HIV-1 gag proteins in virions and in infected cell fractions

The relation of the initial products of the HIV-1 gag gene to the final products was determined in virus samples and cell fractions of infected H9 and Jurkat-tat cell cultures. The proteins were identified by immunoblotting with pooled sera from AIDS patients or monoclonal antibodies. The proportion in the virions of gag precursor proteins and the products of their proteolytic cleavage varied according to the maturity of the virus particles as determined by electron microscopy. The distribution of viral gag proteins in the cell fractions was determined 2, 4, and 24 h after infection. Treatment of cells with cycloheximide to block de novo protein synthesis did not significantly affect the results. Gag proteins containing the N terminus of the precursor p55 (including p55, the intermediate precursors p41(45) and p39, and mature protein p17) were found in the cell nuclei up to 24 h after infection. The major core protein p24 was located in the cytoplasmic fraction. These data strongly suggest that gag precursors from the p55 N terminus and the matrix protein p17 enter the infected cell separately from the major core protein p24, or become separated from it in the cytoplasm.