title: Reciprocal cross-packaging of primate lentiviral (HIV-1 and SIV) RNAs by heterologous non-lentiviral MPMV proteins.
abstract: Retroviral RNA packaging signal (ψ) allows the preferential packaging of genomic RNA into virus particles through its interaction with the nucleocapsid protein. The specificity of this interaction came into question when it was shown that primate retroviruses, such as HIV-1, could cross-package RNA from its simian cousin, SIV, and vice versa and that feline retrovirus, FIV could cross-package RNA from a distantly related primate retrovirus, MPMV. To study the generality of this phenomenon further, we determined whether there is a greater packaging restriction between the lentiviral class of retroviruses (HIV-1 and SIV) and a non-lentivirus, MPMV. Our results revealed that primate lentiviral RNAs can be cross-packaged by primate non-lentiviral particles reciprocally, but the cross-packaged RNAs could not be propagated by the heterologous particles. Packaging of RNA in the context of both retroviral vectors as well as non-retroviral RNA containing SIV, HIV, and MPMV packaging determinants by each others proteins further confirmed the specificity of cross-packaging conferred by the packaging sequences. These results reveal the promiscuous nature of retroviral packaging determinants and raise caution against their wide spread presence on retroviral vectors to be used for human gene therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, PO Box 17666, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Iman Rashed
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Al Shamsi
authors.forename: Noura Salem
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Al Dhaheri
authors.forename: Pretty Susan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Phillip
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: Tahir A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rizvi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D016093:Mason-Pfizer monkey virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019065:Virus Assembly
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins