AEGiS-05CROI: NC protein role in selective HIV-1 genomic RNA packaging.

5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections


Chicago, IL - February 1-5, 1998



NC protein role in selective HIV-1 genomic RNA packaging.

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 1998 Feb 1-5; 5th:84 (abstract no. 30)

Poon DT, Li G, Aldovini A; Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

To investigate the role of NC in the selective recognition of genomic viral RNA, we constructed chimeric HIV-1 and MMTV mutants that alter the NC protein. Both HIV and MMTV NC proteins have two zinc-binding domains but they differ substantially in their total length, amino acid composition and in the spacing of the zinc binding motifs. When the entire NC coding sequence of HIV was replaced with the MMTV NC coding sequence, we found that the HIV genome was incorporated into virions at 50% of wild type levels. Viruses produced from chimeric HIV genomes with complete NC replacements, or with the two NC zinc binding domains replaced with MMTV sequences, preferentially incorporated HIV genomes when both HIV and MMTV genomes were simultaneously present in the cell. Viruses produced from chimeric MMTV genomes in which the MMTV NC has been replaced with HIV NC preferentially incorporated MMTV genomes when both HIV and MMTV genomes were simultaneously present in the cell. In contrast, viruses produced from chimeric HIV genomes containing the Moloney NC, which contains a single zinc-binding motif, were previously shown to preferentially incorporate Moloney genomic RNA. These results indicate that an NC protein with two zinc binding motifs is required for specific HIV RNA packaging and that the amino acid context of these motifs, while contributing to the process, is less crucial for specificity. The data also suggest that HIV NC may not be the exclusive determinant of RNA selectivity.

Keywords: AEGIS, RNA, Viral, Gene Products, gag, HIV-1, HIV, Viral Core Proteins, Virion, HIV Antigens, Proteins, HIV Core Protein p24, HIV Long Terminal Repeat, Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse, Nucleocapsid Proteins, RNA, DNA Primers, genetics, AIDSKWDaegis,rna,viral,geneproducts,gag,hiv-1,hiv,viralcoreproteins,virion,hivantigens,proteins,hivcoreproteinp24,hivlongterminalrepeat,mammarytumorvirus,mouse,nucleocapsidproteins,rna,dnaprimers,genetics,aids

1998-02-01
30

Copyright © 1998 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed from National Library of Medicine.