HIV expression is induced in dying cells.
Using HeLa cells stably transfected with an HIV-LTR-CAT construct, we demonstrated a peak in CAT induction that occurs in viable (but not necessarily cell-division-competent) cells 24 h following exposure to some cell-killing agents. gamma rays were the only cell-killing agent which did not induce HIV transcription; this can be attributed to the fact that gamma-ray-induced apoptotic death requires functional p53, which is not present in HeLa cells. For all other agents, HIV-LTR induction was dose-dependent and correlated with the amount of cell killing that occurred in the culture. Doses which caused over 99% cell killing induced HIV-LTR transcription maximally, demonstrating that cells that will go on to die by 14 days are the cells expressing HIV-LTR-CAT.
Woloschak
G E
GE
Center for Mechanistic Biology and Biotechnology, Argonne National Laboratory, IL 60439-4833, USA. woloschak@anl.gov
Schreck
S
S
Panozzo
J
J
Chang-Liu
C M
CM
Libertin
C R
CR
D016923:Cell Death; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D004249:DNA Damage; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006678:HIV / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat / Q000235:genetics*; D006367:HeLa Cells / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans
D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase