NF kappa B upstream regulatory sequences of the HIV-1 LTR are involved in the inhibition of HIV-1 promoter activity by the NS proteins of autonomous parvoviruses H-1 and MVMp.

To investigate parvoviral interference with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in human cells that are normally susceptible to HIV-1 infection, nonstructural (NS) proteins of the parvoviruses H-1 virus and minute virus of mice were studied for their effect on the activity of the HIV-1 promoter in a variety of CD4+ cells. Transient cotransfection assays revealed a reduced HIV-1 promoter activity in the presence of parvoviral NS proteins. Stimulation of the HIV-1 promoter by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) led to an increase in its sensitivity to NS-induced suppression. The inhibitory effect of NS polypeptides depended, at least in part, on the presence of the NF kappa B motifs of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat, suggesting an interaction of the parvoviral products with PMA-inducible cellular factors binding to these elements of the HIV-1 promoter.