Human APOBEC3G incorporation into murine leukemia virus particles

The human APOBEC3G protein exhibits broad antiretroviral activity against a variety of retroviruses. It is packaged into viral particles and executes its antiviral function in the target cell. The packaging of APOBEC3G into different viral particles requires a mechanism that confers this promiscuity. Here, APOBEC3G incorporation into murine leukemia virus (MLV) was studied using retroviral vectors. APOBEC3G uptake did not require either its cytidine deaminase activity or the presence of a retroviral vector genome. Results from immunoprecipitation and co-localization studies of APOBEC3G with a MLV Gag-CFP (cyan fluorescent protein) fusion protein imply an interaction between both proteins. RNase A treatment did not inhibit the co-precipitation of Gag-CFP and APOBEC3G, suggesting that the interaction is RNA independent. Like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Gag, the MLV Gag precursor protein appears to interact with APOBEC3G, indicating that Gag contains conserved structures which are used to encapsidate APOBEC3G into different retroviral particles.