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. 1991 Jul;65(7):3721–3727. doi: 10.1128/jvi.65.7.3721-3727.1991

In vitro binding of human T-cell leukemia virus rex proteins to the rex-response element of viral transcripts.

R Grassmann 1, S Berchtold 1, C Aepinus 1, C Ballaun 1, E Boehnlein 1, B Fleckenstein 1
PMCID: PMC241395  PMID: 1904103

Abstract

Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I, HTLV-II) rex protein function is required for the cytoplasmic expression of incompletely spliced viral transcripts encoding structural proteins. The effect is mediated by a cis-acting rex-response element (RRX) which is located near the 3' end of all viral mRNAs. We show that rex polypeptides of HTLV-I and HTLV-II expressed in Escherichia coli are capable of specifically binding RRX-containing transcripts of both viruses in cell-free assays. Binding analyses with deletion variants of rex proteins revealed a domain with RNA-binding activity in the first 77 N-terminal amino acids. Removal of a basic peptide of 19 amino acids from the N terminus abrogated RNA binding, whereas a beta-galactosidase fusion protein containing this peptide bound to the RRX. These results suggest that direct binding of rex protein to the RRX is important for rex-mediated regulation of viral gene expression and that a short stretch of positively charged amino acids contributes to the specific binding of rex to its target RNA.

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Selected References

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