Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An increasing number of African primate species have been shown to be infected in the wild with their own distinct variants of simian immunodeficiency virus. The most striking feature of these natural host systems is the lack of AIDS-like disease despite long-term infection. In the African green monkey (AGM)/SIVagm system there is no evidence that a vigorous antiviral immune response, a lack of variability or a low virus load accounts for this lack of pathogenicity. New-born AGMs appear to be even more resistant to the virus than adults, despite their immature immune system and higher pool of target cells. The fact that AGMs, unlike HIV-infected humans, lack a humoral immune response to non-denatured Gag protein and do not show trapping of virus in the lymph nodes suggested that tolerance to Gag might prevent the formation of immune complexes which would normally be filtered out by the lymphoid tissues with detrimental results. This apparent tolerance to Gag is a common feature of many, if not all, of the natural host systems and might explain why the lymph nodes and immune system in general remain intact in these primates in the face of continuous, high level virus replication.
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PMID:Why are the natural hosts of SIV resistant to AIDS? 1020 33

The evolutionary relationship of retroviruses to the negative-stranded RNA virus superfamily was examined by comparing protein structures. Since protein structures are more conserved over time than primary protein sequences, three-dimensional structural comparisons permit the identification of evolutionary relationships that were previously undetected. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and influenza virus were used as representatives of the virus groups, and proteins with similar functions were compared. Since M1 of influenza virus has membrane- and RNA nucleocapsid-binding activities that are functionally analogous to those of the HIV matrix and capsid proteins, the structural similarities between these proteins were determined. Sequence alignments were based on superimposition of the three-dimensional structures. Helices 2, 2', 3 and 4 of the HIV matrix protein aligned and superimposed with the four-helix bundle of the membrane-binding N domain of M1 with a root mean square (RMS) of 3.48 A. Helices A, B and C of the HIV N-terminal capsid protein aligned and superimposed with three helices of the four-helix bundle of the RNA-binding N domain of M1 with an RMS of 2.63 A. The HIV Gag protein and influenza virus matrix protein may have evolved from a common ancestor protein. The similarities between influenza virus M1 and HIV matrix and capsid proteins may indicate an evolutionary link between retroviruses and negative-sense RNA viruses.
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PMID:Structural similarities between influenza virus matrix protein M1 and human immunodeficiency virus matrix and capsid proteins: an evolutionary link between negative-stranded RNA viruses and retroviruses. 1021 54

We have previously identified two distinct forms of putative viral assembly intermediate complexes, a detergent-resistant complex (DRC) and a detergent-sensitive complex (DSC), in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected CD4(+) T cells (Y. M. Lee and X. F. Yu, Virology 243:78-93, 1998). In the present study, the intracellular localization of these two viral assembly intermediate complexes was investigated by use of a newly developed method of subcellular fractionation. In wild-type HIV-1-infected H9 cells, the DRC fractionated with the soluble cytoplasmic fraction, whereas the DSC was associated with the membrane fraction. The DRC was also detected in the cytoplasmic fraction in H9 cells expressing HIV-1 Myr- mutant Gag. However, little of the unmyristylated Gag and Gag-Pol proteins was found in the membrane fraction. Furthermore, HIV-1 Gag proteins synthesized in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system in the absence of exogenous lipid membrane were able to assemble into a viral Gag complex similar to that of the DRC identified in infected H9 cells. The density of the viral Gag complex was not altered by treatment with the nonionic detergent Triton X-100, suggesting a lack of association of this complex with endogenous lipid. Formation of the DRC was not significantly affected by mutations in assembly domains M and L of the Gag protein but was drastically inhibited by a mutation in the assembly I domain. Purified DRC could be disrupted by high-salt treatment, suggesting electrostatic interactions are important for stabilizing the DRC. The Gag precursor proteins in the DRC were more sensitive to trypsin digestion than those in the DSC. These findings suggest that HIV-1 Gag and Gag-Pol precursors assemble into DRC in the cytoplasm, a process which requires the protein-protein interaction domain (I) in NCp7; subsequently, the DRC is transported to the plasma membrane through a process mediated by the M domain of the matrix protein. It appears that during this process, a conformational change might occur in the DRC either before or after its association with the plasma membrane, and this change is followed by the detection of virus budding structure at the plasma membrane.
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PMID:Formation of virus assembly intermediate complexes in the cytoplasm by wild-type and assembly-defective mutant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and their association with membranes. 1036 15

The incorporation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag-beta-galactosidase (Gag-beta-gal; GBG) fusion proteins into HIV virus-like particles in the presence of HIV Gag proteins was studied. HIV Gag-beta-gal fusion constructs were cotransfected individually into COS7 cells with or without an HIV Gag protein expression plasmid. Release of HIV GBG fusion proteins from the cells were measured by assay of the medium versus intracellular beta-gal activities. Analysis indicates that fusion proteins (constructs HIVGBG, GBG 1919 and 1877) retaining the C-terminal portion of the CA and the adjacent NC domains were efficiently assembled into virus-like particles. Fusion proteins with deleted sequences covering the N-terminal portions of the gag sequences (GBG 831, 1147, 1419, 1447, 1511, 1552, 1600, 1630, 1684, 1715, and 1752) were impaired in entry into virus-like particles. The presence of CA major homology region (MHR) in the fusion proteins had no significant effects on inducing fusion protein incorporation when the C-terminal CA sequences in the fusion proteins were truncated (GBG 1841 and 1801). Subcellular fractionation studies indicated that most fusion proteins including the nonmyristylated one were enriched in the crude membrane fraction. Exceptions to this rule were fusion proteins with intact MHR but truncated C-terminal CA sequences, which possessed low levels of membrane association. However, assembly of fusion proteins into HIV Gag particles did not correlate with their subcellular fractionation or immunofluorescence localization patterns. Overall, the studies suggest that the very C-terminal CA and adjacent NC sequences are the primary determinants for incorporation of HIV Gag-beta-gal fusion proteins into virus particles.
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PMID:Sequence requirements for incorporation of human immunodeficiency virus gag-beta-galactosidase fusion proteins into virus-like particles. 1045 53

In polarized epithelial cells, the assembly and release of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) occur at the basolateral side of the plasma membrane, and the site of assembly is determined by the site of expression of the Env protein. In order to investigate whether the expression of the Env proteins exclusively in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can alter the site of virus assembly, we coexpressed the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag protein and mutant SIV Env proteins having an ER retrieval signal (KKXX motif). In cells expressing the wild-type (wt) Env protein or coexpressing Env and Gag proteins, the Env protein was processed into the surface (SU) and transmembrane (TM) proteins. In contrast, in cells expressing the mutant Env proteins alone or in combination with Gag, the Env proteins were retrieved to the ER and were not proteolytically processed. Coexpression of the Gag and ER-retained mutant Env proteins resulted in a transient decrease in the release of the Gag protein into the medium, suggesting an interaction between the Gag and ER-retrieved Env proteins. Using saponin-permeabilized cells coexpressing Gag and Env proteins, we obtained further evidence for Env-Gag interaction. A monoclonal antibody specific to the SIV Gag protein was found to coimmunoprecipitate both the Gag and Env proteins. The interaction was specific, as coexpressed SIV Env proteins without the cytoplasmic tail or a chimeric HIV-1 Env proteins with the CD4 cytoplasmic tail were not coimmunoprecipitated by the Gag-specific antibody. Electron microscopic analyses indicated that assembly of virus particles occurred only at the surfaces of cells in which the Gag protein was coexpressed with either the wt or ER-retrieved mutant Env protein. These data indicate that although the Env and Gag proteins interact intracellularly, the site of assembly of SIV is not redirected to an intracellular organelle by the retrieval of the Env protein to the ER.
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PMID:Intracellular interaction of simian immunodeficiency virus Gag and Env proteins. 1048 63

Retroviral Gag protein is sufficient to produce Gag virus-like particles when expressed in higher eukaryotic cells. Here we describe the in vitro assembly reaction of human immunodeficiency virus Gag protein, which consists of two sequential steps showing the optimal conditions for each reaction. Following expression and purification, Gag protein lacking only the C-terminal p6 domain was present as a monomer (50 kDa) by velocity sedimentation analysis. Initial assembly of the Gag protein to 60 S intermediates occurred by dialysis at 4 degrees C in low salt at neutral to alkaline pH. However, higher order of assembly required incubation at 37 degrees C and was facilitated by the addition of Mg(2+). Prolonged incubation under these conditions produced complete assembly (600 S), equivalent to Gag virus-like particles obtained from Gag-expressing cells. Neither form disassembled by treatment with nonionic detergent, suggesting that correct assembly might occur in vitro. Electron microscopic observation confirmed that the 600 S assembly products were spherical particles similar to authentic immature human immunodeficiency virus particles. The latter assembly stage but not the former was accelerated by the addition of RNA although not inhibited by RNaseA treatment. These results suggest that Gag protein alone assembles in vitro, but that additional RNA facilitates the assembly reaction.
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PMID:In vitro assembly of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag protein. 1048 50

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are an important parameter of host defenses that limit viral replication after infection. Induction of effective CTL against conserved viral proteins such as Gag may be essential to the development of a safe and effective HIV type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine. DNA vaccination represents a novel strategy for inducing potent CD8(+) CTL responses in vivo. However, expression of HIV-1 structural proteins by DNA vectors has been hampered by a stringent requirement for coexpression with other viral components, such as Rev and RRE. Furthermore, even with Rev and RRE present, the level of expression of HIV-1 Gag, Pol, or Env is very low in murine cells. These problems have limited our ability to address the key issue of how to generate effective CTL responses to Gag in a mouse model. To overcome this problem, we compared several novel DNA expression vectors for HIV-1 Gag protein expression in primate and mouse cells and for generating immune responses in mice after DNA vaccination. A DNA vector containing wild type HIV-1 gag coding sequences did not induce detectable Gag expression in any of the cells tested. Attempts to increase nuclear export of Gag expression RNA by adding the constitutive transport element yielded only a moderate increase in Gag expression in monkey-derived COS cells and an even lower increase in Gag expression in HeLa cells or several mouse cell lines. In contrast, silent-site mutations in the HIV-1 gag coding sequences significantly increased Gag expression levels in all cells tested. Furthermore, this construct induced both Gag-specific antibody and CTL responses in mice after DNA vaccination. Using this construct, we achieved stable expression of HIV-1 Gag in the mouse cell line p815, which can now be used as a target cell for measuring HIV-1 Gag-specific CTL responses in immunized mice. The DNA vectors described in this study should make it possible to systematically evaluate the approaches for maximizing the induction of CTL responses against HIV-1 Gag in mouse and other animal systems.
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PMID:Evaluation of novel human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag DNA vaccines for protein expression in mammalian cells and induction of immune responses. 1051 21

Previously we demonstrated that murine retroviral Gag proteins associate with a cellular motor protein, KIF-4. Using the yeast two-hybrid assay, we also found an association of KIF-4 with Gag proteins of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV), simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Studies performed with mammalian cell systems confirmed that the HIV-1 Gag protein associates with KIF-4. Soluble cytoplasmic proteins from cells infected with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the entire Gag-Pol precursor protein of HIV-1 or transfected with HIV-1 molecular clone pNL4-3 were fractionated by sucrose gradient centrifugation and further separated by size-exclusion and anion-exchange chromatographies. KIF-4 and HIV-1 Gag cofractionated in both chromatographic separations. Immunoprecipitation assays have also verified the KIF-4-Gag association. KIF-4 binds mainly to the Gag precursor (Pr55 Gag) and a matrix-capsid processing intermediate (Pr42) but not to other processed Gag products. The binding of Gag is mediated by a domain of KIF-4 proximal to the C terminus. These results, and our previous studies, raise the possibility that KIF-4 may play an important role in retrovirus Gag protein transport.
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PMID:Cellular motor protein KIF-4 associates with retroviral Gag. 1055 69

The retrovirus matrix (MA) sequence of the Gag polyprotein has been shown to contain functions required for membrane targeting and binding during particle assembly and budding. Additional functions for MA have been proposed based on the existence of MA mutants in Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), murine leukemia virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1, and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 that lack infectivity even though they release particles of normal composition. Here we describe an RSV MA mutant with a surprising and previously unreported phenotype. In the mutant known as Myr1E, the small membrane-binding domain of the Src oncoprotein has been added as an N-terminal extension of Gag. While Myr1E is not infectious, full infectivity can be reestablished by a single amino acid substitution in the Src sequence (G2E), which eliminates the addition of myristic acid and the membrane-binding capacity of this foreign sequence. The presence of myristic acid at the N terminus of the Myr1E Gag protein does not explain its replication defect, because other myristylated derivatives of RSV Gag are fully infectious (e.g., Myr2 [C. R. Erdie and J. W. Wills, J. Virol. 64:5204-5208, 1990]). Biochemical analyses of Myr1E particles reveal that they contain wild-type levels of the Gag cleavage products, Env glycoproteins, and reverse transcriptase activity when measured on an exogenous template. Genomic RNA incorporation appears to be mildly reduced compared to the wild-type level. Unexpectedly, RNA isolated from Myr1E particles is monomeric when analyzed on nondenaturing Northern blots. Importantly, the insertional mutation does not lie within previously identified dimer linkage sites. In spite of the dimerization defect, the genomic RNA from Myr1E particles serves efficiently as a template for reverse transcription as measured by an endogenous reverse transcriptase assay. In marked contrast, after infection of avian cells, the products of reverse transcription are nearly undetectable. These findings might be explained either by the loss of a normal function of MA needed in the formation or stabilization of RNA dimers or by the interference in such events by the mutant MA molecules. It is possible that Myr1E viruses package a single copy of viral RNA.
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PMID:RNA dimerization defect in a Rous sarcoma virus matrix mutant. 1059 Jan 3

Retroviral RNA encapsidation depends on the specific binding of Gag proteins to packaging (psi) signals in genomic RNA. We investigated whether an in vitro-selected, high-affinity RNA ligand for the nucleocapsid (NC) portion of the Gag protein from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) could mediate packaging into HIV-1 virions. We find that this ligand can functionally substitute for one of the Gag-binding elements (termed SL3) in the HIV-1 psi locus to support packaging and viral infectivity in cis. By contrast, this ligand, which fails to dimerize spontaneously in vitro, is unable to replace a different psi element (termed SL1) which is required for both Gag binding and dimerization of the HIV-1 genome. A single point mutation within the ligand that eliminates high-affinity in vitro Gag binding also abolishes its packaging activity at the SL3 position. These results demonstrate that specific binding of Gag or NC protein is a critical determinant of genomic RNA packaging.
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PMID:A heterologous, high-affinity RNA ligand for human immunodeficiency virus Gag protein has RNA packaging activity. 1059 Jan 46


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