HIV-1 protease cleaves actin during acute infection of human T-lymphocytes.

Actin, one of the most abundant proteins of the cell, is hydrolyzed by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease during acute infection of cultured human T lymphocytes. The actin fragments produced during the course of infection are identical to those obtained by recombinant HIV-1 protease digests of (1) a lysate from uninfected T lymphocytes and (2) globular actin itself. Hydrolysis by the HIV-1 protease of physiologically important host cellular proteins during infection may have important consequences relative to viral pathogenesis.