Trans-activation of the human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat sequence by DNA viruses.

Abstract

To investigate whether DNA viruses can augment gene expression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cotransfection experiments were carried out in which a recombinant plasmid containing the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene was transfected into cultured cells along with plasmids containing DNA from various distinct classes of DNA viruses. Molecular clones containing JC virus, BK virus, lymphotropic papovavirus, bovine papilloma virus, type 1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), and varicella-zoster virus sequences increased CAT expression directed by the HIV LTR. Trans-activation of the HIV LTR varied in different cell lines, but in each case the HIV tat gene product elicited the greatest stimulation. Primer-extension assays specific for HIV LTR mRNA revealed increased levels of steady-state RNA following transfection with HIV tat as well as with several of the DNA viruses. Virus-specific RNA expression paralleled the stimulation of CAT activity. More-than-additive effects were observed at both the RNA and protein levels when tat plus type 1 herpes simplex virus DNAs or tat plus JC virus DNAs were transfected into cells with the HIV LTR-CAT plasmid. These data suggest that coinfection of cells by HIV and some DNA viruses can stimulate the expression of HIV.

Immediate-early gene region of human cytomegalovirus trans-activates the promoter of human immunodeficiency virus.

“…Several other DNA viruses including herpes simplex virus 1 have also been shown to trans-activate the HIV promoter (16,17). As we observed with HCMV, the herpes simplex virus 1 IE region includes the trans-activating sequences.…”

Investigation of the simian polyomavirus SV40 as a potential causative agent of human neurological disorders in AIDS patients

“…SV40 multiplication in human tissue may be`helped' by complementing functions of other viral agents, such as JCV, BKV or HIV, or a combination of them, infecting the same hosts. It is worth noting that reciprocal transactivation occurs between HIV and JCV [43], SV40 and JCV [44] and other viral models [45].…”

Reciprocal Enhancement of Gene Expression and Viral Replication Between Human Cytomegalovirus and Human immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

“…One possibility is co-infection with other viruses, especially herpesviruses. Several studies have demonstrated the ability of secondary infectious agents to trigger HIV growth in vitro (Gendelman et al, 1986;Zagury et al, 1986;Mosca et al, 1987;Rando et al, 1987;Horvat et al, 1989). Clinical findings have served to focus attention on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), an opportunistic pathogen that has been detected in a number of different immunodeficiency syndromes, including AIDS (Macher et al, 1983;Mintz et al, 1983) and HCMV viraemia parallels the progression of AIDS symptoms (Fiala et al, 1986).…”