title: Covalent bonded Gag multimers in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 particles.
abstract: The oligomerization of HIV-1 Gag and Gag-Pol proteins, which are assembled at the plasma membrane, leads to viral budding. The budding generally places the viral components under non-reducing conditions. Here the effects of non-reducing conditions on Gag structures and viral RNA protection were examined. Using different reducing conditions and SDS-PAGE, it was shown that oligomerized Gag possesses intermolecular covalent bonds under non-reducing conditions. In addition, it was demonstrated that the mature viral core contains a large amount of covalent bonded Gag multimers, as does the immature core. Viral genomic RNA becomes sensitive to ribonuclease in reducing conditions. These results suggest that, under non-reducing conditions, covalent bonded Gag multimers are formed within the viral particles and play a role in protection of the viral genome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Masae
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda-Sato
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tobiume
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Asato
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Tetsutaro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sata
authors.forename: Hidehiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000378:metabolism; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic