Nuclear export of late HIV-1 mRNAs occurs via a cellular protein export pathway.

RA Fridell, HP Bogerd… - Proceedings of the …, 1996 - National Acad Sciences
RA Fridell, HP Bogerd, BR Cullen
Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 1996National Acad Sciences
The Rev protein of HIV-1 is essential for the nuclear export of incompletely spliced viral
mRNAs. This action depends on the mutationally defined Rev activation domain, which both
binds the nucleoporin-like human cellular cofactor Rab/hRIP and also functions as a nuclear
export signal. Protein kinase inhibitor alpha (PKI) also contains a potent nuclear export
signal. However, PKI plays no role in nuclear RNA export and instead induces the nuclear
export of a specific protein target, the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase …
The Rev protein of HIV-1 is essential for the nuclear export of incompletely spliced viral mRNAs. This action depends on the mutationally defined Rev activation domain, which both binds the nucleoporin-like human cellular cofactor Rab/hRIP and also functions as a nuclear export signal. Protein kinase inhibitor alpha (PKI) also contains a potent nuclear export signal. However, PKI plays no role in nuclear RNA export and instead induces the nuclear export of a specific protein target, the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Here, it is demonstrated that the nuclear export signal of PKI not only binds the Rab/hRIP cofactor specifically but also can effectively substitute for the Rev activation domain in mediating the nuclear export of HIV-1 mRNAs. We conclude that HIV-1 Rev and PKI act through an identical nuclear export pathway and that Rev, rather than using a dedicated RNA export pathway, is instead acting as an adaptor that allows viral mRNAs to access a cellular protein export pathway.
National Acad Sciences