Journal of Virology, November 1999, p. 9170-9177, Vol. 73, No. 11
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center,1 Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology,2 and Department of Microbiology and Immunology,3 West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506
Received 23 March 1999/Accepted 29 July 1999
Murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based vector RNA can be packaged and
propagated by the proteins of spleen necrosis virus (SNV). We recently
demonstrated that MLV proteins cannot support the replication of an
SNV-based vector; RNA analysis revealed that MLV proteins cannot
efficiently package SNV-based vector RNA. The domain in Gag responsible
for the specificity of RNA packaging was identified using chimeric
gag-pol expression constructs. A competitive packaging
system was established by generating a cell line that expresses one
viral vector RNA containing the MLV packaging signal (
) and another
viral vector RNA containing the SNV packaging signal (E). The chimeric
gag-pol expression constructs were introduced into the
cells, and vector titers as well as the efficiency of RNA packaging
were examined. Our data confirm that Gag is solely responsible for the
selection of viral RNAs. Furthermore, the nucleocapsid (NC) domain in
the SNV Gag is responsible for its ability to interact with both SNV E
and MLV
. Replacement of the SNV NC with the MLV NC generated a
chimeric Gag that could not package SNV RNA but retained its ability to
package MLV RNA. A construct expressing SNV gag-MLV
pol supported the replication of both MLV and SNV vectors,
indicating that the gag and pol gene products
from two different viruses can functionally cooperate to perform one
cycle of retroviral replication. Viral titer data indicated that SNV
cis-acting elements are not ideal substrates for MLV
pol gene products since infectious viruses were generated at a lower efficiency. These results indicate that the nonreciprocal recognition between SNV and MLV extends beyond the Gag-RNA interaction and also includes interactions between Pol and other
cis-acting elements.
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