TAT AND NEF DEFECTIVE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 REPLICATES EFFICIENTLY IN TAT-EXPRESSING T-CELLS

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) contains several nonstruct ural genes which are required for viral replication and disease pathog enesis. Among them, rat and nef genes encode an essential transactivat or of HIV-1 LTR and a pluripotent protein which seems to be essential for in vivo but not in vitro viral replication, respectively. We const ructed two tat and nef defective HIV-1 and tested for their abilities Co replicate in several T cells. The defective viruses did not replica te in CD4(+) T cells, but were rescued in the recombinant Jurkat-tat c ells which express the rat gene. The replication of HXB/tnC which is d efective in far and nef, and contains the chloramphenicol acetyltransf erase (CAT) gene was easily detected by a CAT assay. No revertant was identified during the passages of the mutant-viruses for more than two months in Jurkat-tat cells, far and nef defective HIV-1 could be used instead of wild type viruses for several purposes such as inhibitor s creening and development of killed AIDS vaccine.