Figure 1

Schematic representation of Rev-mediated nuclear export of HIV mRNAs and chemical structures of RaTA and LMB. (A) Binding of the Nuclear Localization Signal (NLS) in Rev to importin-β (Imp-β) triggers the nuclear internalization of Rev through the Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC). Once in the nucleus, Rev binds to the Rev-responsive element (RRE) of the HIV mRNA. This interaction exposes the Nuclear Export Signal (NES) of Rev for recognition by CRM1. The CRM1-Rev-mRNA complex is stabilized by the phosphorylated form of Ran (RanGTP) and crosses the nuclear pore into the cytoplasm where Ran is dephosphorylated (RanGDP) and the complex is disassembled making HIV mRNAs available for translation. (B) The specific groups within the chemical structures of RaTA and LMB that are involved in the interaction with CRM1 are circled. A complete description of these interactions can be found in (55). Structures are freely available from: http://www.chemspider.com. Chemspider IDs: 5293127 and 4948244.