Figure 1.

Vif has a moderate effect on APOBEC3G steady-state levels. (A) HeLa cells were transfected with pNL-A1 and pcDNA-APO3G vector DNA at a 4:1 ratio. As control, mock-transfected cells (lane 1) and cells transfected with the Vif-deficient pNL-A1ΔVif construct and pcDNA-APO3G vector DNA at a 4:1 ratio (lane 3) were included. Cell lysates were processed for immunoblotting as described in Methods and APOBEC3G and Vif-specific proteins were identified using an APOBEC3G-specific polyclonal antibody (α-APO3G) or a Vif-specific monoclonal antibody #319 (α-Vif). Tubulin was identified using an antibody to α-tubulin. (B) APOBEC3G-specific bands were acquired by densitometric scanning of the film and were quantified using the Fuji ImageGauge 4.0 software (Fuji Photofilm Co, LTD). Results are expressed as percent of the Vif-negative control, which was defined as 100%.