Abstract
The HIV type 1 pathogenicity factor Nef enhances viral replication by modulating multiple host cell pathways, including tuning the activation state of infected CD4 T lymphocytes to optimize virus spread. For this, Nef inhibits anterograde transport of the Src family kinase (SFK) Lck toward the plasma membrane (PM). This leads to retargeting of the kinase to the trans-Golgi network, whereas the intracellular transport of a related SFK, Fyn, is unaffected by Nef. The 18-amino acid Src homology 4 (SH4) domain membrane anchor of Lck is necessary and sufficient for Nef-mediated retargeting, but other details of this process are not known. The goal of this study was therefore to identify characteristics of SH4 domains responsive to Nef and the transport machinery used. Screening a panel of SFK SH4 domains revealed two groups that were sensitive or insensitive for trans-Golgi network retargeting by Nef as well as the importance of the amino acid at position 8 for determining Nef sensitivity. Anterograde transport of Nef-sensitive domains was characterized by slower delivery to the PM and initial targeting to Golgi membranes, where transport was arrested in the presence of Nef. For Nef-sensitive SH4 domains, ectopic expression of the lipoprotein binding chaperone Unc119a or the GTPase Arl3 or reduction of their endogenous expression phenocopied the effect of Nef. Together, these results suggest that, analogous to K-Ras, Nef-sensitive SH4 domains are transported to the PM by a cycle of solubilization and membrane insertion and that intrinsic properties define SH4 domains as cargo of this Nef-sensitive lipoprotein binding chaperone-GTPase transport cycle.