Quantitative effect of suboptimal codon usage on translational efficiency of mRNA encoding HIV-1 gag in intact T cells.
BACKGROUND
The sequences of wild-isolate strains of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) are characterized by low GC content and suboptimal codon usage. Codon optimization of DNA vectors can enhance protein expression both by enhancing translational efficiency, and by altering RNA stability and export. Although gag codon optimization is widely used in DNA vectors and experimental vaccines, the actual effect of altered codon usage on gag translational efficiency has not been quantified.


RESULTS
To quantify translational efficiency of gag mRNA in live T cells, we transfected Jurkat cells with increasing doses of capped, polyadenylated synthetic mRNA corresponding to wildtype or codon-optimized gag sequences, measured Gag production by quantitative ELISA and flow cytometry, and estimated the translational efficiency of each transcript as pg of Gag antigen produced per microg of input mRNA. We found that codon optimization yielded a small increase in gag translational efficiency (approximately 1.6 fold). In contrast when cells were transfected with DNA vectors requiring nuclear transcription and processing of gag mRNA, codon optimization resulted in a very large enhancement of Gag production.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that suboptimal codon usage by HIV-1 results in only a slight loss of gag translational efficiency per se, with the vast majority of enhancement in protein expression from DNA vectors due to altered processing and export of nuclear RNA.
Ngumbela
Kholiswa C
KC
HIV Pathogenesis Programme, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Ryan
Kieran P
KP
Sivamurthy
Rohini
R
Brockman
Mark A
MA
Gandhi
Rajesh T
RT
Bhardwaj
Nina
N
Kavanagh
Daniel G
DG
D003062:Codon; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000235:genetics*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
D003062:Codon; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D012333:RNA, Messenger