Enveloped Retroviruses Research Articles

Phosphatidylserine on HIV envelope is a cofactor for infection of monocytic cells.

HIV-1 is an enveloped retrovirus that acquires its outer membrane as the virion exits the cell. Because of the association of apoptosis with the progression of AIDS, HIV-1-infected T cells or macrophages might be expected to express elevated levels of surface phosphatidylserine (PS), a hallmark of programmed cell death. Virions produced by these cells would also be predicted to have PS on the surface of their envelopes. In this study, data are presented that support this hypothesis and suggest that PS is required for macrophage infection. The PS-specific protein annexin V was used to enrich for virus particles and to inhibit HIV-1 replication in primary macrophages, but not T cells. HIV-1 replication was also significantly inhibited with vesicles consisting of PS, but not phosphatidylcholine. PS is specifically required for HIV-1 infection because viruses pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G and amphotropic murine leukemia virus envelopes were not inhibited by PS vesicles or annexin V. These data indicate that PS is an important cofactor for HIV-1 infection of macrophages.

Cloning and sequencing of an envelope-like gene in Gossypium.

Eukaryotic genomes harbor mobile genetic elements known as long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons. LTR retrotransposons are closely related to the infectious and endogenous retroviruses. The viral envelope (env) gene of the retroviruses, which is responsible for their infective properties, distinguishes them from the LTR retrotransposons. Here, we report the cloning and sequencing of an envelope-like gene in Gossypium, implying that enveloped retroviruses are not limited to animals.

A novel exogenous retrovirus sequence identified in humans.

A 932-bp retrovirus sequence was cloned by reverse transcriptase PCR from salivary gland tissue of a patient with Sjögren's syndrome. The sequence is related to that of type B and type D retroviruses and was present in a sucrose density gradient fraction corresponding to that of an enveloped retrovirus particle. Sequences amplified from tissues of eight individuals with or without Sjögren's syndrome had over 90% similarity and were present at a level of less than one copy per 10(3) cells. The sequence was not detectable in human genomic DNA by PCR or by Southern hybridization. These data indicate that the sequence represents an infectiously acquired genome, provisionally called human retrovirus 5.

Hypericin as an inactivator of infectious viruses in blood components

Hypericin is a potent virucidal agent with activity against a broad range of enveloped viruses and retroviruses. The effective virucidal activity emanates from a combination of photodynamic and lipophilic properties. Hypericin binds cell membranes (and, by inference, virus membranes) and crosslinks virus capsid proteins. This action results in a loss of infectivity and an inability to retrieve the reverse transcriptase enzymatic activity from the virion. Since hypericin is devoid of adverse action in most blood components and blood analyses, it is investigated as an additive with potential to inactivate infective viruses in blood components intended for transfusion. Complete inactivation of 10(6) tissue culture-infective doses of human immunodeficiency virus was obtained in whole blood and in diluted packed red cells after illumination with fluorescent light for 1 hour. Loss of viral infectivity to cultured CEM cells has been monitored by use of a detection assay for human immunodeficiency virus p55 in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and cytopathic assays. In physiologic media, hypericin interacts with albumin and lipoproteins, retaining the virucidal activity in bound form. The molecule is negatively charged and forms organic and inorganic monobasic salts (ion pairs) in physiologic pH. Various ion pairs differ in virucidal efficacy. The apparent transfusibility of hypericin, taken together with the efficacy of the virucidal activity, the broad range of enveloped viruses affected, and the absence of adverse effects on stored red cells, may render hypericin useful for inactivation of infectious viruses in red cells.

Interactions of retroviruses with chemical carcinogens: I. Noncovalent binding of unactivated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The noncovalent binding of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), e.g., benzo( a)pyrene, to retroviruses was quantitated using a rate zonal centrifugation assay, and the effects of the binding on a retrovirus specific function, reverse transcription, were determined. The level of binding for the enveloped retroviruses was much higher than that found for nonenveloped viruses (2.5 to 40-fold greater), such as bacteriophage T4 and adenovirus type 5; there was no special affinity of PAH compounds for retroviruses as compared with another enveloped virus, Sindbis virus; and there was no binding to the viral glycoproteins (type specific antigens). These results suggest that the binding is best interpreted as partitioning of the hydrophobic PAH compounds between viral envelope lipids and the surrounding aqueous buffer, and this interpretation is supported by the temperature and salt dependence of the binding. Using isolated retroviral cores we also found that there is a relatively small, but significant, level of binding of benzo( a)pyrene to retroviral cores. Further, we observed that the noncovalent binding of benzo( a)pyrene to Rauscher leukemia virus inhibits the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity. The inhibition requires preincubation of the virus and PAH, i.e., the formation of noncovalent virus-PAH complexes, and is consistent with a noncompetitive model of enzyme inhibition with an inhibition constant, K i of about 40 μ M.