scholarly journals Mechanism of Enhanced HIV Restriction by Virion Coencapsidated Cytidine Deaminases APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G

2016 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjuman Ara ◽  
Robin P. Love ◽  
Tyson B. Follack ◽  
Khawaja A. Ahmed ◽  
Madison B. Adolph ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The APOBEC3 (A3) enzymes, A3G and A3F, are coordinately expressed in CD4+ T cells and can become coencapsidated into HIV-1 virions, primarily in the absence of the viral infectivity factor (Vif). A3F and A3G are deoxycytidine deaminases that inhibit HIV-1 replication by inducing guanine-to-adenine hypermutation through deamination of cytosine to form uracil in minus-strand DNA. The effect of the simultaneous presence of both A3G and A3F on HIV-1 restriction ability is not clear. Here, we used a single-cycle infectivity assay and biochemical analyses to determine if coencapsidated A3G and A3F differ in their restriction capacity from A3G or A3F alone. Proviral DNA sequencing demonstrated that compared to each A3 enzyme alone, A3G and A3F, when combined, had a coordinate effect on hypermutation. Using size exclusion chromatography, rotational anisotropy, and in vitro deamination assays, we demonstrate that A3F promotes A3G deamination activity by forming an A3F/G hetero-oligomer in the absence of RNA which is more efficient at deaminating cytosines. Further, A3F caused the accumulation of shorter reverse transcripts due to decreasing reverse transcriptase efficiency, which would leave single-stranded minus-strand DNA exposed for longer periods of time, enabling more deamination events to occur. Although A3G and A3F are known to function alongside each other, these data provide evidence for an A3F/G hetero-oligomeric A3 with unique properties compared to each individual counterpart. IMPORTANCE The APOBEC3 enzymes APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G act as a barrier to HIV-1 replication in the absence of the HIV-1 Vif protein. After APOBEC3 enzymes are encapsidated into virions, they deaminate cytosines in minus-strand DNA, which forms promutagenic uracils that induce transition mutations or proviral DNA degradation. Even in the presence of Vif, footprints of APOBEC3-catalyzed deaminations are found, demonstrating that APOBEC3s still have discernible activity against HIV-1 in infected individuals. We undertook a study to better understand the activity of coexpressed APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G. The data demonstrate that an APOBEC3F/APOBEC3G hetero-oligomer can form that has unique properties compared to each APOBEC3 alone. This hetero-oligomer has increased efficiency of virus hypermutation, raising the idea that we still may not fully realize the antiviral mechanisms of endogenous APOBEC3 enzymes. Hetero-oligomerization may be a mechanism to increase their antiviral activity in the presence of Vif.

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (6S) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
A Baass ◽  
H Wassef ◽  
M Tremblay ◽  
L Bernier ◽  
R Dufour ◽  
...  

Introduction: LCAT (lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase ) is an enzyme which plays an essential role in cholesterol esterification and reverse cholesterol transport. Familial LCAT deficiency (FLD) is a disease characterized by a defect in LCAT resulting in extremely low HDL-C, premature corneal opacities, anemia as well as proteinuria and renal failure. Method: We have identified two brothers presenting characteristics of familial LCAT deficiency. We sequenced the LCAT gene, measured the lipid profile as well as the LCAT activity in 15 members of this kindred. We also characterized the plasma lipoproteins by agarose gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography and sequenced several candidate genes related to dysbetalipoproteinemia in this family. Results: We have identified the first French Canadian kindred with familial LCAT deficiency. Two brothers affected by FLD, were homozygous for a novel LCAT mutation. This c.102delG mutation occurs at the codon for His35 causing a frameshift that stops transcription at codon 61 abolishing LCAT enzymatic activity both in vivo and in vitro. It has a dramatic effect on the lipoprotein profile, with an important reduction of HDL-C in both heterozygotes (22%) and homozygotes (88%) and a significant decrease in LDL-C in heterozygotes (35%) as well as homozygotes (58%). Furthermore, the lipoprotein profile differed markedly between the two affected brothers who had different APOE genotypes. We propose that APOE could be an important modifier gene explaining heterogeneity in lipoprotein profiles observed among FLD patients. Our results suggest that a LCAT-/- genotype associated with an APOE ?2 allele could be a novel mechanism leading to dysbetalipoproteinemia.


Author(s):  
M.A. Tyumentseva ◽  
◽  
A.I. Tyumentsev ◽  
V.G. Akimkin ◽  
◽  
...  

For the effective functioning of supervisory and health monitoring services, it is necessary to introduce modern molecular technologies into their practice. Therefore, the task of developing new effective methods for detecting pathogen, for example HIV, based on CRISPR/CAS genome editing systems, remains urgent. In the present work, guide RNAs and specific oligonucleotides were developed for preliminary amplification of highly conserved regions of the HIV-1 genome. The developed guide RNAs make it possible to detect single copies of HIV-1 proviral DNA in vitro as part of CRISPR/CAS ribonucleoprotein complexes in biological samples after preliminary amplification.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Kinga Böszörményi ◽  
Janet Hirsch ◽  
Gwendoline Kiemenyi Kayere ◽  
Zahra Fagrouch ◽  
Nicole Heijmans ◽  
...  

Background: Recently, an emerging flavivirus, Usutu virus (USUV), has caused an epidemic among birds in Europe, resulting in a massive die-off in Eurasian blackbirds. Currently found only in Europe and Africa, it can be envisioned that Usutu virus will follow the path of other flaviviruses, like West Nile virus and Zika virus, and will spread via its mosquito vectors and bird hosts to other parts of the world. Several cases of human infections by Usutu virus have already been published. Anticipating this spread, development of an efficacious vaccine would be highly desirable. Method: This study describes the production in E. coli, purification, and refolding of a partial USUV envelope protein. Prior to immunization, the protein was characterized using size exclusion chromatography, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, showing the limited presence of virus-like structures, indicating that the protein solution is probably a mixture of mono and multimeric envelope proteins. Results: Immunizations of two rabbits with the refolded E-protein fraction, mixed with a strong adjuvant, resulted in the generation of neutralizing antibodies, as evidenced in an in vitro assay. Discussion: The way forward towards a subunit vaccine against Usutu virus infection is discussed.


AMB Express ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam F. Suzuki ◽  
Larissa A. Almeida ◽  
Stephanie A. Pomin ◽  
Felipe D. Silva ◽  
Renan P. Freire ◽  
...  

AbstractThe human prolactin antagonist Δ1-11-G129R-hPRL is a 21.9 kDa recombinant protein with 188 amino acids that downregulates the proliferation of a variety of cells expressing prolactin receptors. Periplasmic expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli has been considered an option for obtaining a soluble and correctly folded protein, as an alternative to cytoplasmic production. The aim of this work was, therefore, to synthesize for the first time, the Δ1-11-G129R-hPRL antagonist, testing different activation temperatures and purifying it by classical chromatographic techniques. E. coli BL21(DE3) strain was transformed with a plasmid based on the pET25b( +) vector, DsbA signal sequence and the antagonist cDNA sequence. Different doses of IPTG were added, activating under different temperatures, and extracting the periplasmic fluid via osmotic shock. The best conditions were achieved by activating at 35 °C for 5 h using 0.4 mM IPTG, which gave a specific expression of 0.157 ± 0.015 μg/mL/A600 at a final optical density of 3.43 ± 0.13 A600. Purification was carried out by nickel-affinity chromatography followed by size-exclusion chromatography, quantification being performed via high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The prolactin antagonist was characterized by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and MALDI-TOF–MS. The final product presented > 95% purity and its antagonistic effects were evaluated in vitro in view of potential clinical applications, including inhibition of the proliferation of cancer cells overexpressing the prolactin receptor and specific antidiabetic properties, taking also advantage of the fact that this antagonist was obtained in a soluble and correctly folded form and without an initial methionine.


2009 ◽  
Vol 207 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Casartelli ◽  
Florence Guivel-Benhassine ◽  
Romain Bouziat ◽  
Samantha Brandler ◽  
Olivier Schwartz ◽  
...  

The cytidine deaminase APOBEC3G (A3G) enzyme exerts an intrinsic anti–human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) defense by introducing lethal G-to-A hypermutations in the viral genome. The HIV-1 viral infectivity factor (Vif) protein triggers degradation of A3G and counteracts this antiviral effect. The impact of A3G on the adaptive cellular immune response has not been characterized. We examined whether A3G-edited defective viruses, which are known to express truncated or misfolded viral proteins, activate HIV-1–specific (HS) CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). To this end, we compared the immunogenicity of cells infected with wild-type or Vif-deleted viruses in the presence or absence of the cytidine deaminase. The inhibitory effect of A3G on HIV replication was associated with a strong activation of cocultivated HS-CTLs. CTL activation was particularly marked with Vif-deleted HIV and with viruses harboring A3G. Enzymatically inactive A3G mutants failed to enhance CTL activation. We also engineered proviruses bearing premature stop codons in their genome as scars of A3G editing. These viruses were not infectious but potently activated HS-CTLs. Therefore, the pool of defective viruses generated by A3G represents an underestimated source of viral antigens. Our results reveal a novel function for A3G, acting not only as an intrinsic antiviral factor but also as an inducer of the adaptive immune system.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Cadima-Couto ◽  
Joao Goncalves

APOBEC proteins appeared in the cellular battle against HIV-1 as part of intrinsic cellular immunity. The antiretroviral activity of some of these proteins is overtaken by the action of HIV-1 Viral Infectivity Factor (Vif) protein. Since the discovery of APOBEC3G (A3G) as an antiviral factor, many advances have been made to understand its mechanism of action in the cell and how Vif acts in order to counteract its activity. The mainstream concept is that Vif overcomes the innate antiviral activity of A3G by direct protein binding and promoting its degradation via the cellular ubiquitin/proteasomal pathway. Vif may also inhibit A3G through mechanisms independent of proteasomal degradation. Binding of Vif to A3G is essential for its degradation since disruption of this interaction is predicted to stimulate intracellular antiviral immunity. In this paper we will discuss the different binding partners between both proteins as one of the major challenges for the development of new antiviral drugs.


1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 6716-6724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhui Guo ◽  
Tiyun Wu ◽  
Julian Bess ◽  
Louis E. Henderson ◽  
Judith G. Levin

ABSTRACT In this report we demonstrate that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) minus-strand transfer, assayed in vitro and in endogenous reactions, is greatly inhibited by actinomycin D. Previously we showed that HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) protein (a nucleic acid chaperone catalyzing nucleic acid rearrangements which lead to more thermodynamically stable conformations) dramatically stimulates HIV-1 minus-strand transfer by preventing TAR-dependent self-priming from minus-strand strong-stop DNA [(−) SSDNA]. Despite this potent activity, the addition of NC to in vitro reactions with actinomycin D results in only a modest increase in the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the drug. PCR analysis of HIV-1 endogenous reactions indicates that minus-strand transfer is inhibited by the drug with an IC50 similar to that observed when NC is present in the in vitro system. Taken together, these results demonstrate that NC cannot overcome the inhibitory effect of actinomycin D on minus-strand transfer. Other experiments reveal that at actinomycin D concentrations which severely curtail minus-strand transfer, neither the synthesis of (−) SSDNA nor RNase H degradation of donor RNA is affected; however, the annealing of (−) SSDNA to acceptor RNA is significantly reduced. Thus, inhibition of the annealing reaction is responsible for actinomycin D-mediated inhibition of strand transfer. Since NC (but not reverse transcriptase) is required for efficient annealing, we conclude that actinomycin D inhibits minus-strand transfer by blocking the nucleic acid chaperone activity of NC. Our findings also suggest that actinomycin D, already approved for treatment of certain tumors, might be useful in combination therapy for AIDS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Baptiste SOKOUDJOU ◽  
Olubunmi ATOLANI ◽  
Guy Sedar Singor NJATENG ◽  
Afsar KHAN ◽  
Cyrille Ngoufack TAGOUSOP ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Bacteria belonging to the Salmonella genus are major concern for health, as they are widely reported in many cases of food poisoning. The use of antibiotics remains a main stream control strategy for avian salmonellosis as well as typhoid and paratyphoid fevers in humans. Due to the growing awareness about drug resistance and toxicities, the use of antibiotics is being discouraged in many countries whilst advocating potent benign alternatives such as phyto-based medicine. The objective of this work was to isolate, characterise the bioactive compounds of Canarium schweinfurthii; and evaluate their anti-salmonellal activity. Methods The hydro-ethanolic extract of Canarium schweinfurthii was fractionated and tested for their anti-salmonellal activity. The most active fractions (i.e. chloroform and ethyl acetate partition fractions) were then explored for their phytochemical constituents. Fractionation on normal phase silica gel column chromatography and size exclusion chromatography on Sephadex LH-20 led to the isolation of four compounds (maniladiol, scopoletin, ethyl gallate and gallic acid) reported for the first time in Canarium schweinfurthii. Results Result indicated that scopoletin and gallic acid had greater activity than the crude extracts and partition fractions. Among the isolated compounds, scopoletin showed the highest inhibitory activity with a MIC of 16 μg/ml against Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis. Conclusions The overall results of this study indicates that the hydro-ethanolic extract as well as some of isolated compounds have interesting anti-salmonellal activities that could be further explored for the development of potent therapy for salmonellosis. Furthermore, the study adds credence to the folkloric applications of the plant.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (18) ◽  
pp. 8252-8261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Roger J. Pomerantz ◽  
Geethanjali Dornadula ◽  
Yong Sun

ABSTRACT Virion infectivity factor (Vif) is a protein encoded by human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and -2) and simian immunodeficiency virus, plus other lentiviruses, and is essential for viral replication either in vivo or in culture for nonpermissive cells such as peripheral blood lymphoid cells, macrophages, and H9 T cells. Defects in the vif gene affect virion morphology and reverse transcription but not the expression of viral components. It has been shown that Vif colocalizes with Gag in cells and Vif binds to the NCp7 domain of Gag in vitro. However, it seems that Vif is not specifically packaged into virions. The molecular mechanism(s) for Vif remains unknown. In this report, we demonstrate that HIV-1 Vif is an RNA-binding protein and specifically binds to HIV-1 genomic RNA in vitro. Further, Vif binds to HIV-1 RNA in the cytoplasm of virus-producing cells to form a 40S mRNP complex. Coimmunoprecipitation and in vivo UV cross-linking assays indicated that Vif directly interact with HIV-1 RNA in the virus-producing cells. Vif-RNA binding could be displaced by Gag-RNA binding, suggesting that Vif protein in the mRNP complex may mediate viral RNA interaction with HIV-1 Gag precursors. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that these Vif mutants that lose the RNA binding activity in vitro do not supportvif-deficient HIV-1 replication in H9 T cells, suggesting that the RNA binding capacity of Vif is important for its function. Further studies regarding Vif-RNA interaction in virus-producing cells will be important for studying the function of Vif in the HIV-1 life cycle.


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