Evidence in support of a role for human T-cell leukemia virus type I Tax in activating NF-kappa B via stimulation of signaling pathways.

The human T-cell leukemia virus type I Tax protein activates NF-kappa B transcription factors from preformed cytoplasmic pools, including those pools that are retained by the I kappa B-alpha inhibitory protein. Degradation of I kappa B-alpha is enhanced by Tax, resulting in the liberation of some NF-kappa B, which then translocates into the nucleus. Here we have investigated the mechanism by which Tax causes degradation of I kappa B-alpha. Two I kappa B-alpha mutants defective in extracellular signal-induced degradation of I kappa B-alpha also blocked Tax-mediated kappa B-dependent transactivation when cotransfected into Jurkat T cells. Cotransfected wild-type I kappa B-alpha or an irrelevant mutant did not significantly effect transactivation induced by Tax. The signal-defective I kappa B-alpha proteins are mutated at either of two closely spaced serines in the N terminus of the protein (Ser32 and Ser36). In wild-type I kappa B-alpha, one or both of these serines are inducibly phosphorylated with extracellular stimuli, and such phosphorylation appears necessary for subsequent degradation and thus activation of NF-kappa B. These results suggest that Tax triggers I kappa B-alpha degradation and thus NF-kappa B activation by a mechanism that converges with that induced by extracellular stimulation such as phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin or tumor necrosis factor alpha. A role for Tax in activating signal transduction pathways upstream of I kappa B-alpha is implied.