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Characterization of ribosomal frameshifting in HIV-1 gag-pol expression

Nature volume 331, pages 280–283 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

Based on precedents from other retro viruses1, the precursor of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase is predicted to be a polyprotein with a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 160,000 (160K) encoded by both the viral pol gene and the upstream gag gene. These two genes lie in different translational reading frames, with the 3′ end of gag overlapping the 5′ end of pol by 205 or 241 nucleotides2–4. Thus, production of the gag-pol fusion protein would require either messenger RNA processing or translational frameshifting. The latter mechanism has been shown in the synthesis of the gag-pol proteins of two other retroviruses, Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)5 and mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV)6–7. Here we report that translation of HIV-1 RNA synthesized in vitro by SP6 RNA polymerase yields significant amounts of a gag-pol fusion protein, indicating that efficient ribosomal frameshifting also occurs within the HIV-1 gag-pol overlap region. Site-directed mutagenesis and amino-acid sequencing localized the site of frameshifting to a UUA leucine codon near the 5′ end of the overlap.

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Author notes

  1. Paul A. Luciw

    Present address: Department of Pathology, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Tyler Jacks & Harold E. Varmus

  2. Chiron Corporation, 4560 Horton, Emeryville, California, 94608, USA

    Michael D. Power, Frank R. Masiarz, Paul A. Luciw & Philip J. Barr

Authors
  1. Tyler Jacks
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  4. Paul A. Luciw
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  5. Philip J. Barr
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  6. Harold E. Varmus
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Jacks, T., Power, M., Masiarz, F. et al. Characterization of ribosomal frameshifting in HIV-1 gag-pol expression. Nature 331, 280–283 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/331280a0

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