Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The requirement for Vif of SIVmac is cell-type dependent.
J Gen Virol. 1996 Mar;77 ( Pt 3):427-34. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE GENBANK/M33262 Zou JX; Luciw PA; Department of Medical Pathology, University of California, Davis,; 95616, USA.
Abstract:
The vif gene (viral infectivity factor) of the human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) is present in almost all members of the lentivirus group of retroviruses. This gene is highly conserved among different HIV and SIV isolates and is therefore presumed to play an important role in pathogenesis. To analyse the role of Vif in SIV, three SIVmac mutants have been constructed by introducing site-specific mutations or deletions into vif of the pathogenic molecular clone SIVmac239. The effect of Vif on viral replication in T cells was examined by transfecting equal amounts of either vif-positive or vif-negative viral DNA into SupT1, CEM-SS and H9 cells. Reverse transcriptase assay of supernatants from transfected cultures revealed that both SupT1 and CEM-SS cell lines supported replication of all three vif mutants to a level comparable to the parental vif-positive virus, whereas vif mutants did not replicate in H9 cells. Our results demonstrate that the requirement for Vif in SIVmac replication is cell-type dependent and that sequences near both the N and C termini are required for its function. Vif-defective SIVmac239, produced in transfected SupT1 and CEM-SS cells, failed to infect primary T lymphocytes, whereas both vif-positive and vif-defective viruses established productive infection in CEMx174 cells. These findings in primary cells suggest that Vif plays an important role in viral replication in vivo.
Keywords: Animal Base Sequence Cell Line Cells, Cultured DNA, Viral/BIOSYNTHESIS Genes, vif/*PHYSIOLOGY Human Lymphocytes/VIROLOGY Molecular Sequence Data Mutation Proviruses/GENETICS Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. SIV/GENETICS/*PHYSIOLOGY T-Lymphocytes/VIROLOGY Virus Replication/GENETICS/*PHYSIOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLE 960730
M9670447
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.