Requirement for microtubule integrity in the SOCS1-mediated intracellular dynamics of HIV-1 Gag

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a recently identified host factor that positively regulates the intracellular trafficking and stability of HIV-1 Gag. We here examine the molecular mechanism by which SOCS1 regulates intercellular Gag trafficking and virus particle production. We find that SOCS1 colocalizes with Gag along the microtubule network and promotes microtubule stability. SOCS1 also increases the amount of Gag associated with microtubules. Both nocodazole treatment and the expression of the microtubule-destabilizing protein, stathmin, inhibit the enhancement of HIV-1 particle production by SOCS1. SOCS1 facilitates Gag ubiquitination and the co-expression of a dominant-negative ubiquitin significantly inhibits the association of Gag with microtubules. We thus propose that the microtubule network plays a role in SOCS1-mediated HIV-1 Gag transport and virus particle formation.Structured summaryMINT-7014185: Gag (uniprotkb:P05888) and SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524) colocalize (MI:0403) by cosedimentation (MI:0027)MINT-7014239: Cullin 2 (uniprotkb:Q13617) physically interacts (MI:0218) with RelA (uniprotkb:Q04206), RBX1 (uniprotkb:P62877), SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524), elongin B (uniprotkb:Q15369) and elongin C (uniprotkb:Q15370) by pull-down (MI:0096)MINT-7014046: gag (uniprotkb:P05888), SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524) and tubulin alpha (uniprotkb:Q13748) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-7014269: tubulin alpha (uniprotkb:Q13748) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Gag (uniprotkb:P05888) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)MINT-7014036: tubulin alpha (uniprotkb:Q13748) and SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-7014201: Cullin 2 (uniprotkb:Q13617) physically interacts (MI:0218) with RBX1 (uniprotkb:P62877), SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524), elongin B (uniprotkb:Q15369) and elongin C (uniprotkb:Q15370) by pull-down (MI:0096)MINT-7014257: Gag (uniprotkb:P05888) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Ubiquitin (uniprotkb:P62988) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)MINT-7014221: Cullin 2 (uniprotkb:Q13617) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Gag (uniprotkb:P05888), elongin C (uniprotkb:Q15370), elongin B (uniprotkb:Q15369), SOCS1 (uniprotkb:O15524) and RBX1 (uniprotkb:P62877) by pull-down (MI:0096)