Antimyristoylation of gag proteins in human T-cell leukemia and human immunodeficiency viruses with N-myristoyl glycinal diethylacetal.

N-Myristoyl (N-Myr-) glycinal (aminoacetoaldehyde, GO) diethylacetal (A), which is abbreviated as N-Myr-GOA, and other N-Myr-compounds (N-Myr-Gly-GOA, N-Myr-Gly-Gly-GOA, and N-Myr-Gly-Gly-Gly-GOA) were newly synthesized and then employed for NH2-terminal antimyristoylation of structure proteins in the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The protein myristoylation of structure proteins p19gag, of HTLV-I, and p17gag, of HIV, was determined separately, using radiolabeled myristic acid, in vitro. The radiolabeled proteins, after immunoprecipitation with an antiserum to adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) or the anti-p17gag monoclonal antibody of HIV, were identified as p19gag of HTLV-I and p17gag of HIV by fluorography after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The protein myristoylation was resistant to NH2OH-treatment. Of the N-Myr-compounds tested, N-Myr-GOA remarkably prevented the myristoylation of p19gag and p17gag, but N-Myr-Gly-Gly-GOA and N-Myr-Gly-Gly-Gly-GOA did not.