Psallidopoulos M, Newell M, Natarajan V, Lane HC, Salzman NP; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1991 Jun 16-21; 7: 135 (abstract no. M.A.1175).
Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
OBJECTIVE: To determine the function of nef in the HIV-1 life cycle and to study changes in nef expression during the transition from a quiescent HIV infection to an acute disease state, associated with a pronounced decline in T4 cell counts. This activation from a latent viral infection to viral productivity is hypothesized to be due to qualitative properties of the nef gene. METHODS: DNA was obtained from isolated PBMC of HIV-1 seropositive asymptomatic individuals and patients with AIDS. Nef specific sequences were determined from cloned PCR amplified products using primers from highly conserved regions flanking the nef gene. RESULTS: The sequences demonstrated insertions of direct repeats, deletions and point mutations. However, these mutations did not introduce in-frame stop codons and were mostly distributed in the amino and carboxy terminals. The biological significance of these mutations is currently being tested in cell lines expressing the cloned nef genes under the control of inducible promoters. The influence of HIV growth by the induction of nef in these cell lines is evaluated by testing effects on viral entry, changes in viral DNA, RNA and protein molecules as well as the production of infectious virions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study will help to delineate domains critical to the nef function and contribute to an understanding of the biological role of nef in the HIV life cycle.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Base Sequence
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
- Cell Line
- DNA, Viral
- Genes, nef
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- HIV-1
- Humans
- Virion
- genetics
Other ID:
UI: 102182738
From Meeting Abstracts