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1.
Protein Expr Purif ; 173: 105659, 2020 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32360379

ABSTRACT

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 is an oncovirus that causes aggressive adult T-cell leukemia but is also responsible for severe neurodegenerative and endocrine disorders. Combatting HTLV-1 infections requires a detailed understanding of the viral mechanisms in the host. Therefore, in vitro studies of important virus-encoded proteins would be critical. Our focus herein is on the HTLV-1-encoded regulatory protein p13II, which interacts with the inner mitochondrial membrane, increasing its permeability to cations (predominantly potassium, K+). Thereby, this protein affects mitochondrial homeostasis. We report on our progress in developing specific protocols for heterologous expression of p13II in E. coli, and methods for its purification and characterization. We succeeded in producing large quantities of highly-pure full-length p13II, deemed to be its fully functional form. Importantly, our particular approach based on the fusion of ubiquitin to the p13II C-terminus was instrumental in increasing the persistently low expression of soluble p13II in its native form. We subsequently developed approaches for protein spin labeling and a conformation study using double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy and a fluorescence-based cation uptake assay for p13II in liposomes. Our DEER results point to large protein conformation changes occurring upon transition from the soluble to the membrane-bound state. The functional assay on p13II-assisted transport of thallium (Tl+) through the membrane, wherein Tl+ substituted for K+, suggests transmembrane potential involvement in p13II function. Our study lays the foundation for expansion of in vitro functional and structural investigations on p13II and would aid in the development of structure-based protein inhibitors and markers.


Subject(s)
Escherichia coli , Human T-lymphotropic virus 1/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Humans , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/biosynthesis , Retroviridae Proteins/chemistry , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification
2.
Protein Expr Purif ; 92(1): 94-9, 2013 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24056256

ABSTRACT

N-terminal myristoylation of retroviral matrix proteins is essential for the targeting of the Gag polyproteins to the plasma membrane. To investigate the effect of the myristoylation on the structure and membrane binding ability of the matrix proteins, it is necessary to prepare their myristoylated forms. We present purification of myristoylated matrix proteins of the mouse mammary tumor virus and murine leukemia virus, two morphogenetically distinct retroviruses. The proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli coexpressing a yeast N-myristoyltransferase. This E. coli expression system yielded a mixture of myristoylated and nonmyristoylated matrix proteins. We established efficient one-step metal affinity purification that enabled to obtain pure myristoylated matrix proteins suitable for structural and functional studies.


Subject(s)
Leukemia Virus, Murine/metabolism , Myristic Acid/metabolism , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/metabolism , Animals , Chromatography, Affinity , Cloning, Molecular , Leukemia Virus, Murine/chemistry , Leukemia Virus, Murine/genetics , Mice , Myristic Acid/chemistry , Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Retroviridae Infections/virology , Retroviridae Proteins/chemistry , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics
3.
J Feline Med Surg ; 9(1): 8-13, 2007 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16861024

ABSTRACT

In this paper the design and use of a semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) for feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) provirus is described. Its performance is evaluated against established methods of FeLV diagnosis, including virus isolation and enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) in a population of naturally infected cats. The RT-PCR assay is found to have both a high sensitivity (0.92) and specificity (0.99) when examined by expectation maximisation methods and is also able to detect a large number of cats with low FeLV proviral loads that were negative by other conventional test methods.


Subject(s)
Leukemia Virus, Feline/genetics , Leukemia Virus, Feline/isolation & purification , Leukemia, Feline/diagnosis , Leukemia, Feline/virology , RNA, Viral/genetics , RNA, Viral/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Animals , Cats , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary , Proviruses/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/blood , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Sensitivity and Specificity
5.
J Clin Microbiol ; 44(3): 916-22, 2006 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16517876

ABSTRACT

A novel diagnostic test for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) RNA in saliva from naturally infected cats is described in this study. We evaluated different diagnostic tests and compared them with the widely used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of p27 in the diagnosis of FeLV. Blood samples from 445 cats were tested for the presence of provirus by real-time PCR and plasma and saliva specimens from those cats were tested for the presence of viral RNA by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and for the presence of p27 by ELISA. In comparison to conventional ELISA, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the detection of salivary FeLV RNA by real-time RT-PCR were found to be 98.1 and 99.2%, respectively. Detection of viral RNA in saliva had a positive predictive value of 94.6% and a negative predictive value of 99.7%. The kappa value was 0.96, demonstrating an almost perfect agreement between both tests. Furthermore, we confirmed previous results showing that a number of cats which tested negative for the presence of p27 in plasma were in fact positive for the presence of DNA provirus in blood specimens (5.4%). However, 96.4% of these latently infected cats did not shed viral RNA in saliva; therefore, we assume that these cats are of relatively low clinical importance at the time of testing. This study shows considerable diagnostic value of the detection of saliva FeLV RNA in naturally infected cats. This new diagnostic method has advantages over the conventional ELISA, such as less invasive sample collection and no requirement for trained personnel.


Subject(s)
Leukemia Virus, Feline/genetics , Leukemia Virus, Feline/isolation & purification , Leukemia, Feline/diagnosis , Leukemia, Feline/virology , RNA, Viral/genetics , RNA, Viral/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Saliva/virology , Animals , Cats , Cross-Sectional Studies , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/statistics & numerical data , Female , Gene Products, gag/blood , Gene Products, gag/isolation & purification , Male , Proviruses/genetics , Proviruses/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/blood , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/statistics & numerical data , Sensitivity and Specificity , Switzerland
6.
Virology ; 345(1): 174-89, 2006 Feb 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16257029

ABSTRACT

Although it is now well established that a substantial proportion of wild-living primates in sub-Saharan Africa harbor SIV, no study to date has examined to what extent the various species are naturally infected. In this study, we first describe the development and validation of sensitive and specific SIV antibody detection assays representing all major known primate lentiviral lineages on a panel of 207 sera from 11 different primate species with known infection status. The newly developed assays were then used to determine SIV prevalence rates in nine primate species native to Cameroon. Analysis of 722 sera revealed widely varying prevalence rates, ranging from an apparent absence of SIV infection in crested mona (0/70), grey cheeked (0/36) and agile mangabeys (0/92), to prevalence rates of 3%, 4%, 11%, 27%, 39% and 52% for mustached (6/203), greater spot-nosed (8/193), northern talapoin (3/26), mantled guereza (14/52), De Brazza's (9/23) and mandrill (14/27) monkeys, respectively. The epidemiology of naturally occurring SIV infections is thus more complex than previously appreciated and the various non-human primate hosts seem to differ in their susceptibility to SIV infection. The newly developed assays should now permit to define with greater accuracy existing SIV reservoirs and associated human zoonotic risk.


Subject(s)
Primate Diseases/epidemiology , Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/isolation & purification , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Cameroon , Cross Reactions , Disease Reservoirs , Disease Susceptibility , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , HIV Envelope Protein gp41/genetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology , Membrane Glycoproteins/isolation & purification , Molecular Sequence Data , Prevalence , Primates , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Serologic Tests , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/immunology
7.
Mutat Res ; 579(1-2): 133-48, 2005 Nov 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16054658

ABSTRACT

Pro-fs is a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-l)-encoded putative selenoprotein, predicted by a theoretical analysis of the viral genome; it is potentially expressed by a -1 frameshift from the protease coding region. Pro-fs has significant sequence similarity to the DNA binding loop of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB), which is known to bind thioredoxin (Trx). We hypothesize that the putative HIV-1 pro-fs gene product functions by mimicry of NF-kappaB via binding to Trx. The hypothesis was tested in vitro by co-immunoprecipitation and GST-pull down assays, using a purified mutant pro-fs protein, in which the two potential selenocysteine residues were mutated to cysteines, in order to permit expression in bacteria. Both experiments showed that pro-fs binds to human wild type Trx (Trx-wt) with high affinity. Mutation of the two conserved cysteine residues in the Trx active site redox center to serine (Ser) (Trx-CS) weakened but failed to abolish the interaction. In pro-fs-transfected 293T cells, using confocal microscopy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), we have observed that pro-fs localizes in cell nuclei and forms oligomers. Upon stimulation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), Trx translocates into cell nuclei. Significant FRET efficiency was detected in the nuclei of PMA-stimulated 293T cells co-expressing fluorescence-tagged pro-fs and Trx-wt or Trx-CS. These results indicate that in living cells the double cysteine mutant of pro-fs binds to both Trx and Trx-CS with high affinity, suggesting that Trx-pro-fs binding is a structurally-specific interaction, involving more of the Trx molecule than just its active site cysteine residues. These results establish the capacity for functional mimicry of the Trx binding ability of the NF-kappaB/Rel family of transcription factors by the putative HIV-1 pro-fs protein.


Subject(s)
HIV-1/chemistry , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Peptides/metabolism , Retroviridae Proteins/metabolism , Thioredoxins/metabolism , Animals , Binding Sites , Cells, Cultured , Cysteine/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer , Glutathione Transferase/genetics , Glutathione Transferase/metabolism , Humans , Immunoprecipitation , Mammals , Molecular Mimicry , Mutation , Peptides/chemistry , Peptides/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/chemistry , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification
8.
Virology ; 325(2): 297-307, 2004 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15246269

ABSTRACT

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-related neuropathogenesis has been observed in 90% of pig-tailed macaques infected with strain SIVsmmFGb, making it an excellent system for studying human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurological disease. To investigate the genetics of SIV neurovirulence, infectious molecular clones were generated from the brain of a SIVsmmFGb-infected pig-tailed macaque. One clone, BPZm.12, displayed a macrophage-restricted phenotype not previously described; this clone replicated to high levels in macrophages, but did not replicate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) until at least 21 days postinfection. Sequence analysis of the env gene of BPZm.12 revealed the substitution of a serine residue for a highly conserved proline residue at position 629 in gp41. A mutant clone, which contained the conserved proline to serine (BPZm.12-629P), was able to replicate in both macrophages and PBMC without delay. A mutant of an unrelated dual tropic molecular clone PBj6.6, substituting proline for serine (PBj6.6-629S), replicated to high levels in macrophages, but did not replicate in PBMC at any time point. These data indicated that a single determinant in gp41 of an SIV clone changed its phenotype from macrophage tropic to dual tropic.


Subject(s)
Macrophages/virology , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/physiology , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/physiology , Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/virology , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/genetics , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/physiology , Amino Acid Sequence , Amino Acid Substitution , Animals , Base Sequence , Brain/virology , Cells, Cultured , DNA, Viral/genetics , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Macaca nemestrina , Membrane Glycoproteins/isolation & purification , Molecular Sequence Data , Mutagenesis, Site-Directed , Phenotype , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/pathogenicity , Virulence/genetics , Virus Replication/genetics
9.
Int Immunol ; 15(12): 1473-83, 2003 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-14645156

ABSTRACT

We determined that, over a biologic time interval, from 4 to 8 weeks of age, female non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice develop antibodies against pancreatic beta-cell-surface antigens depending upon the presence of both the MHC class II susceptibility allele, I-A(g7), and other NOD background genes. We generated a mAb from a pre-diabetic NOD mouse that binds to the surface of insulinoma cells and isolated mouse beta cells, and identified the target as a retroviral envelope glycoprotein expressed on pancreatic beta cells. The cloned and expressed sequence for this protein was recognized by the mAb. The antibody as well as sera from pre-diabetic NOD mice recognized the recombinant protein. Spontaneous T cell reactivity against a peptide from the cloned protein was found in NOD mice. In conclusion, a beta cell retroviral envelope protein is a target antigen that is selected by the NOD mouse immune system early in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes.


Subject(s)
Autoantibodies/immunology , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology , Islets of Langerhans/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/immunology , Adoptive Transfer , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibody Specificity/immunology , Autoantibodies/genetics , Autoantibodies/metabolism , Autoantigens/genetics , Autoantigens/immunology , Autoantigens/isolation & purification , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Blotting, Western , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Clone Cells/immunology , Cloning, Molecular , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics , Female , Flow Cytometry , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Gene Expression , Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/metabolism , Islets of Langerhans/chemistry , Kinetics , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred NOD , Mice, SCID , Molecular Sequence Data , Peptide Library , Peptides/immunology , Peptides/metabolism , Peptides/pharmacology , Precipitin Tests , Protein Binding/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Sequence Alignment , Viral Envelope Proteins/genetics , Viral Envelope Proteins/immunology , Viral Envelope Proteins/isolation & purification
10.
J Biol Chem ; 276(43): 39577-85, 2001 Oct 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11514580

ABSTRACT

Efforts to understand the molecular basis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein function have been hampered by the inability to generate sufficient quantities of homogeneous material. We now report on the high level expression, purification, and characterization of soluble HIV gp140 ectodomain proteins in Chinese hamster ovary-Lec3.2.8.1 cells. Gel filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation show that the uncleaved ADA strain-derived gp140 proteins are trimeric without further modification required to maintain oligomers. These spike proteins are native as judged by soluble CD4 (sCD4) (K(D) = 1-2 nm) and monoclonal antibody binding studies using surface plasmon resonance. CD4 ligation induces conformational change in the trimer, exposing the chemokine receptor binding site as assessed by 17b monoclonal antibody reactivity. Lack of anti-cooperativity in sCD4-ADA trimer interaction distinct from that observed with sCD4-SIV mac32H implies quaternary structural differences in ground states of their respective spike proteins.


Subject(s)
Gene Products, env/isolation & purification , HIV Envelope Protein gp41/isolation & purification , HIV-1 , Membrane Glycoproteins/isolation & purification , Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , CD4 Antigens/metabolism , CHO Cells , Cricetinae , Gene Products, env/genetics , Gene Products, env/immunology , Glycosylation , HIV Envelope Protein gp41/genetics , HIV Envelope Protein gp41/immunology , HIV-1/chemistry , HIV-1/pathogenicity , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/immunology , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology , Molecular Sequence Data , Protein Binding , Protein Structure, Quaternary , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Recombinant Proteins/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/immunology , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/chemistry , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/pathogenicity , env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
14.
Autoimmunity ; 20(2): 135-42, 1995.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7578870

ABSTRACT

An apparently high frequency of Graves' disease encountered in New Orleans, Louisiana, prompted an investigation for a possible infectious agent that might be triggering the disease in genetically susceptible individuals. We studied 40 patients with Graves' disease, and compared them to the following groups of controls: age and gender matched healthy subjects; patients with multinodular goiter (non-autoimmune thyroid controls); patients with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (autoimmune thyroid disease controls) and additional organ or tissue specific autoimmune controls exclusive of thyroid autoimmunity, including patients with Type I diabetes and other endocrine autoimmune complex disorders. Serum antibodies against a prototypic strain of a human intracisternal A-type retroviral particle type 1 (HIAP-1) were detected by a sensitive and specific immunoblotting assay. In 87.5% (35/40) of the Graves' disease patients there was a positive reaction against several HIAP-1-associated proteins, predominantly 97 Kd and 80 Kd, with only 5 showing no reactivity to any. In contrast, 2% (2/105) of sera from normal controls showed positive reactivity. Furthermore, only 10% (1/10) of sera from multinodular goiter control patients and 10% (1/10) of Hashimoto's patients showed reactivity (p < 0.0005). Sera from 3 of 20 (15%) of Type I diabetic patients none of whom had Graves' disease, showed reactivity but there was no reactivity in 9 other patients with one or more of the endocrine autoimmune complex disorders, including Addison's disease, vitiligo, myasthenia gravis and pernicious anemia. In addition we studied two individuals with Graves' disease from each of two families residing outside Louisiana, all of whom were positive for these antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Subject(s)
Graves Disease/virology , Retroviridae Infections/immunology , Adult , Female , Genes, Intracisternal A-Particle/immunology , Graves Disease/etiology , Graves Disease/immunology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification
15.
Plasmid ; 32(1): 32-40, 1994 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7991670

ABSTRACT

Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli is often limited by yield and solubility of the foreign protein in the bacterial cytoplasm. In many cases, overexpression also results in growth inhibition. In order to produce retroviral proteins that are especially difficult to overexpress in E. coli, we designed a set of beta-galactosidase fusion cassettes. Fusions with beta-galactosidase increase significantly both yield and solubility of the foreign proteins, thus making purification much easier. These cassettes allow for N- or C-terminal fusions, and the retroviral proteins can be released from the fusion by automaturation in vivo for the HIV-1 protease or cleavage by thrombine for Tat. More generally, any synthetic sequence coding for a given cleavage site can be introduced 5' or 3' to the lacZ gene through a convenient set of unique restriction sites, making these fusion cassettes highly versatile.


Subject(s)
Escherichia coli/genetics , HIV-1/genetics , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , beta-Galactosidase/genetics , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , Cloning, Molecular , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Genes, tat , Molecular Sequence Data , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/biosynthesis , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification
16.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses ; 10(5): 595-600, 1994 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7917520

ABSTRACT

The human foamy virus (HFV) is a complex retrovirus that contains several regulatory and auxiliary bel genes besides the gag, pol, and env genes. In contrast to the gene products of bel 1 and bel 2/bet that were identified previously, the Bel 3 protein has not been described to date. Here we report the identification of Bel 3 in HFV-infected cells by immunoprecipitation, indirect immunofluorescence, and expression cloning under the control of a strong heterologous promoter. Bel 3 was immunoprecipitated with an antiserum directed against a bacterially expressed and purified form of recombinant Bel 3 antigen. Bel 3 was found to be expressed in low amounts in the cytoplasm of HFV-infected cells and to migrate with an apparent molecular mass of 19.4 kDa on electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels, consistent with the calculated value of 18.2 kDa. Radioimmunoprecipitation of HFV-infected cell lysates with the hyperimmune serum against Bel 3 revealed at least two additional immunoreactive bands of 15.5 and 10.6 kDa. The results indicate that Bel 3 was labile, because it was partially degraded even at early time points after infection. On transfection and expression in transfected COS cells, recombinant Bel 3 was immunoprecipitated and migrated in three polypeptide bands of 18.7, 14.8, and 9.3 kDa under denaturing conditions. In the absence of reducing agents, the bacterially expressed and purified recombinant Bel 3 protein of 16.1 kDa can form homodimers of 30 kDa.


Subject(s)
Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Spumavirus/genetics , Animals , Base Sequence , Cell Line , Cloning, Molecular , DNA Primers/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Expression , Genes, Viral , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Weight , Retroviridae Proteins/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Spumavirus/immunology , Transfection
17.
J Virol ; 68(4): 2708-19, 1994 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8139046

ABSTRACT

The Bel1 transactivator is essential for the replication of human foamy virus (HFV). To define the functional domains of HFV Bel1, we generated random missense mutations throughout the entire coding sequence of Bel1. Functional analyses of 24 missense mutations have revealed the presence of at least two functional domains in Bel1. One domain corresponds to a basic amino acid-rich motif which acts as a bipartite nuclear targeting sequence. A second, central domain corresponds to a presumed effector region which, when mutated, leads to dominant-negative mutants and/or lacks transactivating ability. In addition, deletion analyses and domain-swapping experiments further showed that Bel1 protein contains a strong carboxy-terminal activation domain. The activating region is also capable of functioning as a transcription-activating domain in yeast cells, although it does not bear any significant sequence homology to the well-characterized acidic activation domain which is known to function only in yeast and mammalian cells. We also demonstrated that the regions of Bel1 from residues 1 to 76 and from residues 153 to 225 repressed transcriptional activation exerted by the Bel1 activation domain. In contrast, the region from residues 82 to 150 appears to overcome an inhibitory effect. These results indicate that Bel1 contains one positive and two negative regulatory domains that modulate a distinct activation domain of Bel1. These regulatory domains of Bel1 cannot affect the function of the VP16 activation domain, suggesting that these domains specifically regulate the activation domain of Bel1. Furthermore, in vivo competition experiments showed that the positive regulatory domain acts in trans. Thus, our results demonstrate that Bel1-mediated transactivation appears to undergo a complex regulatory pathway which provides a novel mode of regulation for a transcriptional activation domain.


Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Spumavirus/genetics , Trans-Activators/genetics , Transcriptional Activation , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Antibodies, Viral , Base Sequence , Cell Compartmentation , DNA Mutational Analysis , DNA-Binding Proteins/immunology , DNA-Binding Proteins/isolation & purification , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , HIV Long Terminal Repeat/genetics , HIV-1/genetics , Humans , Models, Genetic , Molecular Sequence Data , Mutagenesis, Site-Directed , Recombinant Fusion Proteins , Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid/genetics , Retroviridae Proteins/immunology , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Trans-Activators/immunology , Trans-Activators/isolation & purification , Transfection , Transformation, Genetic
18.
J Gen Virol ; 75 ( Pt 1): 207-13, 1994 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8113729

ABSTRACT

The envelope glycoprotein, gp160, of human (HIV) and simian (SIV) immunodeficiency viruses mediates virus-host cell binding followed by fusion of the viral and plasma membranes. The envelope proteins are known to exist as non-covalently associated oligomers on the virus surface. The production of permanent mammalian cell lines that constitutively secrete relatively high levels of soluble forms of SIV gp160 is described and we show that these proteins are secreted predominantly as tetramers with lower levels of dimer forms. Oligomeric forms were purified to greater than 90% purity using a simple gel filtration method. The purified proteins bind CD4 suggesting that they remain in their native conformation. The purified oligomeric proteins provide the basis for more relevant structural, functional and immunological studies than recombinant gp120 as they more closely resemble the envelope protein oligomer.


Subject(s)
Retroviridae Proteins/biosynthesis , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/metabolism , Viral Envelope Proteins/biosynthesis , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , CHO Cells , Cricetinae , Gene Products, env/chemistry , Genetic Vectors , HIV Envelope Protein gp160 , Macaca mulatta , Molecular Sequence Data , Protein Precursors/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification , Retroviridae Proteins/chemistry , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/genetics , Solubility , Viral Envelope Proteins/chemistry , Viral Envelope Proteins/isolation & purification
20.
EMBO J ; 12(11): 4439-44, 1993 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8223453

ABSTRACT

Foamy viruses are a group of retroviruses of complex structure which were thought to be non-pathogenic. The recent demonstration of neurological diseases in mice transgenic for human foamy virus (HFV) and the high prevalence of HFV sequences in Graves' disease question this idea. By PCR, we have detected HFV sequences with a non-random deletion in the bel1 transactivator gene in other autoimmune conditions. Sequence analysis revealed that this deleted area corresponds to the excision of a known intron in bet, one of HFV's regulatory genes. The same phenomenon was observed in both acute and chronic infections, in vitro or in vivo, although the deleted forms were distinctly more abundant in chronic states. The viral DNA containing the bel1 deletion is apparently part of an otherwise complete genome, strongly suggesting that this provirus derives from the reverse transcription of a spliced pregenomic RNA. Bel1-spliced provirus was shown to be defective when transfected into permissive cells. However, co-expression with the Bel1 transactivator led to functional trans-complementation and formation of viral particles. Splicing of the genome may be an important factor in HFV biology: genomes with the deletion may either interfere with wild-type virus expression or alter host cell functions through background expression of viral regulatory proteins.


Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Defective Viruses/genetics , Proviruses/genetics , RNA Splicing , Retroviridae Proteins/genetics , Spumavirus/genetics , Trans-Activators/genetics , Acute Disease , Animals , Base Sequence , Cells, Cultured , Chronic Disease , DNA-Binding Proteins/isolation & purification , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Gene Deletion , Genes, Viral , Genome, Viral , Humans , Introns/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Myasthenia Gravis/microbiology , Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Rabbits , Retroviridae Proteins/isolation & purification , Trans-Activators/isolation & purification
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