Unimpaired function of a naturally occurring C terminally truncated vif gene product of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
In approximate 10 percent of natural human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) vif gene populations, sequences of shortened vif open reading frames with premature stop codons have been found. Here we report the functional analysis of two patient-derived vif genes. Vif45-2 encodes a C terminally truncated Vif protein of only 173 instead of 192 amino acids and additionally contains several rare amino acid substitutions which are in part shared by vifA65-5. HIV-1 pNL4-3-derived recombinant A45-2 and A65-5 virions were fully infectious in H9 cells and human PBMC, both known to be non-permissive for vif-defective HIV-1. Furthermore, A45-2 virions produced in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages were infectious for MT-4 cells. This study unequivocally demonstrates that the C-terminal region (19 amino acids) of the Vif protein is dispensable for Vif function in the in vitro cell culture systems employed. Additionally, we investigated whether the Vif protein might be phosphorylated in vivo and obtained no evidence for this.
Ochsenbauer
C
C
Forschungsschwerpunkt Angewandte Tumorvirologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany.
Bosch
V
V
Oelze
I
I
Wieland
U
U
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral; D016346:Gene Products, vif / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000378:metabolism; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D004279:DNA, Viral; D016346:Gene Products, vif; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus