DNA found in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 particles may not be required for infectivity (original) (raw)
Abstract
We have studied the presence and significance of retroviral genome-derived DNA in the core of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) particles produced from transfections of HXB2 expression vectors in COS-7 cells and from HIV type 1 IIIB chronically infected H9 cells. Viruses purified by sucrose cushion centrifugation and treated with DNase I contained 1000-fold more viral RNA than DNA. However protease-defective viruses that contained only p160 gag−pol had less than 100 times the amount of DNA in their cores than wild-type viruses suggesting that the p66/p51 form of reverse transcriptase was responsible for DNA transcription. Viruses produced by transfections in the presence of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT) contained the viral RNA genome but only DNA of premature length because of the chain terminating effects of AZT. However such viruses were as infectious for CD4+ cells as wild-type virus. We conclude that retrovirus-derived DNA in HIV-1 particles is not required for infection and does not play a significant role in this process.
- Received: 18/10/1993
- Accepted:17/01/1994
- Published Online:01/07/1994
© The Journal of General Virology 1994
Article metrics loading...
/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-75-7-1605
1994-07-01
2025-01-23
Full text loading...
Most read this month
Article
content/journal/jgv
Journal
5
3
false
en