Serial analysis of gene expression in HIV-1-infected T cell lines

The gene expression profile of the HIV-1 infection state was analyzed in the human T cell line MOLT-4. Using the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) method, a total of 142 603 SAGE tags were sequenced and identified, representing 43 581 unique mRNA species. Comparison of expression patterns revealed that 53 cellular genes were differentially expressed upon HIV-1 infection. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses confirmed the altered expression of the genes in both MOLT-4 and MT-4 cells. Up-regulated genes were mainly composed of transcription factors and genes related to T cell activation, whereas down-regulated genes were comprised of mitochondrial proteins, actin- related factors and translational factors. These findings indicate that persistent T cell activation, which may accelerate HIV-1 replication, and the disruption of cellular housekeeping genes including those involved in anti- apoptotic systems, may play an important role in HIV-1-induced pathogenesis.