HIV-1 Tat compositions

A composition comprising:

• an isolated HIV Tat protein in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient, wherein said isolated HIV Tat protein is biologically active, as shown by (1) the ability of said isolated HIV Tat protein to activate virus replication when said isolated HIV Tat protein is added to HIV-1 infected cells, which ability to activate is determined by (A) the rescue of Tat-defective proviruses in HLM-1 cells after the addition of said isolated HIV Tat protein at a concentration of up to 1 μg/ml, or (B) the transactivation of HIV-1 gene expression in cells transfected with HIV-1 promoter-reporter plasmid after the addition of said isolated HIV Tat protein at a concentration of up to 1 μg/ml;
• and (2) the ability of said isolated HIV Tat protein to do one or both of the following (i) and (ii):
• (i) enter and localize in the nuclei of activated endothelial cells or dendritic cells, which entering and localizing is determined by (a) incubating activated endothelial cells or dendritic cells with up to 1 μg/ml of said isolated HIV Tat protein which is labeled with rhodamine, and (b) detecting the presence or absence of rhodamine in the activated endothelial cells or dendritic cells by fluorescence microscopy;
• or
• (ii) activate the proliferation, migration, and invasion of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) cells or cytokine-activated endothelial cells in culture when said isolated HIV Tat protein is present at a concentration of up to 1 μg/ml,
• wherein said composition is pharmaceutically acceptable for administration to a human.