Caveolin-1 suppresses HIV-1 replication through NF-kappa B. (67.21)

Abstract

Abstract Caveolin-1 is an integral membrane protein expressed in macrophages. Caveolins are primarily responsible for the formation of intracellular vesicles known as caveolae, which are involved in protein trafficking and cholesterol homeostasis. It has been demonstrated that overexpression of caveolin-1 in cells suppresses HIV-1 protein expression. We have shown that HIV-1 transcription was down-modulated by caveolin-1 expression and the reduction of endogenous caveolin-1 showed an enhancement of HIV-1 replication in cells. Caveolin has been previously demonstrated to blunt inflammatory response via Nf-kappa B. Therefore we tested the role of Nf-kappa B in caveolin-1-mediate HIV-1 suppression. Using HIV-1 reporters with mutations in the Nf-kappa B binding site, we observed a loss of caveolin-mediated suppression on the HIV-1 promoter. From the work presented in this study we concluded that caveolin-1 requires Nf-kappa B in order to suppress HIV-1.