1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
  2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease

RNA-directed remodeling of the HIV-1 Rev protein orchestrates assembly of the Rev-Rev response element complex

  1. Bhargavi Jayaraman
  2. David C Crosby
  3. Christina Homer
  4. Isabel Ribeiro
  5. David Mavor
  6. Alan D Frankel  Is a corresponding author
  1. University of California, San Francisco, United States
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04120
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  1. Bhargavi Jayaraman
  2. David C Crosby
  3. Christina Homer
  4. Isabel Ribeiro
  5. David Mavor
  6. Alan D Frankel
(2014)
RNA-directed remodeling of the HIV-1 Rev protein orchestrates assembly of the Rev-Rev response element complex
eLife 3:e04120.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04120
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Abstract

The HIV-1 protein Rev controls a critical step in viral replication by mediating the nuclear export of unspliced and singly-spliced viral mRNAs. Multiple Rev subunits assemble on the Rev Response Element (RRE), a structured region present in these RNAs, and direct their export through the Crm1 pathway. Rev-RRE assembly occurs via several Rev oligomerization and RNA-binding steps, but how these steps are coordinated to form an export-competent complex is unclear. Here, we report the first crystal structure of a Rev dimer-RRE complex, revealing a dramatic rearrangement of the Rev-dimer upon RRE binding through re-packing of its hydrophobic protein-protein interface. Rev-RNA recognition relies on sequence-specific contacts at the well-characterized IIB site and local RNA architecture at the second site. The structure supports a model in which the RRE utilizes the inherent plasticity of Rev subunit interfaces to guide the formation of a functional complex.

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Author details

  1. Bhargavi Jayaraman

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

  2. David C Crosby

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

  3. Christina Homer

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

  4. Isabel Ribeiro

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

  5. David Mavor

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

  6. Alan D Frankel

    Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
    For correspondence
    frankel@cgl.ucsf.edu
    Competing interests
    The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Copyright

© 2014, Jayaraman et al.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.

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  1. Bhargavi Jayaraman
  2. David C Crosby
  3. Christina Homer
  4. Isabel Ribeiro
  5. David Mavor
  6. Alan D Frankel
(2014)
RNA-directed remodeling of the HIV-1 Rev protein orchestrates assembly of the Rev-Rev response element complex
eLife 3:e04120.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04120

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04120

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Further reading

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    The export receptor Crm1 forms a dimer to promote nuclear export of HIV RNA

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    The HIV Rev protein routes viral RNAs containing the Rev Response Element (RRE) through the Crm1 nuclear export pathway to the cytoplasm where viral proteins are expressed and genomic RNA is delivered to assembling virions. The RRE assembles a Rev oligomer that displays nuclear export sequences (NESs) for recognition by the Crm1-RanGTP nuclear receptor complex. Here we provide the first view of an assembled HIV-host nuclear export complex using single-particle electron microscopy. Unexpectedly, Crm1 forms a dimer with an extensive interface that enhances association with Rev-RRE and poises NES binding sites to interact with a Rev oligomer. The interface between Crm1 monomers explains differences between Crm1 orthologs that alter nuclear export and determine cellular tropism for viral replication. The arrangement of the export complex identifies a novel binding surface to possibly target an HIV inhibitor and may point to a broader role for Crm1 dimerization in regulating host gene expression.

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