A nuclear kinesin-like protein interacts with and stimulates the activity of the leucine-rich nuclear export signal of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 rev protein.

The Rev protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is essential for the nucleocytoplasmic transport of unspliced and partially spliced HIV mRNAs containing the Rev response element (RRE). In a yeast two-hybrid screen of a HeLa cell-derived cDNA expression library for human factors interacting with the Rev leucine-rich nuclear export sequence (NES), we identified a kinesin-like protein, REBP (Rev/Rex effector binding protein), highly homologous to Kid, the carboxy-terminal 75-residue region of which interacts specifically with the NESs of HIV-1 Rev, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 Rex, and equine infectious anemia virus Rev but not with functionally inactive mutants thereof. REBP is a nuclear protein that colocalizes with Rev in the nucleoplasm and nuclear periphery of transfected cells. Specific, albeit weak, interaction between REBP and Rev could be demonstrated in coimmunoprecipitation assays in BSC-40 cells. REBP can modestly enhance Rev-dependent RRE-linked reporter gene expression both independently and in cooperation with the nucleoporin cofactor Rab/hRIP. Thus, REBP displays the characteristics expected of an authentic mediator of Rev NES function and may play a role in RRE RNA transport during HIV infection.