Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Single-cell Quantitation of mRNA and Surface Protein Expression in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-infected CD4+ T Cells Isolated from Rhesus macaques
13:13

Single-cell Quantitation of mRNA and Surface Protein Expression in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-infected CD4+ T Cells Isolated from Rhesus macaques

Published on: September 25, 2018

11.0K

Cell cycle arrest in G2/M promotes early steps of infection by human immunodeficiency virus

Bettina Groschel1, Frederic Bushman

  • 1University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, 3610 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6076, USA.

Journal of Virology
|April 14, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Four small molecules that induce cell cycle arrest enhance human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transduction. G2/M cell cycle arrest significantly boosts early HIV replication steps in various cell types.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection relies on efficient cellular transduction.
  • Understanding factors that modulate HIV replication is crucial for developing antiviral strategies and gene therapy vectors.
  • Cell cycle regulation plays a significant role in viral replication dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify small molecules that enhance HIV transduction.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which these molecules boost HIV replication, focusing on cell cycle modulation.
  • To assess the potential of cell cycle arrest for improving HIV-based vector efficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of various cell lines (293T, HeLa) and primary cells (IMR90) with etoposide, camptothecin, taxol, and aphidicolin.
  • Induction of cell cycle arrest at G2/M and G1 phases using these compounds and serum starvation/contact inhibition.
  • Analysis of early HIV replication events, including reverse transcription, 2-long terminal repeat circle formation, and proviral integration.
  • Investigation of the combined effects of cell cycle inhibitors and the proteasome inhibitor MG132.

Main Results:

  • Four small molecules (etoposide, camptothecin, taxol, aphidicolin) were found to boost HIV transduction.
  • Cell cycle arrest at G2/M by these compounds significantly increased early HIV replication steps in both transformed and primary cells.
  • High concentrations of aphidicolin causing G1 arrest also boosted transduction, but less effectively than G2/M arrest.
  • MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, may also enhance transduction by inducing G2/M arrest.

Conclusions:

  • Cell cycle arrest, particularly at the G2/M phase, is a key factor that enhances early stages of HIV infection.
  • These findings provide insights into the mechanism of HIV replication and suggest strategies for improving transduction efficiency using HIV-based vectors.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Assay to Evaluate the Impact of Immunoregulatory Pathways on HIV-specific CD4 T Cell Effector Function09:26

In Vitro Assay to Evaluate the Impact of Immunoregulatory Pathways on HIV-specific CD4 T Cell Effector Function

Published on: October 15, 2013

14.5K
Analysis of Cell Cycle Position in Mammalian Cells12:19

Analysis of Cell Cycle Position in Mammalian Cells

Published on: January 21, 2012

61.3K

Related Concept Videos

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
10.0K
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
3.0K
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
5.6K
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
38.3K
The Cell Cycle Control System01:28

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and...
5.4K
The Cell Cycle Control System02:11

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
13.9K