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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses
Published on: August 31, 2014
Myeloid-related protein (MRP)-8 from cervico-vaginal secretions activates HIV replication
F B Hashemi1, J Mollenhauer, L D Madsen
1Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Section of Infectious Diseases, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Objectives:
To identify a substance found in female genital tract secretions that enhances HIV expression in infected cells.
Design:
Cervico-vaginal lavages (CVL), collected in sterile normal saline, were fractionated and tested for HIV-inducing activity using HIV-infected monocytes.
Methods:
To purify the component(s) of CVL that enhance HIV production, Mono-Q ion exchange chromatography followed by Superose-12 molecular sieve analysis, and SDS--PAGE were performed. The purified protein was identified by amino acid sequence analysis.
Results:
SDS--PAGE of bioactive fractions showed a 14 kDa polypeptide band. Amino acid sequence analysis of selected peptides from the 14 kDa band showed 100% homology with the myeloid-related protein (MRP)-8, an inflammatory protein found in mucosal secretions. Western blot analysis revealed that bioactive CVL contained more immunoreactive MRP-8 than samples without bioactivity. The HIV-inducing activity of MRP-8 was further confirmed by showing that human recombinant MRP-8 increased HIV expression by up to 40-fold.
Conclusions:
MRP-8 in cervico-vaginal secretions stimulates HIV production. Strategies aimed at blocking MRP-8 activity in the genital tract could reduce risk of sexual as well as maternal--infant transmission of HIV.
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