Characterization of an internal ribosomal entry segment in the 5' leader of murine leukemia virus env RNA

Murine leukemia virus resists producer cell APOBEC3A by its Glycosylated Gag but not target cell APOBEC3A

The human APOBEC3A (A3A) polynucleotide cytidine deaminase has been shown to have antiviral activity against HTLV-1 but not HIV-1, when expressed in the virus producer cell. In viral target cells, high levels of endogenous A3A activity have been associated with the restriction of HIV-1 during infection. Here we demonstrate that A3A derived from both target cells and producer cells can block the infection of Moloney-MLV (MLV) and related AKV-derived strains of MLV in a deaminase-dependent mode. Furthermore, glycosylated Gag (glycoGag) of MLV inhibits the encapsidation of human A3A, but target cell A3A was not affected by glycoGag and exerted deamination of viral DNA. Importantly, our results clearly indicate that poor glycoGag expression in MLV gag-pol packaging constructs as compared to abundant levels in full-length amphotropic MLV makes these viral vectors sensitive to A3A-mediated restriction. This raises the possibility of acquiring A3A-induced mutations in retroviral gene therapy applications.

Cap-independent translation initiation of the unspliced RNA of retroviruses

Retroviruses are a unique family of RNA viruses that utilize a virally encoded reverse transcriptase (RT) to replicate their genomic RNA (gRNA) through a proviral DNA intermediate. The provirus is permanently integrated into the host cell chromosome and is expressed by the host cell transcription, RNA processing, and translation machinery. Retroviral messenger RNAs (mRNAs) entirely resemble a cellular mRNA as they have a 5'cap structure, 5'untranslated region (UTR), an open reading frame (ORF), 3'UTR, and a 3'poly(A) tail. The primary transcription product interacts with the cellular RNA processing machinery and is spliced, exported to the cytoplasm, and translated. However, a proportion of the pre-mRNA subverts typical RNA processing giving rise to the full-length RNA. In the cytoplasm, the full-length retroviral RNA fulfills a dual role acting as mRNA and as the gRNA. Simple retroviruses generate two pools of full-length RNA, one for each purpose. However, complex retroviruses have a single pool of full-length RNA, which is destined for translation or encapsidation. As for eukaryotic mRNAs, translational control of retroviral protein synthesis is mostly exerted at the step of initiation. Interestingly, some retroviral mRNAs, both simple and complex, use a dual mechanism to initiate protein synthesis, a cap-dependent initiation mechanism, or via internal initiation using an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). In this review, we describe and discuss data regarding the molecular mechanism driving the canonical cap-dependent and IRES-mediated translation initiation for retroviral mRNA, focusing the discussion mainly on the most studied retroviral mRNA, the HIV-1 mRNA.

Role of retroviral vector-based interventions in combating virus infections

The deployment of viruses as vaccine-vectors has witnessed recent developments owing to a better understanding of viral genomes and mechanism of interaction with the immune system. Vaccine delivery by viral vectors offers various advantages over traditional approaches. Viral vector vaccines are one of the best candidates for activating the cellular arm of the immune system, coupled with the induction of significant humoral responses. Hence, there is a broad scope for the development of effective vaccines against many diseases using viruses as vectors. Further studies are required before an ideal vaccine-vector is developed and licensed for use in humans. In this article, we have outlined the use of retroviral vectors in developing vaccines against various viral diseases.

Retrospective on the all-in-one retroviral nucleocapsid protein

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This retrospective reviews 30 years of research on the retroviral nucleocapsid protein (NC) focusing on HIV-1 NC.

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Originally considered as a non-specific nucleic-acid binding protein, NC has seminal functions in virus replication.

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Indeed NC turns out to be a all-in-one viral protein that chaperones viral DNA synthesis and integration, and virus formation.

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As a chaperone NC provides assistance to genetic recombination thus allowing the virus to escape the immune response and antiretroviral therapies against HIV-1.

This review aims at briefly presenting a retrospect on the retroviral nucleocapsid protein (NC), from an unspecific nucleic acid binding protein (NABP) to an all-in-one viral protein with multiple key functions in the early and late phases of the retrovirus replication cycle, notably reverse transcription of the genomic RNA and viral DNA integration into the host genome, and selection of the genomic RNA together with the initial steps of virus morphogenesis. In this context we will discuss the notion that NC protein has a flexible conformation and is thus a member of the growing family of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) where disorder may account, at least in part, for its function as a nucleic acid (NA) chaperone and possibly as a protein chaperone vis-à-vis the viral DNA polymerase during reverse transcription. Lastly, we will briefly review the development of new anti-retroviral/AIDS compounds targeting HIV-1 NC because it represents an ideal target due to its multiple roles in the early and late phases of virus replication and its high degree of conservation.

Influence of untranslated regions on retroviral mRNA transfer and expression

Background

Deliberate cellular reprogramming is becoming a realistic objective in the clinic. While the origin of the target cells is critical, delivery of bioactive molecules to trigger a shift in cell-fate remains the major hurdle. To date, several strategies based either on non-integrative vectors, protein transfer or mRNA delivery have been investigated. In a recent study, a unique modification in the retroviral genome was shown to enable RNA transfer and its expression.

Results

Here, we used the retroviral mRNA delivery approach to study the impact of modifying gene-flanking sequences on RNA transfer. We designed modified mRNAs for retroviral packaging and used the quantitative luciferase assay to compare mRNA expression following viral transduction of cells. Cloning the untranslated regions of the vimentin or non-muscular myosin heavy chain within transcripts improved expression and stability of the reporter gene while slightly modifying reporter-RNA retroviral delivery. We also observed that while the modified retroviral platform was the most effective for retroviral mRNA packaging, the highest expression in target cells was achieved by the addition of a non-viral UTR to mRNAs containing the packaging signal.

Conclusions

Through molecular engineering we have assayed a series of constructs to improve retroviral mRNA transfer. We showed that an authentic RNA retroviral genomic platform was most efficiently transferred but that adding UTR sequences from highly expressed genes could improve expression upon transfection while having only a slight effect on expression from transferred RNA. Together, these data should contribute to the optimisation of retroviral mRNA-delivery systems that test combinations of UTRs and packaging platforms.

Translation initiation is driven by different mechanisms on the HIV-1 and HIV-2 genomic RNAs

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) unspliced full length genomic RNA possesses features of an eukaryotic cellular mRNA as it is capped at its 5' end and polyadenylated at its 3' extremity. This genomic RNA is used both for the production of the viral structural and enzymatic proteins (Gag and Pol, respectively) and as genome for encapsidation in the newly formed viral particle. Although both of these processes are critical for viral replication, they should be controlled in a timely manner for a coherent progression into the viral cycle. Some of this regulation is exerted at the level of translational control and takes place on the viral 5' untranslated region and the beginning of the gag coding region. In this review, we have focused on the different initiation mechanisms (cap- and internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-dependent) that are used by the HIV-1 and HIV-2 genomic RNAs and the cellular and viral factors that can modulate their expression. Interestingly, although HIV-1 and HIV-2 share many similarities in the overall clinical syndrome they produce, in some aspects of their replication cycle, and in the structure of their respective genome, they exhibit some differences in the way that ribosomes are recruited on the gag mRNA to initiate translation and produce the viral proteins; this will be discussed in the light of the literature.

Overview of Retrovirology

In the 100 years since their discovery, retroviruses have played a special role in virology and in molecular biology. These agents have been at the center of cancer research and shaped our understanding of cell growth, differentiation and survival in ways that stretch far beyond investigations using these viruses. The discovery of retroviral oncogenes established the central paradigm that altered cellular genes can provide a dominant signal initiating cancer development. Their unique replication mechanism and their integration into cellular DNA allow these viruses to alter the properties of their hosts beyond the life span of the infected individual and contribute to the evolution of species. This same property has made retroviral vectors an important tool for gene therapy. Indeed, the impact of retrovirus research has been far-reaching and despite the amazing progress that has been made, retroviruses continue to reveal new insights into the host – pathogen interaction.

Mechanisms employed by retroviruses to exploit host factors for translational control of a complicated proteome

Retroviruses have evolved multiple strategies to direct the synthesis of a complex proteome from a single primary transcript. Their mechanisms are modulated by a breadth of virus-host interactions, which are of significant fundamental interest because they ultimately affect the efficiency of virus replication and disease pathogenesis. Motifs located within the untranslated region (UTR) of the retroviral RNA have established roles in transcriptional trans-activation, RNA packaging, and genome reverse transcription; and a growing literature has revealed a necessary role of the UTR in modulating the efficiency of viral protein synthesis. Examples include a 5' UTR post-transcriptional control element (PCE), present in at least eight retroviruses, that interacts with cellular RNA helicase A to facilitate cap-dependent polyribosome association; and 3' UTR constitutive transport element (CTE) of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus that interacts with Tap/NXF1 and SR protein 9G8 to facilitate RNA export and translational utilization. By contrast, nuclear protein hnRNP E1 negatively modulates HIV-1 Gag, Env, and Rev protein synthesis. Alternative initiation strategies by ribosomal frameshifting and leaky scanning enable polycistronic translation of the cap-dependent viral transcript. Other studies posit cap-independent translation initiation by internal ribosome entry at structural features of the 5' UTR of selected retroviruses. The retroviral armamentarium also commands mechanisms to counter cellular post-transcriptional innate defenses, including protein kinase R, 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and the small RNA pathway. This review will discuss recent and historically-recognized insights into retrovirus translational control. The expanding knowledge of retroviral post-transcriptional control is vital to understanding the biology of the retroviral proteome. In a broad perspective, each new insight offers a prospective target for antiviral therapy and strategic improvement of gene transfer vectors.

Up-regulation of a cellular protein at the translational level by a retrovirus

Mink cell focus-forming (MCF) murine leukemia viruses (MLVs) are the etiologic agent of thymic lymphoma in mice. We have observed previously that superinfection by MCF13 MLV of certain cell types, such as preleukemic thymic lymphocytes and cultured mink epithelial cells, results in the accumulation of the viral envelope precursor polyprotein, leading to the induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In this study, we demonstrate that the induction of ER stress by MCF13 MLV infection results in an increase in the phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2. In cells in which this occurs, we have detected an up-regulation of the cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 (c-IAP1). The results of real-time RT-PCR quantification of message levels and protein turnover assays indicate that up-regulation of c-IAP1 occurs at the translational level. Elevation of c-IAP1 levels at a posttranscriptional step was detectable in MCF13 MLV-induced thymic lymphomas and chronically infected mink epithelial cells. The ability of a simple retrovirus to regulate cellular gene expression at the translational level may be an important mechanism that contributes to pathogenesis.

A dormant internal ribosome entry site controls translation of feline immunodeficiency virus

The characterization of internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) in virtually all lentiviruses prompted us to investigate the mechanism used by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) to produce viral proteins. Various in vitro translation assays with mono- and bicistronic constructs revealed that translation of the FIV genomic RNA occurred both by a cap-dependent mechanism and by weak internal entry of the ribosomes. This weak IRES activity was confirmed in feline cells expressing bicistronic RNAs containing the FIV 5' untranslated region (UTR). Surprisingly, infection of feline cells with FIV, but not human immunodeficiency virus type 1, resulted in a great increase in FIV translation. Moreover, a change in the cellular physiological condition provoked by heat stress resulted in the specific stimulation of expression driven by the FIV 5' UTR while cap-dependent initiation was severely repressed. These results reveal the presence of a "dormant" IRES that becomes activated by viral infection and cellular stress.

RNA helicase A interacts with divergent lymphotropic retroviruses and promotes translation of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1

The 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of retroviruses contain structured replication motifs that impose barriers to efficient ribosome scanning. Two RNA structural motifs that facilitate efficient translation initiation despite a complex 5′ UTR are internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and 5′ proximal post-transcriptional control element (PCE). Here, stringent RNA and protein analyses determined the 5′ UTR of spleen necrosis virus (SNV), reticuloendotheliosis virus A (REV-A) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) exhibit PCE activity, but not IRES activity. Assessment of SNV translation initiation in the natural context of the provirus determined that SNV is reliant on a cap-dependent initiation mechanism. Experiments with siRNAs identified that REV-A and HTLV-1 PCE modulate post-transcriptional gene expression through interaction with host RNA helicase A (RHA). Analysis of hybrid SNV/HTLV-1 proviruses determined SNV PCE facilitates Rex/Rex responsive element-independent Gag production and interaction with RHA is necessary. Ribosomal profile analyses determined that RHA is necessary for polysome association of HTLV-1 gag and provide direct evidence that RHA is necessary for efficient HTLV-1 replication. We conclude that PCE/RHA is an important translation regulatory axis of multiple lymphotropic retroviruses. We speculate divergent retroviruses have evolved a convergent RNA–protein interaction to modulate translation of their highly structured mRNA.

Both linear and discontinuous ribosome scanning are used for translation initiation from bicistronic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 env mRNAs

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) generates 16 alternatively spliced isoforms of env mRNA that contain the same overlapping open reading frames for Vpu and Env proteins but differ in their 5' untranslated regions (UTR). A subset of env mRNAs carry the extra upstream Rev initiation codon in the 5' UTR. We explored the effect of the alternative UTR on the translation of Vpu and Env proteins from authentic env mRNAs expressed from cDNA constructs. Vpu expression from the subset of env mRNA isoforms with exons containing an upstream Rev AUG codon was minimal. However, every env mRNA isoform expressed similar levels of Env protein. Mutations that removed, altered the strength of, or introduced upstream AUG codons dramatically altered Vpu expression but had little impact on the consistent expression of Env. These data show that the different isoforms of env mRNA are not redundant but instead regulate Vpu production in HIV-1-infected cells. Furthermore, while the initiation of Vpu translation conforms to the leaky ribosome-scanning model, the consistent Env synthesis infers a novel, discontinuous ribosome-scanning mechanism to translate Env.

Host factors exploited by retroviruses

Retroviruses make a long and complex journey from outside the cell to the nucleus in the early stages of infection, and then an equally long journey back out again in the late stages of infection. Ongoing efforts are identifying an enormous array of cellular proteins that are used by the viruses in the course of their travels. These host factors are potential new targets for therapeutic intervention.

Translational control of retroviruses

All replication-competent retroviruses contain three main reading frames, gag, pol and env, which are used for the synthesis of structural proteins, enzymes and envelope proteins respectively. Complex retroviruses, such as lentiviruses, also code for regulatory and accessory proteins that have essential roles in viral replication. The concerted expression of these genes ensures the efficient polypeptide production required for the assembly and release of new infectious progeny virions. Retroviral protein synthesis takes place in the cytoplasm and depends exclusively on the translational machinery of the host infected cell. Therefore, not surprisingly, retroviruses have developed RNA structures and strategies to promote robust and efficient expression of viral proteins in a competitive cellular environment.

Characterization of a nucleocapsid-like region and of two distinct primer tRNALys,2 binding sites in the endogenous retrovirus Gypsy

Mobile LTR-retroelements comprising retroviruses and LTR-retrotransposons form a large part of eukaryotic genomes. Their mode of replication and abundance favour the notion that they are major actors in eukaryote evolution. The Gypsy retroelement can spread in the germ line of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster via both env-independent and env-dependent processes. Thus, Gypsy is both an active retrotransposon and an infectious retrovirus resembling the gammaretrovirus MuLV. However, unlike gammaretroviruses, the Gypsy Gag structural precursor is not processed into Matrix, Capsid and Nucleocapsid (NC) proteins. In contrast, it has features in common with Gag of the ancient yeast TY1 retroelement. These characteristics of Gypsy make it a very interesting model to study replication of a retroelement at the frontier between ancient retrotransposons and retroviruses. We investigated Gypsy replication using an in vitro model system and transfection of insect cells. Results show that an unstructured domain of Gypsy Gag has all the properties of a retroviral NC. This NC-like peptide forms ribonucleoparticle-like complexes upon binding Gypsy RNA and directs the annealing of primer tRNA^Lys,2 to two distinct primer binding sites (PBS) at the genome 5′ and 3′ ends. Only the 5′ PBS is indispensable for cDNA synthesis in vitro and in Drosophila cells.

Searching for IRES

The cell has many ways to regulate the production of proteins. One mechanism is through the changes to the machinery of translation initiation. These alterations favor the translation of one subset of mRNAs over another. It was first shown that internal ribosome entry sites (IRESes) within viral RNA genomes allowed the production of viral proteins more efficiently than most of the host proteins. The RNA secondary structure of viral IRESes has sometimes been conserved between viral species even though the primary sequences differ. These structures are important for IRES function, but no similar structure conservation has yet to be shown in cellular IRES. With the advances in mathematical modeling and computational approaches to complex biological problems, is there a way to predict an IRES in a data set of unknown sequences? This review examines what is known about cellular IRES structures, as well as the data sets and tools available to examine this question. We find that the lengths, number of upstream AUGs, and %GC content of 5'-UTRs of the human transcriptome have a similar distribution to those of published IRES-containing UTRs. Although the UTRs containing IRESes are on the average longer, almost half of all 5'-UTRs are long enough to contain an IRES. Examination of the available RNA structure prediction software and RNA motif searching programs indicates that while these programs are useful tools to fine tune the empirically determined RNA secondary structure, the accuracy of de novo secondary structure prediction of large RNA molecules and subsequent identification of new IRES elements by computational approaches, is still not possible.

Characterization of two distinct RNA domains that regulate translation of the Drosophila gypsy retroelement

The genomic RNA of the gypsy retroelement from Drosophila melanogaster exhibits features similar to other retroviral RNAs because its 5' untranslated (5' UTR) region is unusually long (846 nucleotides) and potentially highly structured. Our initial aim was to search for an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element in the 5' UTR of the gypsy genomic RNA by using various monocistronic and bicistronic RNAs in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL) system and in cultured cells. Results reported here show that two functionally distinct and independent RNA domains control the production of gypsy encoded proteins. The first domain corresponds to the 5' UTR of the env subgenomic RNA and exhibits features of an efficient IRES (IRES(E)) both in the reticulocyte lysate and in cells. The second RNA domain that encompasses the gypsy insulator can function as an IRES in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate but strongly represses translation in cultured cells. Taken together, these results suggest that expression of the gypsy encoded proteins from the genomic and subgenomic RNAs can be regulated at the level of translation.

Alternative ways to think about mRNA sequences and proteins that appear to promote internal initiation of translation

Translation of some mRNAs is postulated to occur via an internal initiation mechanism which is said to be augmented by a variety of RNA-binding proteins. A pervasive problem is that the RNA sequences to which the proteins bind were not rigorously proven to function as internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs). Critical examination of the evidence reveals flaws that leave room for alternative interpretations, such as the possibility that IRES elements might function as cryptic promoters, splice sites, or sequences that modulate cleavage by RNases. The growing emphasis on IRES-binding proteins diverts attention from these fundamental unresolved issues. Many of the putative IRES-binding proteins are heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins that have recognized roles in RNA processing or stability and no recognized role in translation. Thus the mechanism whereby they promote internal initiation, if indeed they do, is not obvious. Some recent experiments were said to support the idea that IRES-binding proteins cause functionally important changes in folding of the RNA, but the evidence is not convincing when examined closely. The proteins that bind to some (not all) viral IRES elements include a subset of authentic initiation factors. This has not been demonstrated with any candidate IRES of cellular origin, however; and even with viral RNAs, the required chase experiment has not been done to prove that a pre-bound initiation factor actually mediates subsequent entry of ribosomes. In short, the focus on IRES-binding proteins has gotten us no closer to understanding the mechanism of internal initiation. Given the aforementioned uncertainty about whether other mechanisms (splicing, cryptic promoters) might underlie what-appears-to-be internal initiation, a temporary solution might be to redefine IRES to mean "internal regulatory expression sequence." This compromise would allow the sequences to be used for gene expression studies, for which they sometimes work, without asserting more than has been proven about the mechanism.

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4GI is cleaved by different retroviral proteases

The initiation factor eIF4G plays a central role in the regulation of translation. In picornaviruses, as well as in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), cleavage of eIF4G by the viral protease leads to inhibition of protein synthesis directed by capped cellular mRNAs. In the present work, cleavage of both eIF4GI and eIF4GII has been analyzed by employing the proteases encoded within the genomes of several members of the family Retroviridae, e.g., Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV), mouse mammary tumor virus, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, HIV-2, and simian immunodeficiency virus. All of the retroviral proteases examined were able to cleave the initiation factor eIF4GI both in intact cells and in cell-free systems, albeit with different efficiencies. The eIF4GI hydrolysis patterns obtained with HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases were very similar to each other but rather different from those obtained with MoMLV protease. Both eIF4GI and eIF4GII were cleaved very efficiently by the MoMLV protease. However, eIF4GII was a poor substrate for HIV proteases. Proteolytic cleavage of eIF4G led to a profound inhibition of cap-dependent translation, while protein synthesis driven by mRNAs containing internal ribosome entry site elements remained unaffected or was even stimulated in transfected cells.

The 5' untranslated region and Gag product of Idefix, a long terminal repeat-retrotransposon from Drosophila melanogaster, act together to initiate a switch between translated and untranslated states of the genomic mRNA

Idefix is a long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposon present in Drosophila melanogaster which shares similarities with vertebrates retroviruses both in its genomic arrangement and in the mechanism of transposition. Like in retroviruses, its two LTRs flank a long 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) and three open reading frames referred to as the gag, pol, and env genes. Here we report that its 5'UTR, located upstream of the gag gene, can fold into highly structured domains that are known to be incompatible with efficient translation by ribosome scanning. Using dicistronic plasmids analyzed by both (i) in vitro transcription and translation in rabbit reticulocyte or wheat germ lysates and (ii) in vivo expression in transgenic flies, we show that the 5'UTR of Idefix exhibits an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) activity that is able to promote translation of a downstream cistron in a cap-independent manner. The functional state of this novel IRES depends on eukaryotic factors that are independent of their host origin. However, in vivo, its function can be down-regulated by trans-acting factors specific to tissues or developmental stages of its host. We identify one of these trans-acting factors as the Gag protein encoded by Idefix itself. Our data support a model in which nascent Gag is able to block translation initiated from the viral mRNA and thus its own translation. These data highlight the fact that LTR-retrotransposons may autoregulate their replication cycle through their Gag production.

Pushing the limits of the scanning mechanism for initiation of translation

Selection of the translational initiation site in most eukaryotic mRNAs appears to occur via a scanning mechanism which predicts that proximity to the 5' end plays a dominant role in identifying the start codon. This "position effect" is seen in cases where a mutation creates an AUG codon upstream from the normal start site and translation shifts to the upstream site. The position effect is evident also in cases where a silent internal AUG codon is activated upon being relocated closer to the 5' end. Two mechanisms for escaping the first-AUG rule--reinitiation and context-dependent leaky scanning--enable downstream AUG codons to be accessed in some mRNAs. Although these mechanisms are not new, many new examples of their use have emerged. Via these escape pathways, the scanning mechanism operates even in extreme cases, such as a plant virus mRNA in which translation initiates from three start sites over a distance of 900 nt. This depends on careful structural arrangements, however, which are rarely present in cellular mRNAs. Understanding the rules for initiation of translation enables understanding of human diseases in which the expression of a critical gene is reduced by mutations that add upstream AUG codons or change the context around the AUG(START) codon. The opposite problem occurs in the case of hereditary thrombocythemia: translational efficiency is increased by mutations that remove or restructure a small upstream open reading frame in thrombopoietin mRNA, and the resulting overproduction of the cytokine causes the disease. This and other examples support the idea that 5' leader sequences are sometimes structured deliberately in a way that constrains scanning in order to prevent harmful overproduction of potent regulatory proteins. The accumulated evidence reveals how the scanning mechanism dictates the pattern of transcription--forcing production of monocistronic mRNAs--and the pattern of translation of eukaryotic cellular and viral genes.

Feline immunodeficiency virus OrfA is distinct from other lentivirus transactivators

The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) accessory factor, OrfA, facilitates transactivation of transcription directed by elements of the viral long terminal repeat (LTR). In order to map OrfA domains required for this transactivation, we used N- and C-terminal deletion constructs of the protein, expressed in a Gal4-based transactivation system. The results demonstrated that FIV OrfA, unlike other lentiviral transactivators such as visna virus Tat, is unable to transactivate from minimal promoter-based reporters and requires additional elements of the viral LTR. Stable CrFK-based cell lines were prepared that expressed OrfA to readily detectable levels and in which we were able to demonstrate 32-fold transactivation of an LTR-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase construct. Transactivation was heavily dependent on the presence of an ATF site within the viral LTR. Changing the translation initiation codon context substantially increased the level of production of OrfA from a bicistronic message that also encodes Rev. In the presence of a more favorable context sequence, the upstream expression of OrfA increased 21-fold, with only a 0.5-fold drop in downstream Rev expression. This suggests that Rev translation may occur via an internal ribosomal entry site rather than by leaky scanning.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gag gene encodes an internal ribosome entry site

Several retroviruses have recently been shown to promote translation of their gag gene products by internal ribosome entry. In this report, we show that mRNAs containing the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gag open reading frame (ORF) exhibit internal ribosome entry site (IRES) activity that can promote translational initiation of Pr55(gag). Remarkably, this IRES activity is driven by sequences within the gag ORF itself and is not dependent on the native gag 5'-untranslated region (UTR). This cap-independent mechanism for Pr55(gag) translation may help explain the high levels of translation of this protein in the face of major RNA structural barriers to scanning ribosomes found in the gag 5' UTR. The gag IRES activity described here also drives translation of a novel 40-kDa Gag isoform through translational initiation at an internal AUG codon found near the amino terminus of the Pr55(gag) capsid domain. Our findings suggest that this low-abundance Gag isoform may be important for wild-type replication of HIV-1 in cultured cells. The activities of the HIV-1 gag IRES may be an important feature of the HIV-1 life cycle and could serve as a novel target for antiretroviral therapeutic strategies.

Rous sarcoma virus translation revisited: characterization of an internal ribosome entry segment in the 5' leader of the genomic RNA

The 5' leader of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) genomic RNA and of retroviruses in general is long and contains stable secondary structures that are critical in the early and late steps of virus replication such as RNA dimerization and packaging and in the process of reverse transcription. The initiation of RSV Gag translation has been reported to be 5' cap dependent and controlled by three short open reading frames located in the 380-nucleotide leader upstream of the Gag start codon. Translation of RSV Gag would thus differ from that prevailing in other retroviruses such as murine leukemia virus, reticuloendotheliosis virus type A, and simian immunodeficiency virus, in which an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES) in the 5' end of the genomic RNA directs efficient Gag expression despite stable 5' secondary structures. This prompted us to investigate whether RSV Gag translation might be controlled by an IRES-dependent mechanism. The results show that the 5' leaders of RSV and v-Src RNA exhibit IRES properties, since these viral elements can promote efficient translation of monocistronic RNAs in conditions inhibiting 5' cap-dependent translation. When inserted between two cistrons in a canonical bicistronic construct, both the RSV and v-Src leaders promote expression of the 3' cistron. A genetic analysis of the RSV leader allowed the identification of two nonoverlapping 5' and 3' leader domains with IRES activity. In addition, the v-Src leader was found to contain unique 3' sequences promoting an efficient reinitiation of translation. Taken together, these data lead us to propose a new model for RSV translation.

Lentiviral vectors: excellent tools for experimental gene transfer and promising candidates for gene therapy

Lentiviral vectors are tools for gene transfer derived from lentiviruses. From their first application to now they have been strongly developed in design, in biosafety and in their ability of transgene expression into target cells. Primate and non-primate derived lentiviral vectors are now available and with both types of systems a lot of studies tuned to improve their performances in a large number of tissues are ongoing. Here we review the state of the art of lentiviral vector systems discussing their potential for gene therapy.

Comparison of bicistronic retroviral vectors containing internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) using expression of human interleukin-12 (IL-12) as a readout

BACKGROUND

Many gene therapy applications require the co-ordinated delivery of more than one reading frame. We wished to systematically compare IRES in the context of a retroviral vector to determine which was the most effective for protein production and viral titre. To do this we monitored expression of IL-12, as co-ordinated expression of both p35 and p40 subunits is required for production of the active heterodimer.

METHODS

Retroviral vectors were constructed to express human IL-12 in which an IRES initiates translation of the p40 subunit, with the IRES optimally aligned to the initiation codon of p40. Vectors containing an IRES from either polio virus (PV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) or murine leukaemia virus (MLV) were compared with a vector expressing IL-12 as a single protein (Flexi-12; in which the two IL-12 subunits are linked by a peptide).

RESULTS

All vectors produced high titre virus and directed synthesis of IL-12 in target cells. The bicistronic vectors containing the IRES from EMCV and PV were the most effective in infected 3T3 cells, producing up to 40 ng IL-12/10(6) cells/48 h, similar to the 50 ng IL-12/10(6) cells/48 h obtained with Flexi-12. The IRES from PV was the most efficient in human melanoma cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Bicistronic retroviral vectors have been constructed that effectively transduce target cells and produce high levels of protein. Target cell specificity of IRES function was observed. The combination of Flexi-12 and the IRES from PV will be useful in the generation of vectors expressing IL-12 with a second protein such as IL-2 for transduction of melanoma cells.