Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV1) infection is associated with severe psoriasis, B cell lymphoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma. A deregulated production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying the abnormal IL-6 secretion of HIV1-infected cells may include transactivation of the IL-6 gene by HIV1. To test this hypothesis, we used the pIL6Pr-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) plasmid, an IL-6 promoter-CAT construct, as a target of the transactivating function of the HIV1 TAT protein. By cotransfecting the pIL6Pr-CAT and the tat-expressing pSVT8 plasmid in MC3 B-lymphoblastoid or in HeLa epithelial cells, we observed that TAT transactivates the human IL-6 promoter. These results were confirmed when pIL6Pr-CAT was transfected in MC3 or HeLa cells that constitutively expressed the tat gene in a sense (pSVT8 cells) or antisense (pSVT10 cells) orientation. 5' deletion plasmids of pIL6Pr-CAT, in which regions at -658, -287, and -172 were inserted 5' to the cat gene, were transiently transfected in pSVT10 and pSVT8 cells and showed that TAT-induced activation of the IL-6 promoter required a minimal region located between -287 and -54 bp. Moreover, experiments with plasmids carrying the -658, -287, and -172 bp regions of the IL-6 promoter inserted downstream to a TAR-deleted HIV1-LTR identified the sequence of -172 to -54 as the minimal region of the IL-6 promoter required for TAT to transactivate the TAR-deleted HIV1-LTR. By DNA-protein binding experiments, tat-transfected cells expressed a consistent increase in kappa B and nuclear factor (NF)-IL-6 binding activity. Accordingly, the pDRCAT and IL-1REK9CAT, carrying tandem repeats of NF-kappa B or NF-IL6 binding motifs, respectively, were activated in TAT-expressing cells. The biological relevance of the TAT-induced IL-6 secretion was addressed by generating 7TD1 cells, an IL-6-dependent mouse cell line, stably expressing the tat gene. These tat-positive cells expressed the endogenous IL-6 gene, secreted high amounts of murine IL-6, and grew efficiently in the absence of exogenous IL-6. Moreover, the tat-positive 7TD1 cells sustained the growth of parental 7TD1 cells and showed a dramatic increase in their tumorigenic potency. These results suggest that TAT protein may play a role in the pathogenesis of some HIV1-associated diseases by modulating the expression of host cellular genes.
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March 01 1994
The expression of the interleukin 6 gene is induced by the human immunodeficiency virus 1 TAT protein.
G Scala,
G Scala
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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M R Ruocco,
M R Ruocco
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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C Ambrosino,
C Ambrosino
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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M Mallardo,
M Mallardo
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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V Giordano,
V Giordano
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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F Baldassarre,
F Baldassarre
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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E Dragonetti,
E Dragonetti
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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I Quinto,
I Quinto
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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S Venuta
S Venuta
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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G Scala
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
M R Ruocco
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
C Ambrosino
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
M Mallardo
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
V Giordano
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
F Baldassarre
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
E Dragonetti
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
I Quinto
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
S Venuta
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Technology, Medical School, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Online ISSN: 1540-9538
Print ISSN: 0022-1007
J Exp Med (1994) 179 (3): 961–971.
Citation
G Scala, M R Ruocco, C Ambrosino, M Mallardo, V Giordano, F Baldassarre, E Dragonetti, I Quinto, S Venuta; The expression of the interleukin 6 gene is induced by the human immunodeficiency virus 1 TAT protein.. J Exp Med 1 March 1994; 179 (3): 961–971. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.179.3.961
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