Inhibition of HIV-1 replication in lymphocytes by mutants of the Rev cofactor eIF-5A

Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) is a cellular cofactor required for the function of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) Rev trans-activator protein. The majority of a set of eIF-5A mutants did not support growth of yeast cells having an inactivated genomic copy of eIF-5A, indicating that the introduced mutation eliminated eIF-5A activity. Two nonfunctional mutants, eIF-5AM13 and eIF-5AM14, retained their binding capacity for the HIV-1 Rev response element:Rev complex. Both mutants were constitutively expressed in human T cells. When these T cells were infected with replication-competent HIV-1, virus replication was inhibited. The eIF-5AM13 and eIF-5AM14 proteins blocked Rev trans-activation and Rev-mediated nuclear export.