| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Regular Articles |
B Activation



From the Pathology and Physiology Research Branch,*
Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, and the Department of Basic Pharmaceutical
Sciences,
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, West Virginia, the Department of Medical
Chemistry,
Kochi Medical School, Kochi,
Japan, and the Department of Pathology,§
The
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine,
Hershey, Pennsylvania
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
B, a key transcription
factor involved in HIV gene expression and viral replication. In the
present study, we demonstrate that HIV Tat activates NF-
B
and that this activation can be attenuated by endogenous or exogenous
NO. Inhibition of endogenous NO production with the NO synthase (NOS)
inhibitor L-NMMA causes a significant increase in
Tat-induced NF-
B activity. In addition, NO attenuates
signal-initiated degradation of I
B
, an intracellular
inhibitor of NF-
B, and blocks the DNA binding activity of
the NF-
B p50/p50 homodimer and p50/p65 heterodimer. To determine how
NO is induced by HIV Tat, reverse transcription polymerase
chain reaction was used to demonstrate the induction of NOS-2 and NOS-3
mRNA by Tat. Although a putative NF-
B binding site was identified in
the -74 GGAGAGCCCCC -64 region of the NOS-3 gene promoter,
gel mobility shift assays and site-directed mutation analyses suggest
that the putative NF-
B site is not of primary importance.
Rather, several Sp-1 sites adjoining the putative NF-
B
binding site in the promoter region of NOS-3 gene are required for the
induction of NOS-3 gene expression by Tat.
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
As a nonspecific defense weapon, NO is considered a major ally of
specific immune response against the invasion of microorganisms.
Although antigen-specific T-cell-mediated immune response is essential
for recovery from most primary viral infections, this response alone is
insufficient to combat infection in the absence of early, nonspecific
defense mechanisms.3
It has been observed that inhibition
of NO production worsens the course of viral or bacterial
infection.4
Treatment of mouse macrophages with
interferon-
has been shown to increase NO production concomitant
with the inhibition of certain viruses, including ectromelia, vaccinia,
herpes simplex virus, and vesicular stomatitis virus.5-7
In addition, the NO-generating compound
S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) has been
shown to exert a dose-dependent inhibition of encephalomyocarditis
virus growth in L-929 cells8
and Japanese encephalitis
virus replication in a neuronal precursor cell line.9
It
has been reported that NO can inhibit late protein synthesis of
Epstein-Barr virus and vaccinia virus without affecting early protein
expression required for progeny viral DNA
replication.10,11
Therefore, the induction of NOS-2/NOS-3
and the resultant production of NO may be an important antiviral
strategy to restrict viral dissemination early in the course of
infection before specific T-cell-mediated immune responses are
established.
With human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, increased levels of
NO are observed in the sera of HIV-infected individuals.12
In vitro infection of human monocytes and brain astroglia
cells with HIV results in a modest but significant increase in NO
release.13,14
However, the role of NO in HIV infection is
still not fully understood. In our previous studies, we reported that
NO is a potent inhibitor of signal-induced nuclear factor (NF)-
B
activation.15,16
This observation has now been confirmed
by a number of studies showing that NO inhibits NF-
B by attenuating
the DNA binding activity of NF-
B or by stabilizing I
B
, which
blocks the activation of NF-
B.17-22
NF-
B is a ubiquitous transcription factor that is responsible for
the expression of a number of genes that are involved in inflammation,
carcinogenesis, and tissue regeneration.23,24
NF-
B is
also involved in gene expression of viruses such as HIV and most
members of SIV family. Activation of NF-
B by a regulating protein of
HIV, Tat, has been well documented and is considered a pivotal step in
HIV gene expression and viral replication.25-29
In this
report, we provide evidence indicating that NO may act as a negative
regulator for HIV viral gene expression and replication through
attenuation of HIV Tat protein-induced NF-
B activation.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
NO-generating compounds SNAP and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), the NOS inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), and recombinant bacterial expressed 20s proteasome were purchased from Calbiochem (San Diego, CA). All cell culture reagents were from Mediatech (Herndon, VA). Lipopolysaccharide, chloroquine, and N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (NAP), an inactive analog of SNAP, were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Diethylaminoethylether-dextran was purchased from Pharmacia (Piscataway, NJ). Luciferase assay kit was from Promega (Madison, WI). Protein assay reagents were from Bio-Rad Laboratories (Hercules, CA).
Transient Transfection Assay
Mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal bovine serum in six-well tissue culture plates at a cell density of 5 x 106 cells/well for 2 days. The cells were transfected with 0 to 5.4 µg/ml pSV vector or pSV-Tat (amino acids 1 to 72) and HIV long terminal repeat (HIV-LTR)-luciferase reporter plasmid using the diethylaminoethylether-dextran method in the presence of 50 µg/ml chloroquine for 2 hours. The cells were then treated with 10% dimethylsulfoxide for 2 minutes and washed three times. The transfected cells were cultured in the complete medium for an additional 12 to 48 hours in the presence or absence of a NOS inhibitor, L-NMMA or NO-generating compounds SNP or SNAP or its inactive analog NAP. Cells were harvested at the end of incubation, washed twice with PBS (pH 7.6), and resuspended in lysis buffer (25 mmol/L Tris/HCl, 2 mmol/L EDTA, 2 mmol/L dithiothreitol (DTT), 10% glycerol, and 1% Triton X-100). Total protein concentration of each extract was quantitated using a Bio-Rad protein assay reagent. Luciferase activity was determined with a liquid scintillation counter (Beckman LS9000) using the luciferase assay kit as suggested by the manufacturer. Luciferase activity was expressed as relative luciferase activity normalized for transfection efficiency on the basis of ß-galactosidase expression.
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA)
For nuclear protein extraction, cells were harvested and
resuspended in hypotonic buffer A (10 mmol/L HEPES, pH 7.6, 10 mmol/L
KCl, 0.1 mmol/L EDTA, 1 mmol/L DTT, 0.5 mmol/L phenylmethylsulfonyl
fluoride) as previously described.15,16
Briefly, cells
were incubated in buffer A for 10 minutes on ice and then vortexed for
10 seconds. Nuclei were pelleted by centrifugation at 12,000 x
g for 20 seconds and were resuspended in buffer C (20 mmol/L
HEPES, pH 7.6, 25% glycerol, 0.4 mol/L NaCl, 1 mmol/L EDTA, 1 mmol/L
DTT, 0.5 mmol/L phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride) for 30 minutes on ice.
The supernatants containing nuclear proteins were collected after
centrifugation at 12,000 x g for 2 minutes and stored
at -70°C. A 32P-labeled double-stranded oligonucleotide
containing
B or a
B-like sequence was prepared for EMSA as
described previously.15,16
Briefly, single-stranded DNA
was synthesized using a Millipore Cyclone Plus automated synthesizer.
To prepare double-stranded DNA, the first-strand DNA was annealed with
a complementary decameric primer to its 3' tail in annealing buffer
(100 mmol/L NaCl, 20 mmol/L Tris, pH 7.5, 0.1 mmol/L EDTA). The second
strand was extended with DNA polymerase Klenow fragment in a reaction
mixture containing 100 µCi of [32P]dCTP plus 5 mmol/L
dATP, dGTP, and dTTP. For EMSA, 4 µg of nuclear protein was mixed
with the labeled double-stranded probe and incubated at room
temperature for 30 minutes. The reaction solution was subjected to
electrophoresis on a native 5% polyacrylamide gel in 0.25X Tris-boric
acid-EDTA buffer for 2 to 3 hours. The DNA binding
proteins were visualized by autoradiography. The sequences of the
oligonucleotides used for EMSA are as follows: consensus
B,
5'-CAACGGCAGGGGAATTCCCCTCTCCTT-3'; NOS-3
B,
5'-CCAGCACTGGAGAGCCCCCTCCCATG-3'; consensus Sp-1,
5'-CAACGGCAGGGGGCGGGGCCTCCTCCTT-3'; mutated NOS-3 Sp-1,
5'-CCAGCACTGGAGAGCCCCCTttt ATG.
Griess Reaction
NO produced in cell culture medium was quantified spectrophotometrically as total nitrate/nitrite by Griess reaction as described previously.16
In Vitro Proteolysis Reaction and Western Blot Assay
For the proteolysis assay, a GST tag in the GST-I
B
fusion
protein (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) was enzymatically
removed by thrombin digestion as described previously.30
The resulting recombinant I
B
was incubated with various
concentrations of recombinant proteasome in 20 µl of reaction buffer
(30 mmol/L Tris/HCl, pH 7.4, 30 mmol/L NaCl, 10 mmol/L
CaCl2) at 68°C for 30 minutes. The reaction was
terminated by adding 8 µl of SDS reducing buffer (3X, 350 mmol/L
Tris/HCl, pH 6.8, 15% SDS, 10% glycerol, 3.6 mol/L
ß-mercaptoethanol, 0.01% bromophenol blue) and boiled for 5 minutes.
For intracellular I
B
degradation study, whole-cell proteins were
extracted. Both in vitro proteolysis reaction products and
whole-cell extracts were subjected to 12% SDS-polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Resolved proteins were transferred to a
nitrocellulose membrane and incubated with affinity-purified rabbit
polyclonal anti-I
B
serum raised against a peptide corresponding
to amino acids 297 to 317 (mapping within the carboxyl-terminal domain
of human I
B
molecule). After three 10-minute washes with
PBS/Tween-20, the membranes were incubated with peroxidase-conjugated
anti-rabbit immunoglobulin, and the antigen-antibody complexes were
detected using ECL Western blotting detection reagents according to the
manufacturer's instructions.
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Analysis
Total RNA was extracted from vector or Tat-transfected RAW264.7 cells using a QIAGEN RNeasy Mini Kit (Chatsworth, CA). One microgram of RNA was used for RT-PCR in the Promega Access RT-PCR system according to the manufacturer's instructions. The resultant RT-PCR products were electrophoresed through 2% agarose gels and photographed using Polaroid film to measure the mRNAs for NOS-2, NOS-3, and GAPDH. The primers used for RT-PCR had the following sequences (5' and 3' primers, respectively): NOS-3, 5'-CTGTGTCCAACATGCTGCTGGAGATTG-3' (corresponding to the encoding region 1008 to 1034 of the mouse NOS-3 gene) and 5'-TAAAGGTCTTCTTCCTGGTGATGCC-3' (corresponding to the encoding region 1469 to 1493 of the mouse NOS-3 gene); NOS-2, 5'-GCCTCCCTCTGGAAAGA-3' (corresponding to the region 1385 to 1401 of the mouse NOS-2 gene) and 5'-TCCATGCAGACAACCTT-3' (corresponding to the region 1868 to 1884 of the mouse NOS-2 gene); GAPDH, 5'-CTGAACGGGAAGCTCACTGGCATGGCCTTC-3' (corresponding to the region 710 to 739 of the mouse GAPDH gene) and 5'-CATGAGGTCCACCACCCTGTTGCTGTAGCC-3' (corresponding to the region 995 to 1024 of the mouse GAPDH gene).
Plasmid Construction
Subcloning of the 116-bp 5'-flanking region of the human NOS-3 gene promoter into the upstream of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene was accomplished as previously reported.31 Site-directed mutation of potential transcription factor binding sites was performed using a QuikChange site-directed mutagenesis kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA) and confirmed by DNA sequencing. CAT activity from the cells transfected with reporter plasmid was determined by the use of a CAT ELISA kit (Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN).
Statistics
Data are expressed as means ± SEM. Statistical significance was determined by the two-tailed Student's t-test for paired data and considered significant if P values were <0.05.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
B Activation and HIV-LTR Transactivation
The mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 is a useful model to
examine the role of Tat in the transcriptional regulation of
HIV-LTR.32,33
Compared with human T cells or the Jurkat T
cell line, RAW264.7 cells were much more effectively and easily
transfected with Tat and HIV-LTR luciferase reporter plasmids. Whereas
only 10% to 15% transfection efficiency was achieved for Tat in human
blood T cells or Jurkat cells, the transfection efficiency was usually
more than 35% in RAW264.7 cells (data not shown). Previous reports
have suggested that the two randomly arranged
B elements of HIV-LTR
are crucial for Tat-mediated transactivation of LTR in human T
cells.34
To determine whether similar results could be
obtained with macrophages, we transfected RAW264.7 cells with Tat along
with several luciferase reporter constructs. Figure 1
shows that both the NF-
B reporter
construct containing two
B binding sites on the upstream of the
luciferase gene and the wild-type HIV-LTR reporter construct produced a
modest amount of luciferase activity after transient transfection into
macrophages. In the presence of the Tat-expressing plasmid, this
activity was increased to 10- and 18-fold, respectively. In contrast,
the empty expression vector pSV showed no induction on this reporter
gene. A
B-deletion construct of HIV-LTR (LTR-
B) was threefold
less active than wild-type HIV-LTR in the response to Tat induction.
Figure 1B
shows a dose-response curve demonstrating increasing
luciferase activity in response to increasing amounts of the Tat
expression plasmid.
|
Our preliminary studies have shown that NO can be induced from
both mouse and human macrophage/monocytes by the bacterial endotoxin
component lipopolysaccharide (LPS).15,35
To investigate
the capacity of HIV Tat to induce NO production in macrophages, we
transiently transfected RAW264.7 cells with Tat-expressing plasmid or
the empty transfection vector (pSV). Figure 2
shows that transient expression of HIV
Tat induced a dose-dependent increase in NO production. However, no
detectable NO induction was observed in vector transfected cells. The
induction of NO by Tat was reduced by L-NMMA, an inhibitor
of NOS. To rule out the possibility that a low transfection efficiency
of vector was responsible for the low production of NO,
ß-galactosidase staining was performed. Results from this experiment
showed a similar transfection efficiency (32% to 35%) for vector and
Tat (data not shown).
|
B Activation
As reported previously, NF-
B activity can be attenuated by
endogenous or exogenous NO.15-23
In the present study, we
observed that L-NMMA, a competitive inhibitor of NOS,
enhanced Tat-induced NF-
B activity at each time point selected in
both the luciferase reporter gene activity assay and the gel shift
assay (Figure 3, A and B)
. This
enhancement of NF-
B activity by L-NMMA was completely
reversed by 5 mmol/L L-arginine, a substrate of NOS (data
not shown). In a parallel set of experiments, exogenous NO generated
from SNAP or SNP suppressed Tat-induced NF-
B activity in a
dose-dependent manner (Figure 3C)
. SNAP was a more potent inhibitor of
NF-
B than SNP. The 50% inhibition values (ID50) for
SNAP and SNP on NF-
B are 100 µmol/L and 250 µmol/L,
respectively. No appreciable effect of NAP, the inactive analog of
SNAP, on Tat-induced NF-
B activity was observed. To further define
the role of NO on the inhibition of Tat-induced NF-
B activation, we
determined the level of NF-
B induction by Tat in macrophages from
both wild-type and NOS-2 gene knockout mice. In NOS-2 gene knockout
macrophages, Tat induced a sustained activation of NF-
B, whereas the
NO induction by Tat was marginal. In contrast, Tat induced a transient
NF-
B activation in wild-type macrophages, and the induction of NO by
Tat was quite pronounced (Figure 4)
.
|
|
B Elements
To characterize the
B region of the LTR involved in NO
inhibition of Tat-induced LTR promoter transactivation, the luciferase
reporter plasmid containing either wild-type or
B deletion mutant
HIV-LTR was co-transfected into macrophages with Tat expression plasmid
in the absence or presence of exogenous NO. As expected, the wild-type
LTR-luciferase construct was markedly induced by Tat, and this
induction was strongly inhibited by SNAP. At 200 µmol/L, SNAP
resulted in 70% inhibition of Tat-induced wild-type LTR-luciferase
reporter gene activity (Figure 5)
. In
contrast, SNAP produced only 20% to 30% inhibition in cells
transfected with the
B deleted LTR-luciferase reporter gene.
Although prolonged culture (>72 hours) of cells in the presence of a
high concentration of SNAP (500 µmol/L) resulted in cell death (data
not shown), cell viability was not affected in the presence of 200
µmol/L SNAP at 48 hours of culture. This suggests that the inhibition
of SNAP on Tat-induced LTR activity is not the result of a cytostatic
effect.
|
B
Previous observations from our laboratory using an electrophoresis
mobility shift assay (EMSA) and the results from the experiments
described above clearly show that suppression of endogenous NO
production in macrophages by L-NMMA enhances NF-
B
activity induced by Tat, LPS, or silica.15,16
However, it
is not clear from these results whether the inhibition of NF-
B by NO
is through interference in NF-
B activation or by the inhibition of
NF-
B binding to DNA, or both. The degradation of I
B
by
proteasome is considered an obligatory step in the activation of
NF-
B.23
To determine whether NO is capable of impairing
the proteolytic function of proteasomes, we evaluated the digestive
ability of purified proteasome on recombinant I
B
. As shown in
Figure 6, A and B
, both NO-generating
compounds, SNAP and SNP, reduced the degradative activity of
proteasome. The turnover of intracellular I
B
was also examined
after extracellular stimulation in the presence of exogenous NO. Figure 6C
shows that LPS-induced I
B
degradation is retarded in the
presence of NO (Figure 6C)
. Although we observed a potent inhibition of
NO on I
B
degradation by purified proteasome (Figure 6B)
, only
partial inhibition of cellular I
B
degradation by NO was measured.
As shown in lanes 6 and 12 of Figure 6C
, the resynthesis of I
B
was also inhibited by NO. This result differs from that for endothelial
cells where NO stimulates overexpression of I
B
.17
To
investigate the effects of NO on NF-
B DNA binding activity, nuclear
extracts from LPS-stimulated macrophages were incubated with SNAP. The
DNA binding activity was determined with EMSA using
32P-labeled DNA fragments containing either the NF-
B
binding site or the Sp-1 binding site. Although mild inhibition of Sp-1
binding was detected, a significant inhibition of NF-
B p50/p50
homodimer and p50/p65 heterodimer binding was observed. These
observations collectively provide strong evidence indicating that the
inhibition of NF-
B by NO occurs at multiple levels, including the
activation level as well as the DNA binding level.
|
Increased levels of NO in the serum of HIV-infected individuals
and excessive NO production with this disease has been suggested as
responsible for the dementia seen in AIDS-afflicted
patients,12,13
yet little is known about the mechanisms
responsible for increased NO in AIDS patients. To confirm our
observation described above that Tat induced NO production by
macrophages, RT-PCR assays were performed to evaluate the induction of
NOS-2 and NOS-3 mRNA by Tat. As indicated in Figure 7
, both NOS-2 and NOS-3 are induced in
the mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells by Tat transfection. We
have also observed the induction of NOS-2 and NOS-3 mRNA by Tat in
phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-primed Jurkat T cells and in the THP-1
human monocyte cell line as well (data not shown). It has been
suggested that Tat induced NOS-2 mRNA expression through the activation
of NF-
B, as this nuclear transcription factor plays a crucial role
in the transcription of NOS-2.36,37
There is little
evidence, however, to suggest that NF-
B is involved in the
expression of NOS-3 gene.
|
B binding site.
Therefore, we believe that the 200-bp promoter region of human NOS-3
gene will be functionally equivalent with its murine counterpart in
murine macrophages. In this 200-bp region, we were interested in the
proximal 100-bp region for the regulation of NOS-3 transcription as
suggested by the deletion mutant assays of Shizuta and
co-workers.31
To determine whether the putative
B site
located in -74 to -64 (GGAGAGCCCC) is functional for binding by
NF-
B, DNA fragments encompassing this region from -82 to -56 were
synthesized and used as probe in the EMSA. Nuclear proteins used in the
EMSA were extracted from Tat-transfected cells in the absence or
presence of NOS inhibitor L-NMMA for 6 or 18 hours. We
noted that the gel shift pattern was completely different from the
probe encompassing a consensus NF-
B binding site (GGGGAATTCC;
compare Figure 9, A and B
B binding site in the
-74 to -64 region. When the 3' CCC of this potential Sp-1 site was
mutated into TTT, the Sp-1 binding activity was abolished and a single
binding band was observed and identified as the NF-
B p50/p50
homodimer using an anti-p50 antibody supershift assay (Figure 9D)
B and Sp-1 binding
sites will be predominantly occupied by Sp-1 by virtue of its high
abundance in nuclei or its high affinity for the cognitive DNA element.
|
|
B site
by changing -74 GG -73 to AA at the 5' of this site, however,
resulted in modest increase in Tat-induced CAT activity. The
Tat-induced CAT activity was completely abolished when all of the Sp-1
sites were mutated. These results demonstrate that the Sp-1 sites in
this proximal region are necessary for the induction of NOS-3 gene
expression by Tat. The role of the putative NF-
B site in the
induction of NOS-3 by Tat, however, appears less important due to the
binding of p50/p50 homodimer, but not p50/p65 heterodimer, at this
site. The role of p50/p50 homodimer on gene transcription is cell type
dependent. In macrophages, NF-
B p50/p50 homodimer functions as a
transcriptional repressor for most of the early response genes. In
contrast, this homodimer acts as an activator in thymocytes for the
expression of interleukin-2, tumor necrosis factor-ß, and colony
stimulating factor family genes.38
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
B activation. Our results
suggest that two mechanisms are involved in the inhibition of
Tat-induced NF-
B activation by NO. First, NO can inhibit NF-
B DNA
binding activity. Second, NO can prevent the degradation of I
B
,
the intracellular inhibitor of NF-
B, by impairing its digestion by
proteasome. Our results also show that Tat can induce both NOS-2 and
NOS-3 mRNA synthesis and hence increase NO production. The accumulation
of NO may contribute to the inhibition of Tat-induced NF-
B
activation in vivo.
The concept that HIV Tat induces NO production is not well documented.
To that end, our results provide suggestive evidence that Tat can
indeed induce NOS-2 and NOS-3 mRNA expression. These findings are
supported by those of Hayman et al who demonstrated the neutralizing
effect of a NOS inhibitor on the neurotoxicity of synthetic Tat
protein.39
Tat is a multifunctional protein affecting a
number of kinases resulting in the activation of transcription factors,
initiation of transcription, and elongation of RNA transcripts. It is
not surprising therefore that Tat can also promotes NOS-2 and NOS-3
mRNA synthesis. The finding that accumulation of NO in Tat-transfected
cells blocks Tat-induced NF-
B activity is consistent with reports
suggesting that NO inhibits NF-
B both by influencing the binding of
NF-
B to DNA and by preventing the degradation of
I
B
.15-23
Increased levels of NO have been noted in the sera of HIV-infected
individuals.12
In addition, the in vitro
infection of human monocytes and brain astroglia cells with HIV results
in a modest production of NO.13,14
Both the HIV envelope
glycoprotein gp120 and the regulatory protein Tat are considered
responsible for the induction of NO through the activation of NOS-2 or
NOS-3 genes. Rice et al noted previously that NO-related compounds
could directly inhibit HIV infectivity by impairing a zinc finger
transcription factor.40,41
In addition, NO and its related
reactive nitrogen species have been shown to suppress tumor necrosis
factor-
induced HIV-LTR activity by inhibiting
NF-
B,42
the key transcription factor involved in HIV
gene expression and viral replication. Deletion of the two
B sites
in the HIV-LTR enhancer region (-109 to -79) or inhibition of NF-
B
activation in HIV-infected cells results in impairment of HIV gene
expression and viral replication.43
Thus, it is important
to determine whether increased levels of NO with HIV infection do
compromise the replication of HIV and the development of AIDS.
The antiviral properties of NO have been evaluated in a number of viral infection studies.5,6 Induction of NO has been implicated in resistance to several viruses, including ectromelia virus, vaccinia virus, herpes simplex virus type A, and hepatitis C virus.5-7 Reducing endogenous NO availability by targeted disruption of the NOS-2 gene in mice is associated with enhanced susceptibility to influenza A virus, coxsackievirus, herpes simplex virus, and ectromelia virus.44-47 In addition, treatment of animals with NOS inhibitors has been shown to increase titers of coxsackie B3 virus and produce high mortality rates.48 The antiviral effects of NO have also been demonstrated with the use of NO-generating agents such as SNAP and SNP. In vitro studies have shown that NO-generating agents markedly inhibit viral replication, viral DNA or RNA synthesis, viral protein accumulation, and release of viral particles from cells infected with Japanese encephalitis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, murine Friend leukemia virus, and Epstein-Barr virus.9,49,50
NO exerts its antiviral effects through both direct and indirect
pathways. The known ability of NO to inhibit ribonucleotide reductase
may directly influence the replication of DNA viruses.51
For RNA viruses that do not require ribonucleotide reductase for their
RNA genome replication, NO may affect the viral life cycle by
nitrosylating the cysteine residue in the active site of a viral
protease required for viral assembly or replication.52
The
effects of NO on host cells provide an indirect antiviral strategy. NO
and its related reactive nitrogen species can interact with either
thiol-containing proteins or redox metal-containing proteins that
control cellular functions. Cellular proteins that interact with NO
include glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase,
cis-aconitase, mitochondrial respiratory enzymes, and
several transcription factors, such as NF-
B.53
The
transmissibility of NO to bystander cells could further restrict the
possible viral dissemination in adjacent cells. The net effect of NO on
the pathogenesis of viral infection, however, may be either beneficial
due to the direct antiviral role of NO or harmful due to the damaging
effect of NO on host cells.52
Macrophages are one of the first cells that come in contact with HIV
and considered a major reservoir of HIV during subclinical
infection.54-56
Although T cells are rapidly killed after
infection with HIV, macrophages infected with HIV can survive for
weeks. Although we cannot conclude that high output of NO by
macrophages is responsible for the prolonged survival of HIV-infected
macrophages, it is tempting to speculate that the inhibition of NF-
B
by NO may contribute to the maintenance of an asymptomatic status early
in the infection with HIV. More extensive studies are in progress to
understand the potential protective effect of NO on the early stage of
HIV infection.
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Supported by a Career Development Award to F. Chen under a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine.
Accepted for publication March 20, 1999.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
B
. J Biol Chem 1997, 272:30969-30974
B binding to DNA. Biochem J 1997, 322:609-613
B DNA binding by nitric oxide. Nucleic Acids Res 1996, 24:2236-2242
B, a ubiquitous transcription factor in the initiation of diseases. Clin Chem 1999, 45:7-17
B and I
B proteins: new discoveries and insights. Annu Rev Immunol 1996, 14:649-683[Medline]
B antagonists. J Virol 1997, 71:6486-6494[Abstract]
B
block Tat-tumor necrosis factor synergistic activation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gene expression and virus multiplication. J Virol 1996, 70:5777-5785[Abstract]
B molecules on Tat-mediated transactivation of HIV-1 LTR. Virology 1996, 216:284-287[Medline]
B responsive elements for initiation and Tat-mediated amplification of HIV transcription in blood CD4 T lymphocytes. EMBO J 1995, 14:1552-1560[Medline]
B
degradation and nuclear factor-
B activation. Arch Biochem Biophys 1997, 342:383-388[Medline]
or taxol. J Inflamm 1995, 45(2):126-135[Medline]
B activation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997, 100:838-845[Medline]
B DNA binding and nitric oxide induction in human T cells and lung adenocarcinoma cells by selenite treatment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997, 94:12904-12907
B. Neuroreport 1997, 8:3163-3166[Medline]
B1) but expressing p50. J Exp Med 1998, 187:985-996
B and HIV-1 long terminal repeat transcriptional activation by inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 activity. J Biol Chem 1998, 273:3895-3900
B
repressor mutants interferes with NF-
B activity and HIV-1 replication in jurkat T cells. J Biol Chem 1998, 273:7431-7440
-dependent clearance of influenza A virus and protection from consolidating pneumonitis in nitric oxide synthase-2-deficient mice. J Exp Med 1998, 188:1541-1546This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
G. M. Pieper, C. L. Olds, J. D. Bub, and P. F. Lindholm Transfection of human endothelial cells with HIV-1 tat gene activates NF-kappa B and enhances monocyte adhesion Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, December 1, 2002; 283(6): H2315 - H2321. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Dickie, A. Roberts, and R. Lee A defect in HIV-1 transgenic murine macrophages results in deficient nitric oxide production J. Leukoc. Biol., October 1, 2001; 70(4): 592 - 600. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. L. Jiménez, J. González-Nicolás, S. Alvarez, M. Fresno, and M. A. Muñoz-Fernández Regulation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication in Human T Lymphocytes by Nitric Oxide J. Virol., May 15, 2001; 75(10): 4655 - 4663. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
U. Ponnappan and L. S. F. Soderberg Inflammatory macrophage nuclear factor-{kappa}B and proteasome activity are inhibited following exposure to inhaled isobutyl nitrite J. Leukoc. Biol., April 1, 2001; 69(4): 639 - 644. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||