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Journal of Virology, April 1999, p. 3460-3466, Vol. 73, No. 4
Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS,
Received 14 October 1998/Accepted 23 December 1998
ERK1 and ERK2 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) play a
critical role in regulation of cell proliferation and
differentiation in response to mitogens and other extracellular
stimuli. Mitogens and cytokines that activate MAPK in T cells have been
shown to activate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)
replication. Little is known about the signal transduction pathways
that activate HIV-1 replication in T cells upon activation by
extracellular stimulation. Here, we report that activation of MAPK
through the Ras/Raf/MEK signaling pathway enhances the infectivity of
HIV-1 virions. Virus infectivity was enhanced by treatment of cells with MAPK stimulators, such as serum and phorbol myristate acetate, as
well as by coexpression of constitutively activated Ras, Raf, or
MEK (MAPK kinase) in the absence of extracellular stimulation. Treatment of cells with PD 098059, a specific inhibitor of MAPK activation, or with a MAPK antisense oligonucleotide reduced
the infectivity of HIV-1 virions without significantly affecting virus production or the levels of virion-associated Gag and Env proteins. MAPK has been shown to regulate HIV-1 infectivity by phosphorylating Vif (X. Yang and D. Gabuzda, J. Biol. Chem. 273:29879-29887,
1998). However, MAPK activation enhanced virus infectivity in some
cells lines that do not require Vif function. The HIV-1 Rev, Tat,
p17Gag, and Nef proteins were directly phosphorylated by
MAPK in vitro, suggesting that other HIV-1 proteins are potential
substrates for MAPK phosphorylation. These results suggest that
activation of the ERK MAPK pathway plays a role in HIV-1 replication by
enhancing the infectivity of HIV-1 virions through Vif-dependent as
well as Vif-independent mechanisms. MAPK activation in producer cells may contribute to the activation of HIV-1 replication when T cells are
activated by mitogens and other extracellular stimuli.
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Regulation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infectivity by
the ERK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, JF 712, 44 Binney St., Boston, MA 02115. Phone: (617) 632-2154. Fax: (617) 632-3113. E-mail:
dana_gabuzda{at}dfci.harvard.edu.
Journal of Virology, April 1999, p. 3460-3466, Vol. 73, No. 4
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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