A. Kanestrom et al., HISTOGRAPHIC RECORDING OF HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 (HIV-1)REGULATORY PROTEIN REV AND NUCLEAR FACTORS, Archives of virology, 143(2), 1998, pp. 279-294
HeLa cells and HeLa cells expressing the HIV-1 regulatory protein Rev
were immunostained for Rev and pre-mRNA processing factors and examine
d histographically by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Following sh
ort pulse-labelling with bromouridine tri-phosphate nascent RNA gave a
granular nucleoplasmic staining increasing somewhat towards the perip
hery as did also the heterogeneous ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) A1 and
particularly C1/C2, a distribution pattern which has not been describe
d. The sm-antigen of the small ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) prot
eins U1, U2, U4/U6 and U5 stained the nucleoplasm diffusely in additio
n to speckles which co-localised with speckles of the non-snRNP splici
ng factor SC-35. Brominated RNA and the hnRNPs A1 and C1/C2 were to va
rying degrees excluded from the speckles. Rev concentrated in the nucl
eolus and often as a perinucleolar ring/zone. Rev also stained the nuc
leoplasm and cytoplasm without co-localising with the above-mentioned
proteins or brominated RNA and was not enriched or excluded in SC-35 s
peckles. The nucleolar proteins B23 and C23, like Rev, gave primarily
a perinucleolar ring and stained the nucleoplasm but did not otherwise
co-localise with Rev or with nuclear proteins. Histographic recording
of immunofluorescence images proved to be a valuable tool in the stud
y of localisation of HIV-1 Rev and cellular components and of possible
co-localisations. A parallel comparison of the subcellular patterns o
f pre-mRNA processing factors versus major nucleolar antigens is new a
nd suggests that the factors are not strictly separated in the nucleop
lasm.