Subcellular localization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNAs, Rev, and the splicing factor SC-35

The HIV-1 protein Rev regulates the cytoplasmic levels of incompletely spliced HIV-1 mRNAs. The plasmid pSVc21, which contains a HIV-1 provirus, was introduced into COS cells by transient transfection. Simultaneous detection of HIV-1 RNAs and Rev proteins produced in transfected cells was then performed in order to determine the relative distribution of these two components. HIV-1 RNAs and the Rev protein localized to the same areas of the nucleoplasm, implying that these locations represent sites where Rev interacts with its target RNAs. Using a monoclonal antibody targeted to the splicing factor SC-35 it was demonstrated that the sites where HIV-1 mRNAs and Rev were detected often contained weak anti-SC-35 staining, whereas little RNA and Rev were found in strongly labeled SC-35-containing speckles. The same distribution of HIV-1 RNAs relative to SC-35 was also seen in transfected HeLa cells and in primary human lymphocytes infected with HIV-1 primary isolates. In addition, transiently expressed intron-containing beta-globin RNAs were shown to distribute to weak anti-SC-35 staining in a manner similar to that of HIV-1 RNAs. The findings suggest that Rev and HIV-1 RNAs interact at putative sites of mRNA transcription and splicing.