Molecular Cloning of a New Interferon-induced Factor That Represses Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Long Terminal Repeat Expression

Catherine Tissot , Nadir Mechti (1)

1 IRIM - Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier

Transcriptional induction of genes is an essential part of the cellular response to interferons. To isolate yet unidentified IFN-regulated genes we have performed a differential screening on a cDNA library prepared from human lymphoblastoid Daudi cells treated for 16 h with human alpha/beta interferon (Hu-alpha/beta IFN). In the course of these studies we have isolated a human cDNA which codes for a protein sharing homology with the mouse Rpt-1 gene; it will be referred as Staf-50 for Stimulated Trans-Acting Factor of 50 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that Staf-50 is a member of the Ring finger family and contains all the features of a transcriptional regulator able to initiate a second cascade of gene induction (secondary response). Staf-50 is induced by both type I and type II IFN in various cell lines and down-regulates the transcription directed by the long terminal repeat promoter region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in transfected cells. These data are consistent with a role of Staf-50 in the mechanism of transduction of the IFN antiviral action.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Catherine Tissot, Nadir Mechti. Molecular Cloning of a New Interferon-induced Factor That Represses Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Long Terminal Repeat Expression. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1995, 270 (25), pp.14891-14898. ⟨10.1074/jbc.270.25.14891⟩. ⟨hal-02361053⟩