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Journal of Virology, October 2000, p. 9381-9387, Vol. 74, No. 20
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Evidence for a Stable Interaction of gp41 with
Pr55Gag in Immature Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type
1 Particles
Donald J.
Wyma,
Alexander
Kotov, and
Christopher
Aiken*
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363
Received 6 April 2000/Accepted 14 July 2000
 |
ABSTRACT |
Assembly of infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)
virions requires incorporation of the viral envelope glycoproteins gp41
and gp120. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the
cytoplasmic tail of the transmembrane glycoprotein, gp41, associates
with Pr55Gag in infected cells to facilitate the
incorporation of HIV-1 envelope proteins into budding virions. However,
direct evidence for an interaction between gp41 and Pr55Gag
in HIV-1 particles has not been reported. To determine whether gp41 is
associated with Pr55Gag in HIV-1 particles, viral cores
were isolated from immature HIV-1 virions by sedimentation through
detergent. The cores contained a major fraction of the gp41 that was
present on untreated virions. Association of gp41 with cores required
the presence of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail. In HIV-1 particles
containing a functional protease, a mutation that prevents cleavage of
Pr55Gag at the matrix-capsid junction was sufficient for
the detergent-resistant association of gp41 with the isolated cores. In
addition to gp41, a major fraction of virion-associated gp120 was also
detected on immature HIV-1 cores. Isolation of cores under conditions
known to disrupt lipid rafts resulted in the removal of a
raft-associated protein incorporated into virions but not the HIV-1
envelope proteins. These results provide biochemical evidence for a
stable interaction between Pr55Gag and the cytoplasmic tail
of gp41 in immature HIV-1 particles. Moreover, findings in this study
suggest that the interaction of Pr55Gag with gp41 may
regulate the function of the envelope proteins during HIV-1 maturation.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
The replication cycle of human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) culminates in the release of
progeny virions from an infected cell via budding from the plasma
membrane. During virion assembly, incorporation of viral envelope (Env)
proteins is essential for the formation of infectious particles. The
HIV-1 Env complex consists of the surface glycoprotein (SU), gp120, and
the transmembrane glycoprotein (TM), gp41, which are noncovalently
associated. Fusion of HIV-1 particles with target cells is initiated by
binding of gp120 to CD4. Secondary engagement of a chemokine receptor
results in conformational changes in gp120, triggering the
gp41-mediated fusion of viral and cellular membranes. HIV-1 gp41, like
other lentivirus TM proteins, contains an unusually long cytoplasmic tail consisting of 150 amino acids in contrast to the cytoplasmic tails
of simple retrovirus TM proteins, which are approximately 20 to 50 amino acids in length (14). Although much has been learned
about mechanism of HIV-1 fusion, the role of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail
in Env function remains enigmatic.
Several lines of evidence suggest that an interaction between the gp41
cytoplasmic tail and the structural protein precursor, Pr55Gag, occurs during HIV-1 assembly. This possibility was
first implied by studies examining virion release from polarized
epithelial cells. Coexpression of Env and Pr55Gag results
in budding of HIV-1 particles exclusively from the basolateral surface
of polarized epithelial cells, while expression of Pr55Gag
alone results in the release of particles from both apical and basolateral sites (17, 23). Second, the matrix (MA) domain of Pr55Gag is required for incorporation of full-length
Env, as evidenced by the observations that deletions or point mutations
in MA inhibit the incorporation of full-length HIV-1 Env proteins into
budding virions (11, 12). These mutants were rescued by
truncating the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 or by pseudotyping virions with
a heterologous retroviral Env containing a short cytoplasmic tail, suggesting that the MA domain of Pr55Gag is required for
accommodating the long cytoplasmic domain of gp41. A third line of
evidence for a gp41-Pr55Gag interaction is based on the
observation that HIV-1 Env expressed in cells undergoes rapid
internalization from the cell surface due to an endocytic motif present
in the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 (25). Coexpression of
Pr55Gag dramatically reduces Env internalization,
suggesting that Pr55Gag binds the TM cytoplasmic domain and
prevents its interaction with the endocytic machinery (10).
Fourth, a direct interaction between the MA region of
Pr55Gag and a glutathione S-transferase fusion
protein containing the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 was observed in vitro
using recombinant HIV-1 proteins (7). Finally, in simian
immunodeficiency virus, a lentivirus closely related to HIV-1,
expression of Env proteins engineered with an endoplasmic reticulum
retention motif results in a dramatic decrease in the amount of viral
particles released from cells (28). This finding suggested
that Env and Pr55Gag interact soon after translation but
before transport to the plasma membrane. Though the above data imply an
interaction between gp41 and Pr55Gag in virus-infected
cells, a direct interaction between Env and Pr55Gag in
HIV-1 particles has yet to be demonstrated.
In this study, immature HIV-1 virions were treated with detergent to
remove the viral lipid membrane, and the resulting immature cores were
purified by equilibrium sedimentation centrifugation. Through the
isolation of immature HIV-1 cores, we demonstrate a detergent-stable
interaction of the HIV-1 Env proteins with Pr55Gag. These
results provide biochemical evidence supporting an interaction between
the gp41 cytoplasmic tail and MA region of Pr55Gag during
HIV-1 assembly.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Cells and viruses.
293T cells (obtained from I. Verma) were
cultured at 37°C in 5% CO2 Dulbecco modified Eagle
medium (DMEM; Cellgro) supplemented with fetal bovine serum (10%),
penicillin (50 IU/ml), and streptomycin (50 µg/ml). Unless otherwise
noted, the proviral DNA constructs used for the production of HIV-1
have been described previously (16, 31) and are as follows:
R9, wild-type HIV-1; R9.PR
, protease-defective HIV-1
containing a triple alanine substitution in the protease active site;
R9Tr712.PR
, protease-defective HIV-1 containing a
truncation of the N-terminal 144-amino-acid gp41; NLPI.nef+
(5), HIV-1 reporter virus expressing placental alkaline
phosphatase (AP); R9.MA-CA, HIV-1 containing a mutation which blocks
cleavage at the matrix-capsid (MA-CA) junction of Pr55Gag
(described below). R9Tr712.PR
was created by inserting
the SalI-to-BamHI mutation from NLTr712 (31) into the R9.PR
provirus.
R9.MA-CA was created using PCR site-directed mutagenesis. PCR segment
overlap extension, as described previously (13), was used to
change a Tyr residue at amino acid 132 of the MA gene to an Ile using
the forward primer of 5'-CACTATAGGAATATTTTGGCTGAC. A silent
mutation encoding an SspI restriction enzyme site was engineered into the primer to aid in screening positive clones. A PCR
product containing the Tyr-to-Ile mutation was transferred into the
full-length proviral clone R9 using the restriction enzyme sites
BssHII and SpeI. Functional verification of the
mutation was determined by immunoblot analysis using capsid
(CA)-specific antisera of the mutant virions produced from transfected
293T cells.
For production of viruses, 293T cells were transfected in
10-cm-diameter dishes with 20 µg of plasmid DNA as previously
described
(
6). Virus-containing supernatants were collected
48 to 60
h after transfection, clarified by low-speed
centrifugation to
remove cellular debris, and passed through a
0.45-µm (pore-size)
membrane
filter.
Isolation of HIV-1 core structures.
Immature cores were
isolated using a modification of the "spin-thru" procedure as
previously described for the purification of HIV-2 cores
(15). Filtered supernatants (60 ml) from transfected 293T
cells were concentrated by centrifugation (120,000 × g, 3 h, 4°C) through 3 ml of 20% (wt/vol) sucrose in STE
buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl [pH 7.4], 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA). The pellets
were resuspended in a total volume of 0.4 ml of STE buffer by gentle pipetting, followed by incubation for 4 h at 4°C. Linear density gradients were prepared by mixing 30 and 70% sucrose in STE buffer in
a gradient maker and were cooled for 2 h at 4°C. The precooled gradients were overlaid with 15% sucrose in STE buffer (0.25 ml) containing 1% Triton X-100. This layer was covered with a barrier layer of STE (0.25 ml) containing 7.5% sucrose in order to prevent premature mixing of the concentrated virions with the detergent. Concentrated HIV-1 particles were applied to the top of the barrier layer, and the tubes were centrifuged in a Beckman SW-41 rotor (100,000 × g, 16 h, 4°C). However, cores from
NLPI.nef+ were isolated by treatment of the concentrated virions with
1% Triton X-100 for 1 h at either 4 or 37°C and then layering
them directly onto a 30 to 70% linear sucrose gradient. Intact virions
were purified in a similar manner but without exposure to detergent.
Eleven 1-ml fractions were collected from the top of the gradient and assayed for CA protein and gp120 concentration by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The density of each fraction was determined by measurement of the refractive index. Refractive index
measurements were converted to density using the formula
= (2.6496*
)
2.5323, where
is the density in
grams/milliliter and
is the index of refraction at the measured temperature.
Protein analyses.
Gradient fractions were diluted with STE
buffer to reduce the density of the fraction and pelleted by
ultracentrifugation (100,000 × g, 20 min, 4°C). The
supernatants were removed, and the pellets were resuspended in 1×
sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sample buffer for subsequent immunoblot
analysis. The samples were electrophoresed on a 4 to 20% Tris-HCl
acrylamide gel and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)
membranes. Blots were probed for HIV-1 and cellular proteins using
various antisera, including rabbit polyclonal anti-CA (obtained from D. Trono), human monoclonal antiserum against gp41 (C2F5) and gp120
(C2G12) (obtained from the NIH AIDS Research and Reference Program),
and rabbit polyclonal anti-cyclophilin A (obtained from L. Henderson). Protein bands were revealed by chemiluminescent detection (SuperSignal; Pierce Chemical Co.) after probing the blots with appropriate peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies.
Concentrations of virus in the supernatants of transfected 293T cells
and in the gradient fractions were determined by a CA-specific
ELISA as
described previously (
29). Concentrations of gp120
in the
gradient fractions were also determined by ELISA. For gp120
ELISA, a
96-well plate (Immulon II; Dynex) was coated with 2 µg
(0.1 ml) of
the mouse monoclonal gp120 capture antibody (Advanced
Bioscience
Laboratories) per ml in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)
and incubated
overnight at 37°C. The plate was rinsed twice with
PBS, followed by
the addition of 0.2 ml of PBS containing 5% donor
calf serum and
incubation at 37°C for 1 h to block the nonspecific
binding of
proteins. The plate was washed four times with PBS
containing 0.2%
Tween 20. Samples were diluted in PBS containing
10% donor calf serum
and 0.5% Triton X-100. Samples (0.1 ml) were
added, and the plate was
incubated for 2 h at 37°C. After four
washes, rabbit polyclonal
anti-gp120 primary antibody (1:5,000
dilution; Intracel Co.) was added,
and the plate was incubated
for 1 h at 37°C. After four washes,
peroxidase-conjugated antibody
to rabbit immunoglobulin (1:5,000
dilution; Pierce Chemical Co.)
was added, and the mixture was incubated
for 1 h at 37°C. The
plate was developed using TMB peroxidase
substrate (Kirkegaard
& Perry Laboratories), and the absorbance at 450 nm for each well
was determined. The gp120 concentration of each sample
was determined
by comparison to a standard curve of recombinant gp120
from HIV-1
LAV (obtained from the NIH AIDS Research and
Reagent
Program).
Gradient fractions were assayed for the presence of human placental AP
(PLAP) by both chemiluminescent and immunoblot analyses.
Chemiluminescent activity assays were performed by adding 10 µl
of
the unpelleted gradient fraction to 50 µl of AP-Substrate (ImmTech,
Inc.) and measuring the relative luminescence in a 96-well luminometer.
Immunoblot analysis was performed on the pelleted gradient fractions
as
mentioned above using rabbit antiserum against human PLAP (obtained
from Fitzgerald International Industries, Inc.).
Phospholipid analysis.
Radiolabeled immature virions were
produced by transfecting two 10-cm dishes of 293T cells with
R9.PR
. Following the removal of the calcium phosphate
precipitate, 1 mCi of [32P]orthophosphate was added in
phosphate-free DMEM (3 ml) supplemented with fetal bovine serum (10%,
dialyzed against 150 mM NaCl), penicillin (50 IU/ml), and streptomycin
(50 µg/ml). Labeled virions were filtered, mixed with unlabeled
virions, and concentrated by ultracentrifugation. Concentrated virions
were resuspended in PBS, and half of the sample was treated with 1%
Triton X-100 at 37°C for 1 h to isolate cores. The remaining
half of the virion sample was incubated in parallel in the absence of
detergent at 4°C for 1 h. To separate free lipids from HIV-1
cores, the samples were pelleted through a 20% sucrose cushion by
ultracentrifugation (100,000 × g, 20 min, 4°C).
Pellets were resuspended in 100 µl of PBS and assayed for
Pr55
Gag content by p24 ELISA, and lipids were extracted
according to
the method of Bligh and Dyer (
3). The samples
were subsequently
analyzed by thin-layer chromatography on silica
plates with chloroform-methanol-water
(60:35:8 [vol/vol/vol]) as a
solvent. Radiolabeled
32P-containing lipids were visualized
by
autoradiography.
 |
RESULTS |
Isolation of immature HIV-1 cores.
We and others have reported
the isolation and characterization of mature HIV-1 cores (16,
30). These particles contained normal quantities of CA, reverse
transcriptase, and integrase but lacked significant quantities of the
viral Env proteins. To further examine the interaction of the HIV-1 Env
proteins with HIV-1 particles, we have isolated immature cores by a
similar procedure. Immature HIV-1 particles were harvested from 293T
cells transfected with an HIV-1 molecular clone encoding an inactive protease and were concentrated by ultracentrifugation through a 20%
sucrose cushion. Concentrated virions were then layered onto a linear
30 to 70% sucrose gradient containing a layer of 1% Triton X-100 at
the top of the gradient. Upon centrifugation, the immature virions pass
through the layer of detergent and sediment to their equilibrium
density in the sucrose gradient. As a control, intact immature virions
were isolated on a similar 30 to 70% sucrose gradient lacking a
detergent layer. One-milliliter fractions were collected from the top
of gradient, and the Pr55Gag concentration for each
fraction was determined by HIV-1 p24 ELISA. The particles in each
fraction were pelleted in a microultracentrifuge and assayed for
protein composition by immunoblotting.
Analysis of the gradient fractions revealed that the peak of
Pr55
Gag for intact virions (Fig.
1A) was located in fraction 5 of the
gradient, corresponding to a density of 1.16 g/ml, which is typical
for
retroviral particles. In contrast, the peak of Pr55
Gag for
the immature cores (Fig.
1B) was detected in fraction 7 of
the
gradient, corresponding to a density of 1.24 g/ml, which is
similar to
that observed for mature HIV-1 cores (
16). The profiles
demonstrate that a 30 to 70% sucrose allowed virions and cores
to be
distinguished using physical criteria. Furthermore, the
sharp increase
in density of the isolated cores indicated that
most, if not all, of
the lipid was removed from the viral particles
during exposure to
detergent. Unlike mature cores, which are recovered
at approximately
15% of the input virion associated CA (reference
16
and data not shown), the immature cores proved to be remarkably
stable,
allowing recovery of approximately 80% of the input virus
as
determined by an ELISA for CA protein.

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FIG. 1.
Isolation of immature HIV-1 core structures. Immature
HIV-1 particles were harvested from 293T cells transiently transfected
with the R9.PR proviral plasmid and were filtered to
remove cellular debris. Concentrated virions were sedimented through a
layer of 1% Triton X-100 into a linear 30 to 70% sucrose gradient.
Fractions (1 ml) were collected from the top of the gradient and
assayed for CA concentration (p24) by ELISA and for density by
refractometry. (A) Virions subjected to ultracentrifugation on a
control gradient lacking detergent. (B) Detergent-treated virions.
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|
Detergent-stable association of gp41 with the immature core.
To test for the association of the HIV-1 Env proteins with immature
HIV-1 cores, Pr55Gag-containing fractions from the
gradients in Fig. 1 were analyzed by pelleting the particles and
immunoblotting using gp41- and CA-specific antisera. A majority of the
gp41 molecules remained associated with the immature cores following
exposure to 1% Triton X-100 compared to intact virions isolated in a
similar manner (Fig. 2A, compare lanes 2 and 7). To determine whether brief exposure to detergent was sufficient
to disrupt the lipid bilayer of the virus, immature virions and cores
were tested for the presence of the cellular protein cyclophilin A
(CypA). CypA is specifically incorporated into HIV-1 virions but is
removed upon isolation of mature HIV-1 cores (30). Reprobing
the blot with antiserum specific for CypA revealed a significant
depletion of CypA in immature HIV-1 cores relative to intact virions
(Fig. 2A, compare lanes 2 and 7). These results, together with the
increase in density of the immature HIV-1 cores, demonstrate that
exposure to 1% Triton X-100 effectively disrupts the viral lipid
envelope and that gp41 remains associated with the immature HIV-1 core.

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FIG. 2.
Immunoblot and ELISA analysis of immature HIV-1 virions
and cores. (A) The peak Pr55Gag-containing fractions of
virions (lanes 1 to 3) and cores (lanes 4 to 6) were diluted with STE
buffer, and particles were pelleted by ultracentrifugation. Pellets
were dissolved in 1× SDS loading dye, subjected to electrophoresis on
a 4 to 20% acrylamide gel, transferred to PVDF membrane, and probed
with the indicated antisera. Protein bands were revealed by
chemiluminescent detection after probing with the appropriate
HRP-conjugated secondary antiserum. For comparative purposes, twofold
serial dilutions of the peak cores fraction (lanes 7 to 9) were
analyzed on the same gel. Molecular mass markers are shown in
kilodaltons on the left of each panel. (B and C) Quantitation of gp120
associated with immature HIV-1 virions and cores by ELISA. Gradient
fractions of HIV-1 immature virions and cores were analyzed for the
presence of gp120 and Pr55Gag by ELISA. The gp120
concentration for each sample was determined using a standard curve of
recombinant HIV-1LAV gp120. (B) Virions subjected to
ultracentrifugation on a control gradient lacking detergent. (C)
Detergent-treated virions.
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Detergent-stable association of gp120 with the HIV-1 immature
core.
Assays of spontaneous and CD4-induced gp120 shedding from
mature HIV-1 particles and Env-expressing cells have shown that the
association of gp41 with gp120 is relatively unstable on
laboratory-adapted strains of HIV-1 (18, 19). To determine
whether gp120 remains associated with gp41 on immature cores, these
particles were analyzed for gp120 content by immunoblot using a
gp120-specific antiserum (Fig. 2A). Remarkably, a large fraction of the
gp120 present on untreated virions remained associated with the
immature cores. Quantitation of the gp120 associated with the immature
cores was performed by ELISA of gradient fractions from the immature
virions and cores (Fig. 2B and C). Immature HIV-1 cores retained
approximately 60% of the gp120 present on intact virions (compare
fraction 5 in Fig. 2B and fraction 7 in Fig. 2C) after normalizing for
Pr55Gag content. These results demonstrate that the
interaction of gp41 and gp120 on immature virions is highly resistant
to exposure to 1% Triton X-100.
Association of HIV-1 Env proteins with immature cores is dependent
on the presence of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail.
Previous studies
have provided strong indirect evidence for an interaction between the
gp41 cytoplasmic tail and Pr55Gag in HIV-1-infected cells.
However, this interaction has not been observed in HIV-1 particles. To
determine whether the gp41 cytoplasmic tail is required for the
association of Env with immature HIV-1 cores, we isolated cores from
immature virions containing a truncated form of gp41 lacking all but 6 of the 150 amino acids of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail. This mutant has
been previously shown to incorporate high levels of Env into virions,
probably due to the high level of expression of the Env proteins on the
cell surface (31). Virions were produced by transfection of
the PR-defective HIV-1 clone R9Tr712.PR
encoding the
truncated Env protein. As previously observed for immature HIV-1
particles expressing wild-type Env, the peak of Pr55Gag for
the intact virions was found in fraction 5 of the gradient, corresponding to a density of approximately 1.16 g/ml (data not shown).
The peak of Pr55Gag for the Env mutant immature cores was
found in fraction 7 of the gradient, corresponding to a density of
approximately 1.24 g/ml (data not shown). The yield of immature cores
lacking the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 was identical to that of the
immature cores containing the full-length form of gp41, indicating that the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 does not influence the stability of the
HIV-1 particles (data not shown). The peak
Pr55Gag-containing fractions from the virions and cores
were concentrated, normalized for Pr55Gag content by
CA-specific ELISA, and assayed for gp41 and gp120 by immunoblotting
(Fig. 3). In contrast to immature HIV-1
particles containing full-length Env, detergent treatment of immature
R9Tr712.PR
virions removed essentially all of the gp41
and gp120 from immature virions lacking the gp41 cytoplasmic tail (Fig.
3, lane 3). A small amount of unprocessed Env protein (gp160) remained
associated with the cores, a result that was occasionally observed in
repeated experiments. Reprobing the blot with anti-CA antiserum
confirmed that similar quantities of Pr55Gag were analyzed,
and probing with anti-CypA antiserum verified that the viral lipid
envelope was disrupted by exposure to 1% Triton X-100 (Fig. 3A). These
results demonstrate that the detergent-resistant association of the
HIV-1 Env proteins with immature HIV-1 particles requires the gp41
cytoplasmic tail.

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FIG. 3.
Immunoblot analysis of immature HIV-1 cores and virions
lacking the cytoplasmic tail of gp41. The peak
Pr55Gag-containing fraction of cores (C, lanes 1 and 3) and
virions (V, lanes 2 and 4), containing either a full-length form of
gp41 (WT) or a truncated form of gp41 lacking the cytoplasmic tail
(Tr712), were diluted with STE buffer and pelleted by
ultracentrifugation. Pellets were dissolved in 1× SDS loading buffer,
subjected to electrophoresis on a 4 to 20% acrylamide gel, and
transferred to PVDF membrane, and the blot was probed with the
indicated antisera. Protein bands were revealed by chemiluminescent
detection after incubation of the blot with appropriate HRP-conjugated
secondary antisera. Molecular mass markers are shown in kilodaltons on
the left of each panel.
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Inhibition of cleavage at the MA-CA junction allows retention of
the HIV-1 Env proteins on a PR-competent core.
Mutations in the MA
region of Pr55Gag have been reported to block the
incorporation of Env into nascent virions, suggesting that the MA
region of Pr55Gag associates with gp41 during virion
assembly (12). Structural studies of MA suggest that upon
cleavage from Pr55Gag, the free MA protein assumes a
different conformation than when part of the full-length
Pr55Gag (27). Based on these observations, we
hypothesized that inhibiting cleavage at the MA-CA junction, in the
context of an active PR, would be sufficient for retention of gp41 by
the isolated cores. To test this hypothesis, we created an MA-CA
cleavage site mutant by mutating the P1 position of the MA-CA junction,
converting the tyrosine (Tyr) to an isoleucine (Ile) codon. This
strategy was based on reports that substitution of residues containing
-branched side chains in the P1 position of a cleavage site has been
shown to block cleavage by HIV-1 PR (24).
Intact virions and cores from the MA-CA mutant were isolated, and the
peak Pr55
Gag-containing fractions (virion fractions 4-6 and
core fractions
6-8) were analyzed for the presence of Env proteins
(Fig.
4A)
by immunoblotting. As observed
with the immature cores, a large
fraction of the gp41 and gp120 present
on virions remained associated
with the MA-CA cores (Fig.
4A, compare
lanes 2 and 7, which contain
similar amounts of Gag protein). Reprobing
the blot with a CA-specific
antiserum verified that cleavage at the
MA-CA junction of Pr55
Gag was blocked in the mutant virus.
The low levels of CypA detected
in the cores fractions confirmed that
the viral lipid envelope
was disrupted by treatment with 1% Triton
X-100. The amount of
gp120 in the gradient fractions of MA-CA virions
and cores was
measured by a gp120-specific ELISA (Fig.
4B and C). The
peak Pr55
Gag-containing fraction of the MA-CA cores (Fig.
4C, fraction 7)
retains approximately 45% of the gp120 protein that is
present
on the intact MA-CA virions (Fig.
4B, fraction 5). These
results
demonstrate that blocking cleavage at the MA-CA junction is
sufficient
for the retention of both HIV-1 Env proteins on the isolated
core
structures.

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FIG. 4.
Immunoblot and ELISA analysis of HIV-1 virions and cores
inhibited for cleavage at the MA-CA junction of Pr55Gag.
(A) The peak MA-CA-containing fractions of virions (lanes 1 to 3) and
cores (lanes 4 to 6) were analyzed by immunoblotting as described in
the legend to Fig. 2. (B and C) The gp120 concentrations of the
gradient fractions were determined as described in the legend to Fig.
2. (B) Analysis of virions. (C) Analysis of cores.
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The detergent-stable association of gp41 with Pr55Gag
is independent of lipid rafts.
Recently, it was reported that
HIV-1 assembly occurs in cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains known
as lipid rafts (22). The lipid composition of HIV-1
particles is consistent with the presence of lipid rafts (1,
2), suggesting that HIV-1 contains raft microdomains within the
lipid envelope on the virion. A characteristic property of lipid rafts
is their insolubility in 1% Triton X-100 at 4°C (26),
conditions similar to those used in the isolation of cores. We
therefore tested the possibility that the HIV-1 Env proteins were
present on immature cores due to the presence of detergent-insoluble
lipid rafts. For this purpose, we utilized a reporter virus (NLPI.nef+)
that encodes PLAP, a raft-associated protein made in the presence of an
HIV-1 PR inhibitor to prevent Pr55Gag cleavage and thus
maintain the immature virion phenotype. PLAP is a
glycophosphatidylinositol-anchored protein that localizes to lipid
rafts on cells and is used as a marker to identify lipid rafts
(4). Immature HIV-1 particles were produced transfecting 293T cells with plasmid DNA and culturing in the presence of an HIV-1
PR inhibitor. The PLAP protein is incorporated into budding virions
(data not shown) and was therefore used as a marker for the presence of
rafts on the immature cores. Immature cores were isolated by incubating
concentrated virions with 1% Triton X-100 for 1 h at either
4°C, conditions known to preserve lipid rafts, or at 37°C, which
disrupts lipid rafts (4). The particles were then purified
by sedimentation centrifugation. Gradient fractions from virions and
cores were tested for the presence of PLAP using a quantitative
chemiluminescent activity assay for AP (Fig. 5). Virions treated with
1% Triton X-100 at 4°C exhibited a peak of PLAP activity that
cosedimented with a peak of Pr55Gag in the immature cores
(Fig. 5A, fraction 7). In contrast, cores isolated by treatment of virions with 1% Triton X-100 at 37°C lacked
detectable levels of AP activity in the cores (Fig. 5B, fraction 8). It
is noteworthy that virions treated at 37°C sedimented at a slightly
higher density, 1.26 g/ml (data not shown), suggesting that removal of
the lipid rafts from the virions altered the density of the isolated
cores. To determine whether the HIV-1 Env proteins were associated with
immature cores independently of the presence of lipid rafts, the peak
Pr55Gag-containing gradient fraction from each gradient was
pelleted and assayed for the presence of Env proteins by immunoblotting (Fig. 5C). Similar levels of both gp41 and gp120 were present on
virions following detergent treatment at either 4 or 37°C. Reprobing
the blot with a PLAP-specific antiserum verified that treatment with
detergent at 37°C was sufficient to remove PLAP from the cores. These
results indicate that the stable association of the HIV-1 Env proteins
with immature cores is not due to the presence of lipid rafts.
Furthermore, these data indicate that the interactions between gp41 and
Pr55Gag and between gp41 and gp120 are remarkably stable,
persisting after treatment with 1% Triton X-100 for 1 h at
37°C.

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FIG. 5.
Association of HIV-1 Env proteins on immature HIV-1
cores independently of the presence of lipid rafts. Immature HIV-1
cores were isolated from a PLAP-encoding virus by incubation for 1 h in detergent at either 4 or 37°C, followed by sedimentation
centrifugation. Fractions were examined for the presence of PLAP and
HIV-1 Env proteins. (A and B) Levels of PLAP were determined by
incubation of gradient fractions with an AP substrate and quantitated
on a luminometer as relative units (RU) of luminescence. A CA-specific
ELISA was used to determine the amount of virus in each gradient
fraction. (C) Immunoblot analysis of the peak
Pr55Gag-containing gradient fractions from immature cores
treated with detergent at either 4 or 37°C (lanes 1 and 4, respectively) was performed as described in the legend to Fig. 2.
Threefold serial dilutions of the peak Pr55Gag-containing
fractions were also analyzed (lanes 2 and 3 and lanes 5 and 6).
|
|
Phospholipid analysis of immature HIV-1 virions and cores.
Our
results suggested that a direct interaction between the cytoplasmic
tail of gp41 and Pr55Gag was responsible for the stable
association of Env with immature cores. However, this conclusion was
based on the assumption that the core isolation procedure efficiently
removed the viral lipid envelope. To determine the efficiency of lipid
removal during Triton X-100 treatment of immature HIV-1 particles, we
labeled the phospholipids of virions by culturing producer cells with [32P]orthophosphate. The 32P-labeled immature
virions were treated with 1% Triton X-100 for 1 h at 37°C, and
the resulting cores were pelleted by ultracentrifugation. Lipids were
extracted from 32P-labeled cores and control virions and
were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and visualized by
autoradiography (Fig. 6). Analysis of
lipids extracted from similar quantities of intact virions (Fig. 6,
lane 1, 30 µg of p24) and cores (Fig. 6, lane 3, 26 µg of p24)
demonstrated that treatment with 1% Triton X-100 at 37°C for 1 h efficiently removed a majority of the phospholipids from the virions.
Comparison of the cores sample to a 1:50 dilution of lipids extracted
from intact virions (Fig. 6, lane 2) revealed that <2% of the
analyzed phospholipids remained on the isolated cores. We conclude that
the procedure used to isolate immature HIV-1 cores resulted in
efficient removal of phospholipids.

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|
FIG. 6.
Analysis of phospholipids present immature HIV-1 virions
and cores. Immature HIV-1 particles were harvested from
32P-labeled 293T cells transiently transfected with the
R9.PR proviral plasmid. The virions were concentrated by
ultracentrifugation and then treated with 1% Triton X-100 for 1 h
at 37°C. The remaining core structures were separated from free
proteins and lipids by pelleting them through a 20% sucrose cushion.
Lipids from virions (V) and cores (C) were extracted by
chloroform-methanol (2:1) extraction, analyzed by thin-layer
chromatography, and visualized by autoradiography. Lipids were
extracted from similar quantities of immature virions (lane 1, 30 µg
of p24) and immature cores (lane 3, 26 µg of p24) and analyzed. A
1:50 dilution of the intact virions (lane 2) was analyzed for
quantitative comparison. Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE),
phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) standards were
analyzed in parallel.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
In this study, we isolated immature cores from PR-defective
virions with the goal of dissecting the putative interaction of the
HIV-1 TM protein with Pr55Gag. The inherent stability of
these immature particles allowed us to recover greater than 80% of the
initial virus. Based on this result, we conclude that biochemical
observations made using these particles are likely to be representative
of the whole virion population and not a consequence of the presence of
a minor hyperstable subset of virions.
We and others have shown that the HIV-1 Env proteins are efficiently
removed from mature HIV-1 particles when cores are isolated by exposure
of virions to 1% Triton X-100 (16, 30). In contrast, immature cores isolated by an identical procedure contained high levels
of both gp41 and gp120. HIV-1 assembly was recently reported to take
place in lipid rafts (22), which are membrane microdomains enriched in cholesterol, glycolipids, and some proteins
(26). The isolation conditions we used to isolate HIV-1
cores are known to preserve lipid rafts, and immature HIV-1 cores also
contained a known raft-associated protein, PLAP. However, detergent
treatment of virions under conditions known to disrupt lipid rafts
resulted in the efficient removal of PLAP but not of the HIV-1 Env
proteins. We conclude that immature HIV-1 virions incorporate lipid
rafts during assembly. Our results further demonstrate that the stable association of HIV-1 Env proteins with immature cores does not require
the presence of lipid rafts. The interactions mediating this
association are remarkably stable, persisting during a 1-h exposure to
1% Triton X-100 at 37°C. The observation that gp41 exhibits a
detergent-stable association with immature cores extends previously
reported genetic data and represents the first biochemical evidence for
an interaction between gp41 and Pr55Gag in HIV-1 particles.
The precise function of the 150-residue gp41 cytoplasmic tail in HIV-1
replication is not known. In some cell lines, such as MT-4, HIV-1
lacking the gp41 cytoplasmic domain replicates efficiently, while in
others, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the TM
cytoplasmic tail is required for Env incorporation (21). In
our experiments, HIV-1 particles were produced in 293T cells, a cell
type that is permissive for virion incorporation of tail-less HIV-1 Env
proteins. Our finding, that the detergent-stable interaction of gp41
with immature HIV-1 particles requires the gp41 cytoplasmic domain,
suggests that the gp41 tail mediates the strong association of Env
proteins with Pr55Gag in immature HIV-1 particles. We
conclude that this interaction is probably essential for incorporation
of Env in cell types in which the gp41 tail is required for HIV-1 replication.
Although removal of the TM cytoplasmic tail demonstrated that this
domain is necessary for the interaction of gp41 with immature cores,
the region of Pr55Gag required for gp41 binding remains to
be dissected. Although other retroviruses cannot be pseudotyped by
full-length HIV-1 proteins, the MA domain of HIV-1 Gag is sufficient
for the incorporation of full-length HIV-1 Env in particles produced
from chimeric HIV-1-visna virus Gag proteins (8). Our
demonstration that cores isolated from PR-competent HIV-1 particles
containing uncleaved MA-CA precursor retained large quantities of gp41
supports the hypothesis that the MA domain of Pr55Gag, when
part of a larger Gag precursor, binds the gp41 cytoplasmic domain. It
remains to be determined whether other regions of Gag also participate
in this interaction.
Although our findings do not formally exclude the possibility of a
third protein mediating the interaction between gp41 and Pr55Gag, published genetic data argue against this
(20). Such a bridging protein must be present at high
concentrations within the virion, must lose the ability to bridge gp41
and Pr55Gag when the gp41 tail is mutated, and must regain
this ability when compensatory mutations are introduced in MA.
Likewise, our data do not completely exclude the possibility of a
requirement for a lipid moiety as being required for the
gp41-Pr55Gag association. However, our lipid analysis
demonstrated that more than 98% of the phospholipid was removed from
immature cores, while approximately half of the Env molecules remained
associated with immature cores. With these caveats, the most
straightforward interpretation of our data is that the gp41 cytoplasmic
tail binds directly to the MA region of Pr55Gag in immature
HIV-1 particles.
A surprising outcome of this study was the finding that, in addition to
gp41, gp120 was stably associated with the immature cores. Previous
studies employing measurements of gp120 shedding from mature HIV-1
particles concluded that the gp120-gp41 interaction is unstable in
laboratory-adapted strains of HIV-1 (18, 19). We observed
that approximately 50% of the gp120 remained associated with immature
HIV-1 cores. This result suggests that the binding of the gp41
cytoplasmic tail to Pr55Gag stabilizes the gp120-gp41
interaction. We hypothesize that the interaction of Pr55Gag
with the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 regulates the conformation of the Env
protein complex on the immature virion surface, thereby preventing
entry until the virion has matured. Further studies will be required to
determine whether gp41 binding to Pr55Gag regulates fusion
of HIV-1 particles.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We thank B. Chen for the plasmid pNLPI, V. Bosch for pNLTr712,
and D. Trono and L. Henderson for antibodies. We also thank A. D. De Silva and S. Joyce for expert assistance with the phospholipid analysis. The following reagents were obtained through the NIH AIDS
Research and Reference Reagent Program, Division of AIDS, NIAID, NIH:
HIV-1 monoclonal antibodies against gp41 (C2F5) and gp120 (C2G12) from
Hermann Katinger.
This study was supported by NIH grant AI47056 and a Discovery Grant
from Vanderbilt University. D.J.W. was supported by NIH training grant
T32 CA09385.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, A-5301 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232-2363. Phone: (615)
343-7037. Fax: (615) 343-7392. E-mail:
chris.aiken{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu.
 |
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Journal of Virology, October 2000, p. 9381-9387, Vol. 74, No. 20
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
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