Differing Roles of the N- and C-terminal Zinc Fingers in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleocapsid Protein-enhanced Nucleic Acid Annealing

Abstract

The replication process of human immunodeficiency virus requires a number of nucleic acid annealing steps facilitated by the hybridization and helix-destabilizing activities of human immunodeficiency virus nucleocapsid (NC) protein. NC contains two CCHC zinc finger motifs numbered 1 and 2 from the N terminus. The amino acids surrounding the CCHC residues differ between the two zinc fingers. Assays were preformed to investigate the activities of the fingers by determining the effect of mutant and wild-type proteins on annealing of 42-nucleotide RNA and The NC and NC of the and zinc fingers 1 and The mutant NC the zinc fingers were and NC a wild-type of annealing of nucleic to annealing of nucleic NC to annealing of and to a the wild-type protein. finger 1 a of finger 2 to a the of The replication process of human immunodeficiency virus requires a number of nucleic acid annealing steps facilitated by the hybridization and helix-destabilizing activities of human immunodeficiency virus nucleocapsid (NC) protein. NC contains two CCHC zinc finger motifs numbered 1 and 2 from the N terminus. The amino acids surrounding the CCHC residues differ between the two zinc fingers. Assays were preformed to investigate the activities of the fingers by determining the effect of mutant and wild-type proteins on annealing of 42-nucleotide RNA and The NC and NC of the and zinc fingers 1 and The mutant NC the zinc fingers were and NC a wild-type of annealing of nucleic to annealing of nucleic NC to annealing of and to a the wild-type protein. finger 1 a of finger 2 to a the of immunodeficiency virus human immunodeficiency human immunodeficiency a of the and contains a RNA the the by nucleocapsid (NC) NC a amino acids and contains two a amino zinc finger motifs a zinc two zinc fingers NC proteins the zinc fingers of the and the a NC the of the and a of of the NC to nucleic acids of the the the to the the and and between NC residues 2 and of the to the of NC a the zinc finger the of the NC the NC a of the NC the a of the RNA and the of the RNA the to the zinc finger of the (NC) NC NC to annealing of the to the to RNA to and and to effect on the of NC to the of nucleic acid to the annealing of annealing of RNA and and and of NC hybridization of of number of annealing mutant NC proteins to residues NC the effect of virus NC on the annealing of to the of the RNA the of NC the zinc finger of NC and were RNA and NC from RNA and were the of NC amino acid to the zinc fingers zinc fingers by were to the of proteins wild-type RNA annealing to RNA the of wild-type NC the residues zinc fingers the residues of NC annealing NC proteins the zinc residues annealing from the of the of proteins the of the zinc finger the residues the zinc finger zinc annealing the zinc finger The of to the zinc finger were the of mutant The by the effect of the zinc finger on annealing to the the zinc fingers were to the annealing annealing the nucleic acid from the of and the of NC to zinc the the zinc finger on the nucleic acid NC to to the and to to a NC were and the finger of NC the nucleic acid annealing and nucleic NC to the annealing of of nucleic the of nucleic acids and the 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the residues annealing the zinc fingers. 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zinc fingers. 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