title: Differential activation of Tat variants in mitogen-stimulated cells: implications for HIV-1 postintegration latency.
abstract: Like other HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) proteins, Tat undergoes rapid mutation and occurs in numerous sequence variants in nature. Virus isolated from patients often has defects in Tat that lower its activity. The levels of P-TEFb, an essential cellular cofactor for Tat, are elevated by T-cell activation. To test the hypothesis that stimulation of P-TEFb levels might compensate for attenuation of Tat activity, we generated Tat constructs with a range of transactivation function. Transactivation by the Tat mutants correlated with their ability to bind to P-TEFb in vitro. Treatment of U937 cells with the phorbol ester PMA (phorbol myristate acetate) induced P-TEFb and stimulated Tat transactivation for alleles with basal transcription activity above a threshold (>5% compared to wild-type). Highly active alleles (>66% of wild-type) were stimulated to a lesser extent than those with activity in the intermediate range. Thus, attenuation of Tat function, in concert with low levels of P-TEFb activity, could serve to keep the virus in a latent state in quiescent cells yet permit viral replication after cell activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103-1709, USA.
authors.forename: Syed M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Reza
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosetti
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Tsafi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pe'ery
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000502:physiology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D042925:Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D016662:Virus Integration; D017735:Virus Latency; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015696:Gene Products, tat; D008934:Mitogens; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D042925:Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate