High levels of heterodisperse RNAs accumulate in T cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus and in normal thymocytes

Abstract

Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) of a human T leukemia cell line (HUT 78) leads to a rapid accumulation at an elevated level (10- to 20-fold) of heterodisperse RNAs, revealed by their containing repetitive sequences. Sequence data indicate that the repetitive elements (e.g., Alu) are associated with transcripts with no apparent long open reading frame. In contrast, a large increase of such heterodisperse RNAs is not seen in T lymphocytes activated by phytohemagglutinin or in a variety of leukemic cell lines. Examination of several cellular messages showed that the levels of some of their 'fully processed' transcripts are reduced late after infection of HUT 78 cells, indicating that the levels of some mRNAs may decrease. Surprisingly, similar heterodisperse transcripts are also seen in great abundance in normal fresh thymocytes. It is possible that in HIV-infected T lymphocytes, the accumulation of high levels of such aberrant RNAs may directly or indirectly contribute to the death of HIV-infected T cells.