title: Reconstitution of cleavage of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) RNAs.
abstract: A human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particle contains approximately 1200 molecules of gag proteins and two copies of a 9.2-kb genomic RNA which has been reported to be dimerized and rapidly cleaved and to form a complex with a nucleocapsid protein, p7 (NCp7), during viral budding. These suggest that the cleavage can be reconstituted with gag proteins in vitro. Here we show that the p15(gag) coding region of viral RNA is fragmented in viral particles and that in vitro-synthesized RNA transcripts of HIV-1 undergo cleavage which is activated by NCp7 and other factors. Single-stranded oligoribonucleotides were cleaved between C and A or U and A, leaving 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-hydroxyl termini. These findings might explain the rapid degradation of genomic RNAs in HIV-1 particles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. htakahas@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Hidehiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Tetsutaro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sata
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurata
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002213:Capsid / Q000494:pharmacology; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000494:pharmacology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D015683:Gene Products, gag; C071884:NCP7 protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus