Casein Kinase II (CK-II)-Mediated Stimulation of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Activity and Characterization of Selective Inhibitors in Vitro

The physiological significance of the casein kinase II (CK-II)-mediated phosphorylation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) on its three enzymatic activities [RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RDDP), DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (DDDP) and ribonuclease H (RNase H)] was investigated in vitro. It was found that (i) the purified recombinant RT (rRT) functioned as an effective phosphate acceptor for CK-II; (ii) the RDDP, DDDP and RNase H activity of rRT was stimulated about 2.8-, 4.1- and 3.9-fold, respectively, after full phosphorylation by CK-II; and (iii) this stimulation was selectively inhibited by potent CK-II inhibitors, such as neocarzinostatin-chromophore (NCS-chrom) and three polyphenol-containing anti-oxidant compounds [quercetin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and 8-chloro-3', 4', 5, 7-tetrahydroxyisoflavone (8C-3', 4', 5, 7-THI)]. These results suggest that (i) CK-II may be responsible for activation of RT in HIV-1-infected cells; and (ii) the selective inhibition of CK-II-mediated activation of HIV-1 RT by potent CK-II inhibitors may be involved in the mechanism of their anti-HIV-1 effects at the cellular level.