Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2026

Evaluation of the Efficacy And Toxicity of RNAs Targeting HIV-1 Production for Use in Gene or Drug Therapy
Published on: September 5, 2016
Effective inhibition of HIV-1 replication in cultured cells by external guide sequences and ribonuclease
Y Endo1, N Miyano-Kurosaki, M Kitano
1Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan.
Abstract:
We examined the suppression effect of HIV-1 expression by cleavage of the HIV-1 RNA gene, using the catalytic RNA subunit RNase P and the 3'-half tRNA [External Guide Sequence (EGS)] in vivo. The vectors were designed to express an anti-HIV EGS, U5, which targets the 5' leader sequence. We constructed an EGS expression vector, that used the tRNA(met) or U6 promoter as an expression cassette for EGS. RNase P cleaves the targeted HIV-1 mRNA when they are in a complex with the EGS. To test the antiviral efficacy of these EGS vectors, we have cotransfected into COS cells with the HIV-1 proviral DNA (pNL4-3 Luc) and the plasmid expressing the EGS from the tRNA(met) or U6 promoter. HIV-1 expression was inhibited by the tRNA-EGS-1 and U6-EGS-1 from the tRNA(met) and U6 promoters, respectively. No difference in the inhibitory effects on HIV-1 expression between the tRNA(met) and U6 promoters could be detected.
Related Concept Videos
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
Experimental RNAi
Antiviral Nucleoside Inhibitors

