Identification and characterization of HTLV-1 HBZ post-translational modifications

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 12;9(11):e112762. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112762. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is estimated to infect 15-25 million people worldwide, with several areas including southern Japan and the Caribbean basin being endemic. The virus is the etiological agent of debilitating and fatal diseases, for which there is currently no long-term cure. In the majority of cases of leukemia caused by HTLV-1, only a single viral gene, hbz, and its cognate protein, HBZ, are expressed and their importance is increasingly being recognized in the development of HTLV-1-associated disease. We hypothesized that HBZ, like other HTLV-1 proteins, has properties and functions regulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs) that affect specific signaling pathways important for disease development. To date, PTM of HBZ has not been described. We used an affinity-tagged protein and mass spectrometry method to identify seven modifications of HBZ for the first time. We examined how these PTMs affected the ability of HBZ to modulate several pathways, as measured using luciferase reporter assays. Herein, we report that none of the identified PTMs affected HBZ stability or its regulation of tested pathways.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Cell Line
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HTLV-I Infections / virology
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational / genetics*
  • Retroviridae Proteins
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Viral Proteins / genetics*

Substances

  • Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
  • HBZ protein, human T-cell leukemia virus type I
  • Retroviridae Proteins
  • Viral Proteins