title: Analysis of the interaction of primate retroviruses with the human RNA interference machinery.
abstract: The question of whether retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), interact with the cellular RNA interference machinery has been controversial. Here, we present data showing that neither HIV-1 nor human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) expresses significant levels of either small interfering RNAs or microRNAs in persistently infected T cells. We also demonstrate that the retroviral nuclear transcription factors HIV-1 Tat and HTLV-1 Tax, as well as the Tas transactivator encoded by primate foamy virus, fail to inhibit RNA interference in human cells. Moreover, the stable expression of physiological levels of HIV-1 Tat did not globally inhibit microRNA production or expression in infected human cells. Together, these data argue that HIV-1 and HTLV-1 neither induce the production of viral small interfering RNAs or microRNAs nor repress the cellular RNA interference machinery in infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Center for Virology, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Bryan R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Cullen
mesh_terms: D016356:Gene Products, tax / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016356:Gene Products, tax; D035683:MicroRNAs; D014157:Transcription Factors; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514970:tax protein, Human T-lymphotrophic virus 1