Journal of Virology, March 2001, p. 2557-2565, Vol. 75, No. 6
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.6.2557-2565.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 537061; Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan2; and Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-50013
Received 11 September 2000/Accepted 19 December 2000
The dimerization initiation site (DIS) and the dimer linkage sequences (DLS) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 have been shown to mediate in vitro dimerization of genomic RNA. However, the precise role of the DIS-DLS region in virion assembly and RNA dimerization in virus particles has not been fully elucidated, since deletion or mutation of the DIS-DLS region also abolishes the packaging ability of genomic RNA. To characterize the DIS-DLS region without altering packaging ability, we generated mutant constructs carrying a duplication of approximately 1,000 bases including the encapsidation signal and DIS-DLS (E/DLS) region. We found that duplication of the E/DLS region resulted in the appearance of monomeric RNA in virus particles. No monomers were observed in virions of mutants carrying the E/DLS region only at ectopic positions. Monomers were not observed when pol or env regions were duplicated, indicating an absolute need for two intact E/DLS regions on the same RNA for generating particles with monomeric RNA. These monomeric RNAs were most likely generated by intramolecular interaction between two E/DLS regions on one genome. Moreover, incomplete genome dimerization did not affect RNA packaging and virion formation. Examination of intramolecular interaction between E/DLS regions could be a convenient tool for characterizing the E/DLS region in virion assembly and RNA dimerization within virus particles.
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