Resistance to RevM10 inhibition reflects a conformational switch in the HIV-1 Rev response element.

ABSTRACT: Nuclear export of certain HIV-1 mRNAs requires an interaction between the viral Rev protein and the Rev response element (RRE), a structured element located in the Env region of its RNA genome. This interaction is an attractive target for both drug design and gene therapy, exemplified by RevM10, a transdominant negative protein that, when introduced into host cells, disrupts viral mRNA export. However, two silent G->A mutations in the RRE (RRE61) confer RevM10 resistance, which prompted us to examine RRE structure using a novel chemical probing strategy. Variations in region III/IV/V of mutant RNAs suggest a stepwise rearrangement to RevM10 resistance. Mass spectrometry was used to directly assess Rev "loading" onto RRE and its variants, indicating that this is unaffected by RNA structural

SUBMITTER: Legiewicz M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2567145 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature