Human immunodeficiency virus-1 Nef protein interacts with Tat and enhances HIV-1 gene expression.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) Nef protein is now regarded as a regulatory protein responsible not only for establishment of infection and increased pathogenesis but also for enhancement of viral replication. However, the mechanism of Nef-induced activation of viral replication remains to be clearly understood. Using transient transfection assay, co-immunoprecipitation and pull-down analysis, we demonstrate in this report that the HIV-1 Nef protein physically interacts with Tat, the principal transactivating protein of HIV-1. Our observations with single cycle replication experiments further indicate that this interaction results not only in enhancement of Tat-induced HIV-1 long terminal repeat-mediated gene expression but also in virus production.
Joseph
Ajith Mathew
AM
National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007, India. dmitra01@yahoo.co.in
Ladha
Jayashree S
JS
Mojamdar
Manoj
M
Mitra
Debashis
D
D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat / Q000502:physiology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D011485:Protein Binding; D014162:Transfection; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014779:Virus Replication; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D015693:Gene Products, nef; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus