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PubMed1999

Eukaryotic expression of enzymatically active human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus type I is a vitalenzyme in the HIV-1 replication cycle and an attractive target of attempts to arrest a primary viral infection. We designed a vector for eukaryotic expression of the 66 kDa subunit of reverse transcriptase under the control of the immediate early cytomegalovirus promoter. Efficient transient expression of the 66 kDa subunit of reverse transcriptase was achieved in a variety of cells. Immunostaining of the transfected cells revealed the cytoplasmatic localization of reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase activity was detected in all transfected cell lines. Injection of this plasmid encoding the 66 kDa subunit of reverse transcriptase into mice resulted in strong reverse transcriptase-specific immune responses indicating that the 66 kDa subunit of reverse transcriptase is expressed in vivo. Sera from DNA-immunized mice inhibited reverse transcription in vitro.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1987

3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine triphosphate as an inhibitor and substrate of purified human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase was purified from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It utilized the artificial primer-template poly(rA)-oligo(dT)12-18 more efficiently than activated calf thymus DNA, poly(rI)-oligo(dC)12-18, poly(rC)-oligo(dG)12-18, or poly(rCm)-oligo(dG)12-18. Maximum activity was observed at pH 7.0 to 7.6 in the presence of 5 mM MgCl2 and 100 mM KCl. 3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine triphosphate competed with dTTP for binding to HIV reverse transcriptase. Different kinetic constants were obtained with different primer-templates. Km and Ki values of 2.8 and 0.04 microM, respectively, were obtained with poly(rA)-oligo(dT)12-18. The corresponding values were 1.2 and 0.3 microM, respectively, with activated calf thymus DNA and 0.3 and 0.01 microM, respectively, with extracted virus and native template. Inhibition of the host cell DNA polymerases alpha and beta was considerably weaker. The Km and Ki values obtained with activated calf thymus DNA as the primer-template were 2.4 and 230 microM, respectively, for DNA polymerase alpha and 6.0 and 73 microM, respectively, for DNA polymerase beta. 3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine triphosphate could also serve as an alternate substrate for HIV reverse transcriptase. The resulting incorporation of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine triphosphate into poly(rA)-oligo(dT)12-18 caused chain termination and premature deceleration of the reaction. The terminated primer could not be elongated when incubated with dTTP and HIV reverse transcriptase.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1989

Intrinsic properties of reverse transcriptase in reverse transcription. Associated RNase H is essentially regarded as an endonuclease.

The intrinsic properties of reverse transcriptase in reverse transcription were studied using a synthetic, partial ovalbumin mRNA with a synthetic DNA oligonucleotide annealed to the 3'-end of the RNA as a model substrate. With or without concomitant cDNA synthesis, the RNase H activity of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV)-reverse transcriptase cleaved the substrate at a site which would leave a hybrid of between 7 and 14 base pairs between the 3' termini of the RNA and DNA oligonucleotide. Variability in the exact size of the hybrid probably reflects some weak base preference for cleavage by the enzyme. These short hybrids can be recognized as substrates by Escherichia coli RNase H and can be utilized by reverse transcriptase as sites for continuation of cDNA synthesis. Substrates with 5'-triphosphorylated termini, 3'-OH, 3'-phosphate, 3'-end hairpin structures and 20 base pair hybrids on the middle region of long RNA more than 300 bases or on circular RNA were all cleaved by AMV-reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H, indicating that the RNase H activity is essentially regarded as an endonuclease degrading RNA moiety in RNA-DNA hybrid. The modes of action of reverse transcriptase from murine leukemia virus and Rous-associated virus 2 were the same as that of AMV-reverse transcriptase, except that the size of the remaining hybrid and the specificity for cleavage depended on the reverse transcriptase. We propose a possible model to explain the mode of action of RNase H and RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activities in reverse transcription.

Avian Leukosis Virus↗

PubMed1992

Temperature-dependent template switching during in vitro cDNA synthesis by the AMV-reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase template switching has been invoked to explain several aspects of retroviral replication and recombination, and has been reported in vitro for the Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) reverse transcriptase. During in vitro cDNA synthesis, the avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase can switch from one template to another in a homology-dependent and temperature-dependent manner. Chimeric cDNA molecules are generated within 30 min at high incubation temperatures, with an increasing efficiency from 42 degrees C to 50 degrees C. Such products are detectable only after much longer incubation times when primer extension reactions are carried out at lower temperatures (90 min at 37 degrees C).

Avian Myeloblastosis Virus↗

PubMed2002

Molecular basis of fidelity of DNA synthesis and nucleotide specificity of retroviral reverse transcriptases.

Reverse transcription involves the conversion of viral genomic RNAinto proviral double-stranded DNA that integrates into the host cell genome. Cellular DNA polymerases replicate the integrated viral DNA and RNA polymerase II transcribes the proviral DNA into RNA genomes that are packaged into virions. Although mutations can be introduced at any of these replication steps, reverse transcriptase (RT) errors play a major role in retroviral mutation. This review summarizes our current knowledge on fidelity of reverse transcriptases. Estimates of retroviral mutation rates or fidelity of retroviral RTs are discussed in the context of the different techniques used for this purpose (i.e., retroviral vectors replicated in culture, misinsertion and mispair extension fidelity assay, etc.). In vitro fidelity assays provide information on the RT's accuracy during the elongation reaction of DNA synthesis. In addition, other steps such as initiation of reverse transcription, or strand transfer, and factors including viral proteins such as Vpr [in the case of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)] have been shown to influence fidelity. A comprehensive description of the effect of amino acid substitutions on the fidelity of HIV-1 RT is presented. Published data point to certain dNTP-binding residues, as well as to various amino acids involved in interactions with the template or the primer strand, and to residues in the minor groove-binding track as major components of the fidelity center of retroviral RTs. Implications of these studies include the design of novel therapeutic strategies leading to virus extinction, by increasing the viral mutation rate beyond a tolerable threshold.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trifluoperazine and its metal complexes inhibit the Moloney leukemia virus reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase plays an essential role in the early steps of the replicative cycle of retroviruses. Because of the resistance against nucleoside analogue inhibitors such as 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine, the importance of the investigation of non-nucleoside analogue inhibitors is increasing. We have investigated the influence of trifluoperazine (TFP--a species of phenothiazines) and its newly prepared TFP-metal complexes (TFP-VO(IV), TFP-Cu(II), TFP-Ni(II), TFP-Pd(II), TFP-Sn(IV)). The compounds were tested on Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase assay. The inhibitory effect of metal complexes was higher than that of TFP. TFP-VO(IV) showed higher effectiveness compared the added effect of parent tricyclic chemical and metal. Therefore we concluded that the improved biological action depends on the formation of metal complexes. This phenothiazine and its metal coordination complexes could become a new non-nucleoside analogue group of compounds inhibiting the retrovirus replication.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Effect of Rauscher leukemia virus-specific proteins on reverse transcriptase. Binding between reverse transcriptase and p30.

The reverse transcriptase was purified to homogeneity from Rauscher leukemia virus by sequential column chromatography on phosphocellulose and DNA-cellulose. The purified enzyme, a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of approximately 70,000, interacts with major internal protein p30 of the same virus. The reverse transcriptase - p30 complex stimulated [3H]TMP incorporation into (dT)12 - (rA)n 2- to 3-fold compared to that observed with the purified enzyme alone. Monospecific antiserum made against either p30 or reverse transcriptase precipitated the entire complex. The sedimentation rate of the reverse transcriptase - p30 complex is approximately 12 S as estimated by glycerol gradient centrifugation, and the molecular weight is approximately 400,000 by chromatography on a Sepharose 6B column. The complex dissociates into its original components when treated with 0.8 M KCl.

Immunoassay↗

PubMed2004

Structural and energetic characterization of nucleic acid-binding to the fingers domain of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase is an essential retroviral enzyme that replicates the single-stranded RNA genome of the retrovirus producing a double-stranded DNA copy, which is subsequently integrated into the host's genome. We have previously reported that processive DNA synthesis of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase (MMLV RT) is severely compromised by substitution of an Ala for the fingers domain residue Arg 116. In order to further investigate the role of Arg 116 in interactions of MMLV RT with nucleic acids, we have determined the crystal structure of the R116A N-terminal fragment and characterized the binding of two self-complementary DNA duplexes [d(CATGCATG)2 and d(CGCGCGCG)2] to both the wild-type and R116A fragments by isothermal titration calorimetry. The resultant thermodynamic profiles extrapolated to 25 degrees C reveal that binding of the wild-type N-terminal fragment to both DNA duplexes is enthalpy-driven and characterized by an unfavorable entropy. Although the temperature dependence of the respective protein-DNA binding enthalpies is markedly different reflecting distinct heat capacity changes, the binding free energies are nearly identical and relatively invariant to temperature (DeltaG approximately -6.0 kcal x mol(-1)). In contrast to the wild-type fragment, the R116A fragment exhibits no measurable affinity for either DNA duplex, yet its crystal structure reveals no significant changes when compared to the wild-type structures. We suggest that hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the fingers domain residue Arg 116 are critical for DNA binding as well as processive DNA synthesis by MMLV RT.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2005

Specific recognition and cleavage of the plus-strand primer by reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptases (RTs) of retroviruses and long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons possess DNA polymerase and RNase H activities. During reverse transcription these activities are necessary for the programmed sequence of events that include template switching and primer processing. Integrase then inserts the completed cDNA into the genome of the host cell. The RT of the LTR-retrotransposon Tf1 was subjected to random mutagenesis, and the resulting transposons were screened with genetic assays to test which mutations reduced reverse transcription and which inhibited integration. We identified a cluster of mutations in the RNase H domain of RT that were surprising because they blocked integration without reducing cDNA levels. The results of immunoblots demonstrated that these mutations did not reduce levels of RT or integrase. DNA blots showed that the mutations did not lower the amounts of full-length cDNA. The sequences of the 3' ends of the cDNA revealed that mutations within the cluster in RNase H specifically reduced the removal of the polypurine tract (PPT) primer from the ends of the cDNA. These results indicate that primer removal is not a necessary component of reverse transcription. The residues mutated in Tf1 RNase H are conserved in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and make direct contact with DNA opposite the PPT. Thus, our results identify a conserved element in RT that contacts the PPT and is specifically required for PPT removal.

DNA, Viral↗

PubMed1999

The effect of template RNA structure on elongation by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcription of the RNA genome of retroviruses has to proceed through some highly structured regions of the template. The RNA genome of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) contains two hairpin structures within the repeat (R) region at the 5' end of the viral RNA (Fig. 1Fig. 1Template RNA structure of the HIV-1 R region and the position of reverse transcription pause sites. The HIV-1 R region (nucleotides +1/97) encodes two stable RNA structures, the TAR and polyA hairpins [5]. The latter hairpin contains the AAUAAA hexamer motif (marked by a box) that is involved in polyadenylation. The lower panel shows the predicted structures of the wild-type and two mutant forms of the polyA hairpin that were used in this study. Nucleotide substitutions are boxed, deletions are indicated by black triangle. The thermodynamic stability (free energy or DeltaG, in kcal/mol) was calculated according to the Zucker algorithm [71]. The TAR hairpin has a DeltaG of -24.8 kcal/mol. Minus-strand DNA synthesis on these templates was initiated by a DNA primer annealed to the downstream PBS. The position of reverse transcription pause sites observed in this study are summarized. All numbers refer to nucleotide positions on the wild-type HIV-1 transcript. Filled arrows represent stops observed on the wild-type template, and open arrows mark the pause sites that are specific for the structured A-mutant template. The sizes of the arrows correspond to the relative frequency of pausing. Little pausing was observed on the B-mutant template with the destabilized polyA hairpin.). These structures, the TAR and polyA hairpins, fulfil important functions in the viral life cycle. We analyzed the in vitro elongation properties of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme on the wild-type RNA template and mutants thereof with either a stabilized or a destabilized polyA hairpin. Stable RNA structure was found to interfere with efficient elongation of the RT enzyme, as judged by the appearance of pause cDNA products. A direct relation was measured between the stability of template RNA structure and the extent of RT pausing. However, the position of structure-induced pause sites is rather diverse, with significant stops at a position approximately 6 nt ahead of the basepaired stem of the TAR and polyA hairpins. This suggests that the RT enzyme is stalled when its most forward domain contacts the RNA duplex. Addition of the viral nucleocapsid protein (NC) to the in vitro assay was found to overcome such structure-induced RT stops. These results indicate that the RT polymerase has problems penetrating regions of the template with stable RNA structure. This effect was more pronounced at high Mg2+ concentrations, which is known to stabilize RNA secondary structure. Such a structure-induced defect was not apparent in reverse transcription assays performed in virus-infected cells, which is either caused by the NC protein or other components of the virion particle. Thus, retroviruses can use relatively stable RNA structures to control different steps in the viral life cycle without interfering with the process of reverse transcription.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of the dynamics of resistance-associated mutations to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and protease inhibitors after cessation of antiretroviral combination therapy.

The dynamics of mutations associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs were analyzed after cessation of therapy. The results showed that the kinetics of the shift to wild-type amino acid residues were significantly faster for protease inhibitors, intermediate for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and slower for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

PubMed1994

The mammalian genome shaping activity of reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptase catalyses the conversion of RNA into DNA. This operation seems to have largely contributed to the evolution of complex genomes. More than 10% of a mammalian genome is composed of sequences with reverse transcribed origin, most of which consists of repeated sequences (SINEs, LINEs). In spite of their simplicity, these sequences can play a key role in evolution by favoring illegitimate recombination. In addition to this abundant material, retrotransposed sequences include retrotransposons, retroviruses and genes depleted from intervening sequences, known as pseudogenes. Some of these sequences can be functional or involved in the regulation of neighbouring genes. These hallmarks of reverse transcription activity indicate that it has largely contributed to the fluidity of modern genomes.

Amylases↗

PubMed2002

Subcellular localization and integration activities of rous sarcoma virus reverse transcriptase.

Reverse transcriptases (RTs) alphabeta and beta from avian Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) harbor an integrase domain which is absent in nonavian retroviral RTs. RSV integrase contains a nuclear localization signal which enables the enzyme to enter the nucleus of the cell in order to perform integration of the proviral DNA into the host genome. In the present study we analyzed the subcellular localization of RSV RT, since previous results indicated that RSV finishes synthesis of the proviral DNA in the nucleus. Our results demonstrate that the heterodimeric RSV RT alphabeta and the beta subunit, when expressed independently, can be detected in the nucleus, whereas the separate alpha subunit lacking the integrase domain is prevalent in the cytoplasm. These data suggest an involvement of RSV RT in the transport of the preintegration complex into the nucleus. In addition, to analyze whether the integrase domain, located at the carboxyl terminus of beta, exhibits integration activities, we investigated the nicking and joining activities of heterodimeric RSV RT alphabeta with an oligodeoxynucleotide-based assay system and with a donor substrate containing the supF gene flanked by the viral long terminal repeats. Our data show that RSV RT alphabeta is able to perform the integration reaction in vitro; however, it does so with an estimated 30-fold lower efficiency than the free RSV integrase, indicating that RSV RT is not involved in integration in vivo. Integration with RSV RT alphabeta could be stimulated in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 nucleocapsid protein or HMG-I(Y).

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2002

Low efficiency of the Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase during reverse transcription of rare t(8;21) fusion gene transcripts.

The resolving power of RT-PCR is limited by the efficiency of RNA-to-cDNA conversion. Methods to determine this efficiency, using a real-time PCR assay for quantifying AML1-MTG 8 [t(8;21)] fusion gene transcripts, are described. The efficiency is shown to be directly proportional to RNA template levels. The Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) reverse transcriptase enzyme's conversion efficiency was calculated to be approximately 20%. The efficiency was even lower (6%) when target templates were rare (single molecules) in the RT reactions. Levels of nonspecific or background RNA present in the RT reaction reduced the reverse transcriptase's conversion efficiency. This background effect was particularly pronounced when the specific template was present in rare amounts.

Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit↗

PubMed1995

A screen in Escherichia coli for nucleoside analogs that target human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase: coexpression of HIV reverse transcriptase and herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase substitutes for temperature-sensitive DNA polymerase I (Pol Its) in Escherichia coli, providing a screen for anti-HIV reverse transcriptase nucleoside analogs in bacteria. Since phosphorylation of nucleosides in E. coli is limited to thymidine and its derivatives, we coexpressed herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase, an enzyme that phosphorylates a wide variety of nucleoside analogs, together with HIV reverse transcriptase. Coexpression of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase and HIV reverse transcriptase rendered Pol Its cells sensitive to dideoxycytidine. Studies with different nucleoside analogs indicate that this bacterial screening system is able to select and identify nucleoside analogs that specifically target HIV reverse transcriptase.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMed1991

Chimeric human immunodeficiency virus type 1/type 2 reverse transcriptases display reversed sensitivity to nonnucleoside analog inhibitors.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT), an important therapeutic target in the treatment of AIDS, is effectively inhibited by a class of nonnucleoside analog compounds that includes nevirapine (BI-RG-587) and tetrahydroimidazo[4,5,1-jk]-[1,4]benzodiazepin-2(1H)-one and -thione. We show that both tyrosine residues at positions 181 and 188 flanking the putative catalytic site of HIV-1 RT are required for sensitivity of the enzyme to these compounds. HIV-2 RT, which does not have tyrosines at these positions, is resistant to these nonnucleoside analog inhibitors. Substitution of the HIV-2 RT amino acid residues at position 181 or 188 into HIV-1 RT results in an enzyme that is resistant to these compounds while retaining sensitivity to 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine triphosphate. HIV-2 RT substituted with amino acids 176-190 from HIV-1 RT acquires sensitivity to these nonnucleoside analog inhibitors.

Affinity Labels↗

PubMed2004

Conformational changes in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase induced by nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor binding.

Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) are a group of small hydrophobic compounds with diverse structures that specifically inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). NNRTIs interact with HIV-1 RT by binding to a single site on the p66 subunit of the p66/p51 heterodimeric enzyme, termed the NNRTI-binding pocket (NNRTI-BP). This binding interaction results in both short-range and long-range distortions of RT structure. In this article, we review the structural, computational and experimental evidence of the NNRTI-induced conformational changes in HIV-1 RT and relate them to the mechanism by which these compounds inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcription.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

PubMed2000

Mutants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase resistant to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors demonstrate altered rates of RNase H cleavage that correlate with HIV-1 replication fitness in cell culture.

Three mutants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (V106A, V179D, and Y181C), which occur in clinical isolates and confer resistance to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), were analyzed for RNA- and DNA-dependent DNA polymerization and RNase H cleavage. All mutants demonstrated processivities of polymerization that were indistinguishable from wild-type enzyme under conditions in which deoxynucleoside triphosphates were not limiting. The V106A reverse transcriptase demonstrated a three- to fourfold slowing of both DNA 3'-end-directed and RNA 5'-end-directed RNase H cleavage relative to both wild-type and V179D enzymes, similar to what was observed for P236L in a previously published study (P. Gerondelis et al., J. Virol. 73:5803-5813, 1999). In contrast, the Y181C reverse transcriptase demonstrated a selective acceleration of the secondary RNase H cleavage step during both modes of RNase H cleavage. The relative replication fitness of these mutants in H9 cells was assessed in parallel infections as well as in growth competition experiments. Of the NNRTI-resistant mutants, V179D was more fit than Y181C, and both of these mutants were more fit than V106A, which demonstrated the greatest reduction in RNase H cleavage. These findings, in combination with results from previous work, suggest that abnormalities in RNase H cleavage are a common characteristic of HIV-1 mutants resistant to NNRTIs and that combined reductions in the rates of DNA 3'-end- and RNA 5'-end-directed cleavages are associated with significant reductions in the replication fitness of HIV-1.

Cells, Cultured↗