Homologies between small nuclear RNAs and LAV/HTLV-III sequences and their possible role in the cytopathic effect of the virus.

ABSTRACT

The mechanism of action of LAV/HTLV-III resulting in a pronounced cytopathic effect is still unknown. We demonstrate that the long terminal repeat (LTR) sequence and env gene of LAV/HTLV-III contain regions of 70-80% homology and/or complementarity with regions of small nuclear (sn) RNAs U1 and U2. On this basis, we hypothesize that the cytotoxic effect of LAV/HTLV-III is due - at least partly - to the inhibition of processing of cellular hnRNAs by competing for splice junction sites and/or by complexing with U1 and especially U2 RNAs.