Zoumpourlis V, Eliopoulos A G, Spandidos D A
Institute of Biological Research and Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece.
Anticancer Res. 1992 Nov-Dec;12(6B):2065-8.
The recombinant plasmid pBHIV-1 carrying the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), linked to the reported chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene, was introduced into human and rat fibroblasts. Stable transfectants were obtained which were resistant to genetecin and expressed CAT-activity from the HIV-1 LTR. The response to TNF alpha was studied. It was found that, at the optimum concentration of 100 IU/ml in human and 1000 IU/ml in rat fibroblasts, the expression of CAT was stimulated by 2.1 and 2.5-fold respectively. Our findings suggest that TNF-alpha in physiological concentrations can transcriptionally activate the HIV-1 LTR sequences and this may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HIV infection.
