ACTIVATION OF FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS LONG TERMINAL REPEAT BY FELINE HERPESVIRUS TYPE-1

By transfection of a recombinant plasmid containing the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) long terminal repeat (LTR) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene followed by infection of feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) into Crandall feline kidney cells andFelis catus whole fetus 4 cells, enhancement of CAT activity was demonstrated. Furthermore, individual feline T-lymphocytes were productively co-infected with both FIV and FHV-1in vitro as determined by two-color immunofluorescence and electron microscopy analyses. These results revealed the transactivation of the FIV LTR by FHV-1 and the dual infection of T-lymphocytes with both viruses. The possibility that FHV-1 might be a cofactor which plays a role in the pathogenesis of FIV infection is discussed. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.