[Neurotoxicity in mice due to cysteine-rich parts of visna virus and HIV-1 Tat proteins].

Abstract

The trans-activating visna virus and HIV-1 Tat proteins share, at their amino-acid sequence level, a significant 60% analogy on 17 consecutive residues. These homologous sequences are also found in a part of the short neurotoxin sequence from snake venom. Synthetic peptides representative of the two analogous viral sequences are, after intracerebroventricular injection at doses of 200 micrograms per 20 g mouse, responsible for the death of the injected animal in few hours. The HIV-1 recombinant Tat protein has the same effect. Such observation suggests a direct role of the Tat lentiviral protein in the origin of the neurologic effects associated with visna and HIV-1 infections.

• Authors: I Gourdou, K Mabrouk, G Harkiss, P Marchot, N Watt, F Hery, R Vigne
• Journal: Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie III, Sciences de la vie (C R Acad Sci III) Vol. 311 Issue 4 Pg. 149-55 ( 1990) ISSN: 0764-4469 [Print] France
• Vernacular Title: Neurotoxicité chez la souris de portions riches en cystéines des protéines Tat du virus visna et de VIH-1.
• PMID: 2169973 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Elapid Venoms
• Gene Products, tat
• Neurotoxins
• Recombinant Proteins
• tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• Cysteine

Topics

• Animals
• Cysteine (analysis)
• Elapid Venoms (toxicity)
• Gene Products, tat (administration & dosage, toxicity)
• HIV-1 (analysis)
• Injections, Intraventricular
• Mice
• Nervous System (drug effects)
• Neurotoxins (toxicity)
• Recombinant Proteins (toxicity)
• Visna-maedi virus (analysis)
• tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus