Human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat responds to T-cell activation signals

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.84.19.6845· OSTI ID:7000002

Tong-Starksen, S E; Luciw, P A; Peterlin, B M

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS, infects and kills lymphoid cells bearing the CD4 antigen. In an infected cell, a number of cellular as well as HIV-encoded gene products determine the levels of viral gene expression and HIV replication. Efficient HIV replication occurs in activated T cells. Utilizing transient expression assays, the authors show that gene expression directed by the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) increases in response to T-cell activation signals. The effects of T-cell activation and of the HIV-encoded trans-activator (TAT) are multiplicative. Analysis of mutations and deletions in the HIV LTR reveals that the region responding to T-cell activation signals is located at positions -105 to -80. These sequences are composed of two direct repeats, which are homologous to the core transcriptional enhancer elements in the simian virus 40 genome. The studies reveal that these elements function as the HIV enhancer. By acting directly on the HIV LTR, T-cell activation may play an important role in HIV gene expression and in the activation of latent HIV.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, San Francisco (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7000002
• Journal Information: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Vol. 84:19
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AIDS VIRUS
DNA SEQUENCING
GENE REGULATION
IMMUNOLOGY
LYMPHOCYTES
CHEMICAL ACTIVATION
ANTIGENS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CHLORAMPHENICOL
ENZYME ACTIVITY
MACROPHAGES
MAN
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
PLASMIDS
TRANSCRIPTION
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
ANTIBIOTICS
ANTIBODIES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DRUGS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEUKOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
PARASITES
PHAGOCYTES
PRIMATES
SOMATIC CELLS
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
VERTEBRATES
VIRUSES
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