Aberrant regulation of cytokines in HIV-1 TAT72-transgenic mice.

The trans-activator of transcription or TAT gene from HIV-1 encodes a protein that increases the processivity of transcription from the HIV-1 genome. TAT protein can also affect cellular processes in the absence of its ribonucleic HIV target sequence trans activation response element and may be responsible for some aspects of HIV pathogenesis apart from infectious virus or other viral gene products. We have previously shown that TAT72 decreases CTL activity in TAT72-transgenic mice, and we now demonstrate aberrant regulation of mitogen-elicited IL-2 at both transcriptional and translational levels. In contrast, alloantigen stimulation resulted in increased IL-6 and IL-10 production in the TAT72-transgenic mice. Con A-stimulated cultures of splenic lymphocytes from TAT72-transgenic mice do not undergo clonal proliferation of CD4+ cells as compared with CD8+ cells monitored over 72 h. These results suggest that TAT is sufficient to induce some pathology associated with AIDS and is a potent immunologic manipulator apart from its function as trans-activator.