000209:etiology; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha