Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A molecular clone of HTLV-III with biological activity

Abstract

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an epidemic immunosuppressive disease characteristically associated with a depletion of T lymphocytes of the helper/inducer phenotype1. Numerous converging lines of research have implicated a human T-cell lymphotropic retrovirus, HTLV-III, in the pathogenesis of AIDS2–5. Recently, several distinct forms of the HTLV-III genome were molecularly cloned in phage and extensively characterized6,7. In the present study, a clone containing full-length HTLV-III proviral DNA7 was inserted into a plasmid and used to transfect cord blood T cells from normal newborn humans. We demonstrate that this molecular clone is infectious in vitro and causes marked cytopathic effects on T-cell cultures. This is the first direct evidence that the HTLV-III genome, rather than a minor component of the virus complex, is cytopathic for T cells. Using this biologically competent clone and mutants derived from it, it should now be possible to localize the subgenomic regions that contribute to the biological effects of HTLV-III.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gottlieb, M. S. et al. New Engl. J. Med. 305, 1424–1431 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Popovic, M., Sarngadharan, M. G., Read, E. & Gallo, R. C. Science 224, 497–500 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Gallo, R. C. et al. Science 224, 500–502 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Schupbach, J. et al. Science 224, 503–505 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Sarngadharan, M. G., Popovic, M., Bruch, L., Schupbach, J. & Gallo, R. C. Science 224, 506–508 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hahn, B. H. et al. Nature 312, 166–169 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Shaw, G. M. et al. Science 226, 1165–1171 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Anderson, L. J., Jarrett, O. & Laird, H. M. J. natn. Cancer Inst. 47, 807–813 (1971).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Gallo, R. C., Essex, M. & Gross, L. (eds) Human T-cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma Virus (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1984).

  10. Poiez, B. J., Ruscetti, F. W., Reitz, M. S., Kalyanaraman, V. S. & Gallo, R. C. Nature 294, 268–271 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kalyanaraman, V. S. et al. Science 218, 571–573 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Barre-Sinoussi, F. et al. Science 220, 868–871 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Levy, J. A. et al. Science 225, 840–842 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ratner, L., Gallo, R. C. & Wong-Staal, F. Nature 313, 636–637 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Klatzmann, D. et al. Science 225, 69–72 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sodroski, J., Rosen, C. & Haseltine, W. Science 225, 381–385 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Sodroski, J. et al. Science 227, 171–173 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Miyoshi, I. et al. Nature 294, 770–771 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Popovic, M., Lange-Wantzin, G., Sarin, P. S., Mann, D. & Gallo, R. C. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 5402–5406 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen, I. S. Y., Quan, S. G. & Golde, D. W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 7006–7009 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. De Rossi, A. et al. Virology (in the press).

  22. Yoakum, G. H. et al. Science 222, 385–389 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Panganiban, A. T. & Temin, H. M. Nature 306, 155–160 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Harris, J. D. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 7212–7215 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Gonda, M. A. et al. Science 227, 173–177 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Dalgleish, A. G. et al. Nature 312, 763–767 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Klatzmann, D. et al. Nature 312, 767–768 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Melton, D. A. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 7035–7056 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Shaw, G. M. et al. in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Vol. 16 (eds Gottleib, M. S. & Groopman, J. E.) 59–72 (Liss, New York, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Southern, P. J. & Berg, P. J. molec. appl. Genet. 1, 327–341 (1982).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Rho, H. M., Poiez, B., Ruscetti, F. W. & Gallo, R. C. Virology 112, 355–360 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Maniatis, T., Fritsch, E. F. & Sambrook, J. (eds) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 23–233 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1982).

  33. Veronese di Marzo, F. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fisher, A., Collalti, E., Ratner, L. et al. A molecular clone of HTLV-III with biological activity. Nature 316, 262–265 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/316262a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/316262a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing