TITLE:
Intracellular Transport of HIV-1 Matrix Protein Associated with Viral RNA
AUTHORS:
Anatoliy I. Gozhenko, Valentina A. Divocha, Galina K. Vorkunova, Alissa G. Bukrinskaya, Sergey I. Lupandin
KEYWORDS:
HIV-1 Matrix Protein; Gag Precursor P55; Cytoskeleton; Viral RNA; Transport of Viral Complex; Plasma Membranes; Cell Fractionatiomn
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of AIDS,
Vol.3 No.1,
March
29,
2013
ABSTRACT: HIV-1
matrix protein (MA) is a multifunctional structural protein localized on N terminus
of Gag precursor p55. MA participates in HIV-1 assembly as membranotropic part of
Gag precursor as well as an individual protein spliced from Gag early in infection.
MA is found in the nuclei of infected cells and in plasma membrane, the site of
virus assembly, in association with viral genome RNA. MA mutated variant M4 which
contains two changed amino acids in N-terminal regions is also associated with viral
RNA, but it is localized in the nuclear and cytoskeleton fractions but not in the
plasma membrane suggesting that the mutant is deprived of membranotropic signal
and “sticks” in the nuclei an d cytoskeleton, its previous location sites. These
data allow suggesting that MA involved into transmission of viral RNA is transported
to plasma membrane by cytoskeleton.