title: Regulation of human immunodeficiency virus replication by 2',5'-oligoadenylate-dependent RNase L.
abstract: Activation of RNase L by 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) is one of the antiviral pathways of interferon action. To determine the involvement of the 2-5A system in the control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication, a segment of the HIV-1 nef gene was replaced with human RNase L cDNA. HIV-1 provirus containing sense orientation RNase L cDNA caused increased expression of RNase L and 500- to 1,000-fold inhibition of virus replication in Jurkat cells for a period of about 2 weeks. Subsequently, a partial deletion of the RNase L cDNA which coincided with increases in virus production occurred. The anti-HIV activity of RNase L correlated with decreases in HIV-1 RNA and with an acceleration in cell death accompanied by DNA fragmentation. Replication of HIV-1 encoding RNase L was also transiently suppressed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). In contrast, recombinant HIV containing reverse orientation RNase L cDNA caused decreased levels of RNase L, increases in HIV yields, and reductions in the anti-HIV effect of alpha interferon in PBL and in Jurkat cells. To obtain constitutive and continuous expression of RNase L cDNA, Jurkat cells were cotransfected with HIV-1 proviral DNA and with plasmid containing a cytomegalovirus promoter driving expression of RNase L cDNA. The RNase L plasmid suppressed HIV-1 replication by eightfold, while an antisense RNase L construct enhanced virus production by twofold. These findings demonstrate that RNase L can severely impair HIV replication and suggest involvement of the 2-5A system in the anti-HIV effect of alpha interferon.
authors.affiliation: Virus Core Facility, The Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Maitra
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000502:physiology*; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C031956:2-5A-dependent ribonuclease