INCORPORATION AND PRIMING FUNCTION OF tRNALYS IN HIV AND RELATED VIRUSES

摘要

The present invention relates to the demonstration of a direct relationship between the amount of tRNA packaged into HIV, the amount of tRNA placed onto the reverse transcriptase primer binding site which can initiate reverse transcription, and viral infectivity. The present invention also relates to the incorporation of lysyl tRNA synthetase into HIV-1 and to the aminoacylation status of tRNA and its impact on virion incorporation. The present invention also relates to methods of modulating lysyl tRNA synthetase (LysRS)-facilitated processes associated with tRNA priming function of RT, to bioassays to screen and identify compounds which interfere with these processes and to compositions for modulating these processes. In one particular embodiment, the compositions modulate the incorporation of LysRS and/or tRNA into HIV and related virions. The present invention also relates to aaRS-facilitated processes associated with their cognate tRNA priming function in other types of retroviruses and to methods, assays and compositions which modulate them.