The nef Gene of SIVmac239 Is Necessary for Efficient Growth in H9 Cells.
AIDS viruses require an intact functional nef gene in order to induce disease. The nonpathogenic molecular cloned virus SIVmac239nef-deletion encodes a truncated nef gene. This attenuated reading frame is expressed both in vitro and in a virus-infected animal in vivo. Encoding the first 58 amino acids of Nef, the reading frame retained its ability to down-modulate CD4 from the surface of T cells. CD4-down-modulated stable cell lines expressing full-length and truncated nef genes were significantly less infected by SIV. SIVmac239nef-open and SIVmacnef-deletion encoding a truncated nef clearly differed in replication kinetics in H9 cells and H9-derived cell lines. SIVmac239nef-deletion replication was delayed in H9. Copyright 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel
Salkowitz
J.R.
JR
Department of Molecular Biology, Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Chakrabarti
B.K.
BK
Yen-Lieberman
B.
B
Starkey
C.
C
Bendele
T.
T
Kestler
H.W.
HW