Search PubMedSearch

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Gagging”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The gag gene products of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: alignment within the gag open reading frame, identification of posttranslational modifications, and evidence for alternative gag precursors.

Seven human immunodeficiency virus gag polypeptides were identified in the purified virus and in infected CD4+ lymphocytes by peptide mapping and limited amino acid sequencing of immune-purified proteins. Two gag polyproteins of 55,000 (p55) and 41,000 (p41) daltons were rapidly labeled and readily processed into the major internal gag proteins that were aligned within the gag open reading frame (ORF) as NH2-p16 (MA)-p24 (CA)-p9 (NC)-p7-COOH. The myristoylated p16 (matrix, MA) protein was processed from the myristoylated p55 gag precursor protein. The immunoreactivity of the p16 (MA) protein with region-specific gag antisera and the conservation of the N-terminal myristyl group of the p55 precursor protein in p16 (MA) confirmed its position as the N-terminal-most protein. The p9 (nucleocapsid, NC) protein was localized to residue 378 of the gag ORF, next to the C terminus of the p24/p25 (core antigen, CA) protein. The p9 protein had a repeating Cys residue containing motif which is found in the nucleic acid-binding Cys residue-containing proteins of retroviruses. The p24 (CA) protein, which was localized to residue 133 of the gag ORF, was apparently derived by C-terminal processing of an intermediate polypeptide, p25. Both the mature p24 (CA) and p16 (MA) proteins were phosphorylated at Ser residue(s). We also identified two forms of gag p41 species, one resulting from the C-terminal processing of p55 and the other originating either from N-terminal processing of p55 or from de novo synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence

Complementation studies with Rous sarcoma virus gag and gag-pol polyprotein mutants.

Avian retroviruses (with the notable exception of spleen necrosis virus) express their protease (PR) both in their gag and their gag-pol polyprotein precursors, in contrast to other retroviruses, notably, the mammalian retroviruses, in which PR is encoded in the gag-pol polyprotein or in a separate reading frame as a gag-pro product. The consequence is that the avian PR is expressed in stoichiometric rather than catalytic amounts. To investigate the significance of the particular genome organization of the avian retrovirus prototype Rous sarcoma virus, we developed an assay that measures complementation between the gag and the gag-pol polyproteins by expressing them from two different plasmids in transfected cells. By using this assay, we showed that the protease PR from the gag-pol polyprotein is capable of autocatalytic self-cleavage and -activation when coexpressed with a protease-deficient gag protein and that the PR domain has a role in viral particle assembly. Furthermore, this complementation assay can be used to investigate the role of the gag domain in the gag-pol polyprotein by determining whether it can rescue a defect in the gag polyprotein. We report here the results of such an experiment, which studied a mutation in the N terminus of the gag gene.

Animals

Role of gag sequence in the biochemical properties and transforming activity of the avian sarcoma virus UR2-encoded gag-ros fusion protein.

The transforming protein P68gag-ros of avian sarcoma virus UR2 is a transmembrane tyrosine protein kinase molecule with the gag portion protruding extracellularly. To investigate the role of the gag moiety in the biochemical properties and biological functions of the P68gag-ros fusion protein, retroviruses containing the ros coding sequence of UR2 were constructed and analyzed. The gag-free ros protein was expressed from one of the mutant retroviruses at a level 10 to 50% of that of the wild-type UR2. However, the gag-free ros-containing viruses were not able to either transform chicken embryo fibroblasts or induce tumors in chickens. The specific tyrosine protein kinase activity of gag-free ros protein is about 10- to 20-fold reduced as judged by in vitro autophosphorylation. The gag-free ros protein is still capable of associating with membrane fractions including the plasma membrane, indicating that sequences essential for recognition and binding membranes must be located within ros. Upon passages of the gag-free mutants, transforming and tumorigenic variants occasionally emerged. The variants were found to have regained the gag sequence fused to the 5' end of the ros, apparently via recombination with the helper virus or through intramolecular recombination between ros and upstream gag sequences in the same virus construct. All three variants analyzed code for gag-ros fusion protein larger than 68 kDa. The gag-ros recombination junction of one of the transforming variants was sequenced and found to consist of a p19-p10-p27-ros fusion sequence. We conclude that the gag sequence is essential for the transforming activity of P68gag-ros but is not important for its membrane association.

Amino Acid Sequence

Expression of gag precursor protein and secretion of virus-like gag particles of HIV-2 from recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells.

A recombinant baculovirus carrying the gag gene but lacking the protease coding sequences of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) has been constructed. When this recombinant baculovirus is used to infect insect cells, a high level of gag precursor protein, gag pr41, is expressed. Electron microscopy showed that the majority of gag pr41 was budding through the plasma membrane and being released into the culture medium in spherical virus-like particles with a diameter of approximately 100 nm. Metabolic labeling demonstrates that gag pr41 is myristylated. Our results demonstrated that HIV-2 gag pr41 can be assembled into virus-like particles in the absence of other HIV proteins. Rabbits immunized with purified gag pr41 particles produced high-titer antibody and Western blot analysis showed that anti-gag pr41 rabbit sera recognize p17, p24, and p55 gag proteins of HIV-1. These results show that gag pr41 particles are highly immunogenic and that gag proteins of HIV-1 and HIV-2 have similar antigenic epitopes.

Animals

HIV-1 gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize multiple highly conserved epitopes. Fine specificity of the gag-specific response defined by using unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and cloned effector cells.

CTL directed at the highly conserved HIV-1 gag protein have been described in HIV-1 seropositive persons and may be an important host defense against this retrovirus. Presently only limited data are available regarding the specific epitopes recognized by these CTL. In this study, we have performed a detailed examination of the gag-specific CTL response in three HIV-1 seropositive subjects, using both unstimulated PBMC and cloned CTL. Lysis of gag-expressing targets was found to be mediated by CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes and restricted by class I Ag. Multiple class I Ag were found to restrict gag epitopes in each subject studied, with as many as three of these Ag involved in presenting gag CTL epitopes in a single subject. The majority of gag-specific CTL activity was found to be directed against epitopes in the p24 subunit of the gag protein, with at least seven different HLA class I-restricted CTL p24 epitopes identified in these three subjects. Less CTL activity was directed against p17 subunit of gag and two CTL epitopes were identified in this protein. Although as many as four different epitopes in gag were recognized using CTL from a single subject, none of the epitopes was recognized by CTL from more than one subject. Analysis of gag epitope recognition using cloned CTL demonstrated heterogeneity and specificity not appreciated using unstimulated PBMC. The identification of multiple relatively conserved epitopes in the HIV-1 gag protein and the heterogeneity of CTL responses to this protein may have important implications for vaccine development and our understanding of AIDS pathogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence

Amino acids encoded downstream of gag are not required by Rous sarcoma virus protease during gag-mediated assembly.

Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and its relatives are unique in that they appear to encode their viral protease in the gag reading frame. As a result, this 124-amino-acid sequence is found at the carboxy terminus of each Gag precursor molecule and, upon ribosome frameshifting, embedded within each Gag-Pol molecule. However, rigorous proof has never been obtained for the activity of this 124-amino-acid Gag domain during virion assembly in vivo. If the active protease actually included amino acids encoded downstream in the pol reading frame, then the sequence organization would be more in line with those of other retroviruses. To examine this issue, mutations that disrupt the addition of amino acids by ribosome frameshifting were analyzed for their effects on particle assembly and Gag processing in a mammalian expression system (J. W. Wills, R. C. Craven, and J. A. Achacoso, J. Virol. 63:4331-4343, 1989). A 2-base substitution which created a nonsense mutation in the pol reading frame and was predicted to disrupt the hairpin structure of the ribosome frameshift signal had no effect on particle assembly or Gag processing, definitively showing that downstream amino acids are unnecessary. Mutations that fused the gag and pol reading frames to place 85 amino acids at the carboxy terminus of Gag hindered particle assembly and totally abolished the activity of the protease. A smaller fusion protein containing only the seven-amino-acid spacer peptide that links Gag and reverse transcriptase allowed particle formation but slowed processing. The reduced rate of processing exhibited by this mutant also revealed a previously unnoticed series of late maturation steps associated with the RSV capsid (CA) protein. Another mutant containing two substituted amino acids plus one additional amino acid at the carboxy terminus of protease nearly abolished processing. Together, these results demonstrate the importance of the carboxy terminus for proteolytic activity and suggest that this end must be unrestrained for optimal activity. If this hypothesis is correct, then the RSV protease may be encoded at the end of gag simply to ensure the production of a free carboxy terminus by translational termination.

Amino Acid Sequence

Maturation of human immunodeficiency virus particles assembled from the gag precursor protein requires in situ processing by gag-pol protease.

The vaccinia virus expression system was used to determine the role of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease in viral morphogenesis and maturation. The unprocessed p55 gag precursor polyprotein alone was assembled to form HIV-1 particles which budded from cells. The particles were spherical and immature, containing an electron-dense shell in the particle submembrane; there was no evidence of core formation. Expression of both gag and pol proteins from a recombinant containing the complete gag-pol coding sequences resulted in intracellular processing of gag-pol proteins and the production of mature particles with electron-dense cores characteristic of wild-type HIV virions. To ascertain the role of protein processing in particle maturation, the pol ORF in the gag-pol recombinant was truncated to limit expression of the pol gene to the protease domain. With this recombinant expressing p55 gag and protease, intracellular processing was observed. Some of the resultant particles were partially mature and contained processed gag protein subunits. In contrast, particle maturation was not observed when the HIV-1 protease and p55 gag were coexpressed from separate recombinants, despite evidence of intracellular gag processing. These findings suggest that HIV-1 protease must be an integral component of the full-length gag-pol precursor for optimal processing and virion maturation.

Fusion Proteins, gag-pol

Nucleotide sequence of the gag gene and gag-pol junction of feline leukemia virus.

The nucleotide sequence of the gag gene of feline leukemia virus and its flanking sequences were determined and compared with the corresponding sequences of two strains of feline sarcoma virus and with that of the Moloney strain of murine leukemia virus. A high degree of nucleotide sequence homology between the feline leukemia virus and murine leukemia virus gag genes was observed, suggesting that retroviruses of domestic cats and laboratory mice have a common, proximal evolutionary progenitor. The predicted structure of the complete feline leukemia virus gag gene precursor suggests that the translation of nonglycosylated and glycosylated gag gene polypeptides is initiated at two different AUG codons. These initiator codons fall in the same reading frame and are separated by a 222-base-pair segment which encodes an amino terminal signal peptide. The nucleotide sequence predicts the order of amino acids in each of the individual gag-coded proteins (p15, p12, p30, p10), all of which derive from the gag gene precursor. Stable stem-and-loop secondary structures are proposed for two regions of viral RNA. The first falls within sequences at the 5' end of the viral genome, together with adjacent palindromic sequences which may play a role in dimer linkage of RNA subunits. The second includes coding sequences at the gag-pol junction and is proposed to be involved in translation of the pol gene product. Sequence analysis of the latter region shows that the gag and pol genes are translated in different reading frames. Classical consensus splice donor and acceptor sequences could not be localized to regions which would permit synthesis of the expected gag-pol precursor protein. Alternatively, we suggest that the pol gene product (RNA-dependent DNA polymerase) could be translated by a frameshift suppressing mechanism which could involve cleavage modification of stems and loops in a manner similar to that observed in tRNA processing.

Amino Acid Sequence

Identification of HTLV-I gag protease and its sequential processing of the gag gene product.

The full-length provirus of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) was isolated from MT-2, a lymphoid cell line producing HTLV-I. In transfected cells, structural proteins of HTLV-I, the gag and env products, were formed and processed in the same manner as observed in MT-2 cells. The nucleotide sequence was determined for a region between the gag and pol genes of the proviral DNA clone containing an open-reading frame. The deduced amino acid sequences show that this open-reading frame encodes a putative HTLV-I protease. The protease gene (pro) of HTLV-I was investigated using a vaccinia virus expression vector. Processing of 53k gag precursor polyprotein into mature p19, p24, and p15 gag structural proteins was detectable with a recombinant plasmid harboring the entire gag- and protease-coding sequence. We demonstrated that the protease processed the gag precursor polyprotein in a trans-action. A change in the sequence Asp(64)-Thr-Gly, the catalytic core sequence among aspartyl proteases, to Gly-Thr-Gly was shown to abolish correct processing, suggesting that HTLV-I protease may belong to the aspartyl protease group. The 76k gag-pro precursor polyprotein was identified, implying that a cis-acting function of HTLV-I protease may be necessary to trigger the initial cleavage event for its own release from a precursor protein, followed by the release of p53 gag precursor protein. The p53 gag precursor protein is then processed by the trans-action of the released protease to form p19, p24, and p15.

Amino Acid Sequence

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in the developing mouse brain. Quantitative aspects on the metabolism of total and individual sulfated GAG in vivo.

Sulfation and desulfation of total glycosaminoglycans (GAG) as well as of chondroitin sulfates (A + C), dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate were quantified in the developing cerebrum and cerebellum of mice by labeling with [35S]sulfate combined with chases started 24 hr after [35S]sulfate injection. In both the developing cerebrum and cerebellum, the rate of biosynthesis of total sulfated GAG was highest shortly after birth (2 days), decreased sharply thereafter, and reached a plateau after 14 days. The biosynthetic activities of chondroitin sulfates and heparan sulfate decreased sharply up to 14 days and retained constant levels afterward. By contrast, the rates of biosynthesis of dermatan sulfate increased up to 14 days. The biodegradation rates of total sulfated GAG as well as of chondroitin sulfates, heparan sulfate, and dermatan sulfate were strongly correlated with the corresponding rates of biosynthesis during the first 2 postnatal weeks. Total and individual sulfated GAG showed high degradation rates resulting in half-life times of a few hours up to 1 1/2 days. Thus sulfated GAG are synthesized in excess and the actual net content seems to be co-regulated to a high degree by lysosomal degradation. In both brain parts, a proportional increase of the sulfated GAG content vs the total GAG content from 40% at birth to 90% at 28 days was observed. Since during development heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate manifested a relative increase in their daily net synthesis besides a decrease of chondroitin sulfates, a developmental increase of the sulfate groups linked to GAG is evidenced. This molecular differentiation resulting in microenvironmental changes may be of high functional significance.

Animals

A syngeneic monoclonal antibody to murine Meth-A sarcoma (HepSS-1) recognizes heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (HS-GAG): cell density and transformation dependent alteration in cell surface HS-GAG defined by HepSS-1.

We have isolated a syngeneic monoclonal antibody (HepSS-1) reactive to a murine methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma, Meth-A. HepSS-1 also bound to a wide variety of established and fresh normal cells derived from not only mice but also other species such as human, monkey, rat, hamster, and chicken. Immunoprecipitation of surface iodinated Meth-A cell extract with HepSS-1, as well as Sepharose 4B gel chromatography of Meth-A cell extract and detection of antigens recognized by HepSS-1 by a sandwich-type radioimmunoassay revealed that the HepSS-1 antigens were composed of several molecular species, with one as large as approximately 10(6) daltons. The following evidence indicates that HepSS-1 specifically recognizes an epitope present in heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (HS-GAG). First, treatment of Meth-A cells with heparitinase or heparinase, but not with chondroitinase ABC or hyaluronidase, resulted in the loss of HepSS-1 binding. Second, HS-GAG but not seven other types of GAG (hyaluronic acid, heparin, chondroitin, chondroitin 4-sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and keratan sulfate) inhibited HepSS-1 binding to Meth-A cells. Third, HepSS-1 bound with HS-GAG but not with the seven other types of GAG. From the binding analysis of HepSS-1 to various modified HS-GAG and whale omega-heparin, it is additionally suggested that HepSS-1 recognizes an epitope closely related to O-sulfated and N-acetylated glucosamine. We found that NIH 3T3 cells expressed more HepSS-1 epitopes at a low cell density than at confluency and in G2 + M than in G1, whereas NIH 3T3 cells transformed with Kirsten-ras oncogene or SV-40 expressed high levels of HepSS-1 epitopes and ceased to show the density-dependent change in the amount of HepSS-1 epitopes. These observations were also reproduced by using NIH 3T3 cells transformed with a temperature sensitive Kirsten murine sarcoma virus maintained at permissive and non-permissive temperatures. Thus HepSS-1 is a first monoclonal antibody to HS-GAG and seems to be useful to elucidate changes in cell surface HS-GAG in normal cell growth and cell transformation.

Animals

HIV-1 env, nef, and gag-specific T-cell immunity in mice: conserved epitopes in nef p27 and gag p25 proteins.

Cellular immunogenicity of env gp160, nef p27, and gag p55 proteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was studied in mice immunized with vaccinia virus recombinants. Proliferative responses of spleen cells were comparable against env gp160, nef p27, and gag p25 recombinant proteins. No specific activity was observed against gag p18 protein. Env, nef, and gag-specific T-cell lines were generated by repeated stimulation of immune spleen cells with recombinant HIV-1 proteins. They were CD4 positive, proliferative, and also cytotoxic against HIV-transfected target cells. Specificity of the T-cell response against nef and gag protein was analyzed with synthetic peptides. Peptides nef 15, nef 16, and gag AM-30 were, respectively, reactive in nef- and gag-specific proliferative and cytolytic assays. The three peptides described have a relatively conserved amino acid sequence among HIV isolates and appear broadly immunoreactive among species.

Amino Acid Sequence

Antibodies reactive with human immunodeficiency virus gag-coded antigens (gag reactive only) are a major cause of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactivity in a blood donor population.

Normal blood donors were examined for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-reactive antibodies with both virus- and Escherichia coli-expressed env- and gag-coded antigens. The frequency of samples from normal (low-risk) donors that were repeatedly reactive with an HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay blood screening test (Du Pont Co.) was 0.6%. Two classes of HIV serological reactivity were identified: a minor env-reactive class (0.03 to 0.06% of donors) and the predominant env-nonreactive gag-reactive class (gag reactive only [GRO]) (0.4 to 0.5% of donors). Assignment of env reactivity was made by a synthetic (recombinant) env enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus immunoblot. Most GRO sera reacted with p15/p17 bands on HIV immunoblot. Antibody specificity in GRO sera was confirmed by competition-binding studies with viral gag and E. coli-expressed p55gag. This study provides independent verification that gag-specific antibodies are present in many env-nonreactive sera. More serological and virological studies of individuals with this antibody pattern should be pursued to determine the origin of these gag-reactive antibodies.

Antibodies, Viral

Effect of two novel inhibitors of the human immunodeficiency virus protease on the maturation of the HIV gag and gag-pol polyproteins.

The ability of two novel synthetic compounds to inhibit the HIV protease-mediated processing of HIV-1 precursor polyproteins was investigated in an in vitro gag-protease mixed lysate assay system and in an assay using recombinant baculoviruses engineered to express the HIV-1 gag and pol genes in cultured insect cells. With the in vitro mixed lysate assay we have shown that both compounds at 1 microM can completely inhibit the HIV-1 and HIV-2 protease-mediated release of p24 from the HIV-1 gag precursor at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0. In the intracellular baculovirus system these compounds were shown to inhibit the protease-mediated maturation of gag and also the excision of the protease moiety from its precursor.

Animals

Mutational analysis of the gag-pol junction of Moloney murine leukemia virus: requirements for expression of the gag-pol fusion protein.

The gag-pol polyprotein of the murine and feline leukemia viruses is expressed by translational readthrough of a UAG terminator codon at the 3' end of the gag gene. To explore the cis-acting sequence requirements for the readthrough event in vivo, we generated a library of mutants of the Moloney murine leukemia virus with point mutations near the terminator codon and tested the mutant viral DNAs for the ability to direct synthesis of the gag-pol fusion protein and formation of infectious virus. The analysis showed that sequences 3' to the terminator are necessary and sufficient for the process. The results do not support a role for one proposed stem-loop structure that includes the terminator but are consistent with the involvement of another stem-loop 3' to the terminator. One mutant, containing two compensatory changes in this stem structure, was temperature sensitive for replication and for formation of the gag-pol protein. The results suggest that RNA sequence and structure are critical determinants of translational readthrough in vivo.

Animals

Avian sarcoma virus gag-fps and gag-yes transforming proteins are not myristylated or palmitylated.

The transforming proteins of several avian sarcoma viruses were examined for evidence of covalently attached fatty acids. While the product of the viral src gene could be readily labeled biosynthetically with [3H]myristic acid, the gag-onc transforming proteins of Fujinami sarcoma virus, PRCII, PRCIIp, and Y73 avian sarcoma viruses were not readily labeled with either [3H]myristate or [3H]palmitate. Thus, avian gag-onc proteins appear to lack modifications shared by mammalian gag and gag-onc proteins, and the products of the oncogenes src, tck, and ras.

Animals

Epitope mapping of the HIV-1 gag region by analysis of gag gene deletion fragments expressed in Escherichia coli defines eight antigenic determinants.

Immune response to HIV infection is generally characterized by appearance of antibodies to the gag protein p24 early in infection, and by apparent loss of p24 antibodies accompanied by increases in p24 antigen levels with disease progression. Precise definition of the immunodominant epitopes present in gag gene proteins has potential clinical significance. Seventeen anti-gag monoclonal antibodies (MAb) were used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with antigens expressed by nine recombinant clones to define epitopes on HIV gag proteins which elicit an immune response. All of the MAbs tested, except two anti-p17, reacted with a clone which expresses the carboxyl terminal 13 amino acids of p17 and all of p24 and p15. All anti-p24 MAbs reacted with clones containing all of p24. MAbs reacted differentially with clones containing deleted regions depending on the antigenic portion expressed. Of thirteen potential identifiably different genomic regions which could be predicted from the genomic structure of the clones, eight different antigen epitopes were defined: two on p17, five on p24, and one on p15 (in the region corresponding to the carboxyl terminal protein p6). Six regions did not appear to react with any of the monoclonal antibodies available. Identification of the epitopes present in the cloned antigens should allow their use to evaluate sera from HIV-infected donors at different clinical stages of progression to AIDS.

Animals

Reactivity of an HIV gag gene polypeptide expressed in E. coli with sera from AIDS patients and monoclonal antibodies to gag.

A segment of the gag gene of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HTLV-IIIB strain), the virus which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has been cloned into the bacterial expression vector, pCQV2, and mapped to the right-hand portion of the gag gene containing the carboxyl-terminal portion of p24 and the amino-terminal portion of p15. Nucleic-acid sequencing of the insert-vector junctions further defined the 5'-terminal nucleotide of HIV sequence as nucleotide 997 and the 3'-terminal nucleotide as 1696. When used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with sera from HIV-infected patients, the cloned antigen reacted with a subset of sera which were positive on a standard ELISA using whole virus as antigen. Western-blot screening of these sera with whole virus indicated that all p24-positive sera were positive with the clone, suggesting that the carboxyl-terminal portion of p24 contains a highly antigenic epitope(s). A serum which was p24-negative p15-positive by Western blot analysis was also highly reactive, indicating that a p15 epitope is present in the cloned antigen. Epitope mapping with a series of monoclonal antibodies to gag resulted in positive ELISA with 2 of 3 anti-p24, 0 of 1 anti-p15, and 0 of 1 anti-p17 Western-blot-positive monoclonal antibodies, suggesting that one of the anti-p24 monoclonal antibodies reacts with epitopes amino-terminal to those coded from nucleotide 997, two anti-p24 monoclonals react with epitopes carboxyl-terminal to those coded from nucleotide 997, and the anti-p15 monoclonal reacts with epitopes carboxyl-terminal to those coded from nucleotide 1696.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome