EXPRESSION OF HIV-1 NEF IN YEAST - THE 27-KDA NEF PROTEIN IS MYRISTYLATED AND FRACTIONATES WITH THE NUCLEUS

The nefgene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been ex pressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce native Nef pr oteins. The proteins of M(r) 27 kDa and 25 kDa, produced by translatio n from the first and second start codons of the nef gene react with hu man HIV-1 antisera. Under low-level steady-state expression conditions , Nef27 undergoes myristylation and is targeted to the nuclear fractio n while Nef25 is not myristylated and not nuclear localized. When prod uced rapidly and to high levels, Nef27 is initially present in the cyt oplasm as a soluble myristylated protein that later fractionates with the nucleus.