Posttranscriptional Regulation by the HIV-1 Rev Protein

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) encodes a range of mRNA species derived by partial or complete splicing of a single initial RNA transcript. The nuclear export of the incompletely spliced class of HIV-1 RNAs, which encode critical viral structural proteins, is dependent on the Rev post-transcriptional regulatory protein, a viral RNA binding factor that is expressed early in the HIV-1 replication cycle. Rev contains a potent nuclear export signal that mediates the nucleocytoplasmic transport of bound RNAs subsequent to an interaction with components of the nuclear pore. It has now become evident that the nuclear export pathway utilized by HIV-1 Rev is also critical for the nuclear export of a range of cellular proteins and RNAs.