U5 Region of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Long Terminal Repeat Contains TRE-like cAMP-Responsive Elements That Bind both AP-1 and CREB/ATF Proteins

Activating protein-1 (AP-1) binding phorbol ester responsive elements (TRE) are located downstream of the transcription initiation site in the U5 region of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR). These downstream sequence elements, termed DSE, can bind cFos and JunD and transmit protein kinase C (PKC) activation signals to the LTR. Further studies suggested the DSE might also bind AP-1-related proteins of the CREB/ATF family. Since enhanced HIV-1 expression is associated with activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway, we determined whether binding of CREB/ATF proteins to the DSE mediate cAMP/PKA activation of the HIV-1 LTR. In the present study, DSE binding complexes in nuclear protein extracts from colonic epithelial cells are shown to contain ATF-1, ATF-2, and CREB and transfection of either an ATF-2 or PKA expressing plasmid transactivated the DSE. Cholera toxin (Ctx), a potent activator of the cAMP/PKA pathway, increased HIV-1 virus production from a latently infected promonocytic cell line, U1. Ctx increased LTR promoter activity and increased the CREB content of DSE binding complexes. Transfection of U1 cells with a series of mutant LTR reporter constructs demonstrated that the Ctx response was in large part mediated by the DSE. The Ctx response was also mediated by a heterologous promoter containing multiple TRE sites. Nuclear protein extracts from a T-cell line infected by HIV-1 contained higher levels of CREB/ATF proteins and manifested increased CREB/ATF binding activity. Collectively, these results indicate the DSE are TRE-like cAMP responsive elements that bind both AP-1 and CREB/ATF permitting induction of the HIV-1 LTR by both PKC and PKA activation signals.