Activation of NFAT-Dependent Gene Expression by Nef: Conservation among Divergent Nef Alleles, Dependence on SH3 Binding and Membrane Association, and Cooperation with Protein Kinase C-θ

Here we show that the potential to regulate NFAT is a conserved property of different Nef alleles and that Nef residues involved in membrane targeting and SH3 binding are critical for this function. Cotransfection of an activated protein kinase C-θ (PKC-θ) with Nef implicated PKC-θ as a possible physiological cofactor of Nef in promoting NFAT-dependent gene expression and T-cell activation.