title: The lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania donovani up-regulates HIV-1 transcription in T cells through the nuclear factor-kappaB elements.
abstract: We have recently demonstrated that the parasite Leishmania donovani and its surface molecule, lipophosphoglycan (LPG), can activate HIV-1 replication in monocytoid cells. Our present interest was to determine whether LPG could also up-regulate HIV-1 transcription in T cells. Using a CD4-positive human lymphoid T cell line (1G5) containing a stably integrated HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-luciferase construct, we found that LPG is a potent inducer of HIV-1 LTR activity. Treatment of 1G5 cells with signaling antagonists revealed that protein tyrosine kinase- and protein kinase A-dependent pathways were actively participating in the LPG-induced enhancement of HIV-1 LTR-driven activity. Transfection of Jurkat E6.1 cells with plasmids containing wild-type and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-mutated HIV-1 LTR-luciferase constructs has suggested a role for NF-kappaB binding sites in the LPG-mediated induction of HIV-1 LTR activity. An LPG-induced binding factor specific to the NF-kappaB consensus sequences could be observed using electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Finally, transfection experiments performed with a vector containing HIV-1 kappaB binding sites only showed similar LPG-mediated induction, which was abrogated by sodium salicylate, a known NF-kappaB inhibitor. We thus demonstrate that the LPG-mediated induction of HIV-1 LTR activity in T cells involves several second messengers culminating in activation of HIV-1 LTR-driven transcription via NF-kappaB-binding consensus sequences. In conclusion, these results reinforce the idea that L. donovani is a putative cofactor in HIV-1 pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Pavillon du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barbeau
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000502:physiology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D016328:NF-kappa B; C008290:lipophosphonoglycan; D002118:Calcium