scholarly journals In Vivo Evidence for Instability of Episomal Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 cDNA

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 5203-5210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Sharkey ◽  
Karine Triques ◽  
Daniel R. Kuritzkes ◽  
Mario Stevenson

ABSTRACT Current regimens for the management of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection suppress plasma viremia to below detectable levels for prolonged intervals. Nevertheless, there is a rapid resumption in plasma viremia if therapy is interrupted. Attempts to characterize the extent of viral replication under conditions of potent suppression and undetectable plasma viremia have been hampered by a lack of convenient assays that can distinguish latent from ongoing viral replication. Using episomal viral cDNA as a surrogate for ongoing replication, we previously presented evidence that viral replication persists in the majority of infected individuals with a sustained aviremic status. The labile nature of viral episomes and hence their validity as surrogate markers of ongoing replication in individuals with long-term-suppressed HIV-1 infection have been analyzed in short-term in vitro experiments with conflicting results. Since these in vitro experiments do not shed light on the long-term in vivo dynamics of episomal cDNA or recapitulate the natural targets of infection in vivo, we have analyzed the dynamics of episomal cDNA turnover in vivo by following the emergence of an M184V polymorphism in plasma viral RNA, in episomal cDNA, and in proviral DNA in patients on suboptimal therapies. We demonstrate that during acquisition of drug resistance, wild-type episomal cDNAs are replaced by M184V-harboring episomes. Importantly, a complete replacement of wild-type episomes with M184V-containing episomes occurred while proviruses remained wild type. This indicates that episomal cDNAs are turned over by degradation rather than through death or tissue redistribution of the infected cell itself. Therefore, evolution of episomal viral cDNAs is a valid surrogate of ongoing viral replication in HIV-1-infected individuals.

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 1470-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Scholz ◽  
Brian Arvidson ◽  
Doug Huseby ◽  
Eric Barklis

ABSTRACT The N-terminal domains (NTDs) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) capsid (CA) protein have been modeled to form hexamer rings in the mature cores of virions. In vitro, hexamer ring units organize into either tubes or spheres, in a pH-dependent fashion. To probe factors which might govern hexamer assembly preferences in vivo, we examined the effects of mutations at CA histidine residue 84 (H84), modeled at the outer edges of NTD hexamers, as well as a nearby histidine (H87) in the cyclophilin A (CypA) binding loop. Although mutations at H87 yielded infectious virions, mutations at H84 produced assembly-competent but poorly infectious virions. The H84 mutant viruses incorporated wild-type levels of CypA and viral RNAs and showed nearly normal signals in virus entry assays. However, mutant CA proteins assembled aberrant virus cores, and mutant core fractions retained abnormally high levels of CA but reduced reverse transcriptase activities. Our results suggest that HIV-1 CA residue 84 contributes to a structure which helps control either NTD hexamer assembly or the organization of hexamers into higher-order structures.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 4628-4637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Lu ◽  
Prakash Sista ◽  
Françoise Giguel ◽  
Michael Greenberg ◽  
Daniel R. Kuritzkes

ABSTRACT Resistance to enfuvirtide (ENF; T-20), a fusion inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), is conferred by mutations in the first heptad repeat of the gp41 ectodomain. The replicative fitness of recombinant viruses carrying ENF resistance mutations was studied in growth competition assays. ENF resistance mutations, selected in vitro or in vivo, were introduced into the env gene of HIV-1NL4-3 by site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in HIV-1 recombinants carrying sequence tags in nef. The doubling time of ENF-resistant viruses was highly correlated with decreasing ENF susceptibility (R 2 = 0.859; P < 0.001). Initial fitness experiments focused on mutants identified by in vitro selection in the presence of ENF (L. T. Rimsky, D. C. Shugars, and T. J. Matthews, J. Virol. 72:986-993, 1998). In the absence of drug, these mutants displayed reduced fitness compared to wild-type virus with a relative order of fitness of wild type > I37T > V38 M > D36S/V38 M; this order was reversed in the presence of ENF. Likewise, recombinant viruses carrying ENF resistance mutations selected in vivo displayed reduced fitness in the absence of ENF with a relative order of wild type > N42T > V38A > N42T/N43K ≈ N42T/N43S > V38A/N42D ≈ V38A/N42T. Fitness and ENF susceptibility were inversely correlated (r = −0.988; P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained with recombinants expressing molecularly cloned full-length env genes obtained from patient-derived HIV-1 isolates before and after ENF treatment. Further studies are needed to determine whether the reduced fitness of ENF-resistant viruses alters their pathogenicity in vivo.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 5925-5936 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Palmer ◽  
E. Boritz ◽  
N. Blyveis ◽  
C. C. Wilson

ABSTRACT One hallmark of uncontrolled, chronic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is the absence of strong HIV-1-specific, CD4+ T-cell-proliferative responses, yet the mechanism underlying this T helper (Th)-cell defect remains controversial. To better understand the impact of HIV-1 replication on Th-cell function, we compared the frequency of CD4+ Th-cell responses based on production of gamma interferon to lymphoproliferative responses directed against HIV-1 proteins in HIV-1-infected subjects with active in vivo viral replication versus those on suppressed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). No statistically significant differences in the frequencies of cytokine-secreting, HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells between the donor groups were found, despite differences in viral load and treatment status. However, HIV-1-specific lymphoproliferative responses were significantly greater in the subjects with HAART suppression than in subjects with active viral replication. Similar levels of HIV-1 RNA were measured in T-cell cultures stimulated with HIV-1 antigens regardless of donor in vivo viral loads, but only HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells from subjects with HAART suppression proliferated in vitro, suggesting that HIV-1 replication in vitro does not preclude HIV-1-specific lymphoproliferation. This study demonstrates a discordance between the frequency and proliferative capacity of HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells in subjects with ongoing in vivo viral replication and suggests that in vivo HIV-1 replication contributes to the observed defect in HIV-1-specific CD4+ T-cell proliferation.


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 3916-3924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Duus ◽  
Eric D. Miller ◽  
Jonathan A. Smith ◽  
Grigoriy I. Kovalev ◽  
Lishan Su

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is frequently attenuated after long-term culture in vitro. The attenuation process probably involves mutations of functions required for replication and pathogenicity in vivo. Analysis of attenuated HIV-1 for replication and pathogenicity in vivo will help to define these functions. In this study, we examined the pathogenicity of an attenuated HIV-1 isolate in a laboratory worker accidentally exposed to a laboratory-adapted HIV-1 isolate. Using heterochimeric SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice as an in vivo model, we previously defined HIV-1 env determinants (HXB/LW) that reverted to replicate in vivo (L. Su, H. Kaneshima, M. L. Bonyhadi, R. Lee, J. Auten, A. Wolf, B. Du, L. Rabin, B. H. Hahn, E. Terwilliger, and J. M. McCune, Virology 227:46–52, 1997). Here we further demonstrate that HIV-1 replication in vivo can be separated from its pathogenic activity, in that the HXB/LW virus replicated to high levels in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice, with no significant thymocyte depletion. Restoration of the nef gene in the recombinant HXB/LW genome restored its pathogenic activity, with no significant effect on HIV-1 replication in the thymus. Our results suggest that in vitro-attenuated HIV-1 lacks determinants for pathogenicity as well as for replication in vivo. Our data indicate that (i) the replication defect can be recovered in vivo by mutations in the envgene, without an associated pathogenic phenotype, and (ii)nef can function in the HXB/LW clone as a pathogenic factor that does not enhance HIV-1 replication in the thymus. Furthermore, the HXB/LW virus may be used to study mechanisms of HIV-1nef-mediated pathogenesis in vivo.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (17) ◽  
pp. 7699-7707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Beaumont ◽  
Silvia Broersen ◽  
Ad van Nuenen ◽  
Han G. Huisman ◽  
Ana-Maria de Roda Husman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Development of disease is extremely rare in chimpanzees when inoculated with either T-cell-line-adapted neutralization-sensitive or primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), at first excluding a role for HIV-1 neutralization sensitivity in the clinical course of infection. Interestingly, we observed that short-term in vivo and in vitro passage of primary HIV-1 isolates through chimpanzee peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) resulted in a neutralization-sensitive phenotype. Furthermore, an HIV-1 variant reisolated from a chimpanzee 10 years after experimental infection was still sensitive to neutralization by soluble CD4, the CD4 binding site recognizing antibody IgG1b12 and autologous chimpanzee serum samples, but had become relatively resistant to neutralization by polyclonal human sera and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The initial adaptation of HIV-1 to replicate in chimpanzee PBMC seemed to coincide with a selection for viruses with low replicative kinetics. Neither coreceptor usage nor the expression level of CD4, CCR5, or CXCR4 on chimpanzee PBMC compared to human cells could explain the phenotypic changes observed in these chimpanzee-passaged viruses. Our data suggest that the increased neutralization sensitivity of HIV-1 after replication in chimpanzee cells may in part contribute to the long-term asymptomatic HIV-1 infection in experimentally infected chimpanzees.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (15) ◽  
pp. 7658-7666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Nishitsuji ◽  
Michinori Kohara ◽  
Mari Kannagi ◽  
Takao Masuda

ABSTRACT Small interfering RNA (siRNA) could provide a new therapeutic approach to treating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. For long-term suppression of HIV-1, emergence of siRNA escape variants must be controlled. Here, we constructed lentiviral vectors encoding short-hairpin RNAs (shRNA) corresponding to conserved target sequences within the integrase (int) and the attachment site (att) genes, both of which are essential for HIV-1 integration. Compared to shRNA targeting of the HIV-1 transcription factor tat (shTat), shRNA against int (shIN) or the U3 region of att (shU3) showed a more potent inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication in human CD4+ T cells. Infection with a high dose of HIV-1 resulted in the emergence of escape mutants during long-term culture. Of note, limited genetic variation was observed in the viruses resistant to shIN. A combination of shINs against wild-type and escape mutant sequences had a negative effect on their antiviral activities, indicating a potentially detrimental effect when administering multiple shRNA targeting the same region to combat HIV-1 variants. The combination of shIN and shU3 att exhibited the strongest anti-HIV-1 activity, as seen by complete abrogation of viral DNA synthesis and viral integration. In addition, a modified long-hairpin RNA spanning the 50 nucleotides in the shIN target region effectively suppressed wild-type and shIN-resistant mutant HIV-1. These results suggest that targeting of incoming viral RNA before proviral DNA formation occurs through the use of nonoverlapping multiple siRNAs is a potent approach to achieving sustained, efficient suppression of highly mutable viruses, such as HIV-1.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (21) ◽  
pp. 13579-13586 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. David Wick ◽  
Otto O. Yang ◽  
Lawrence Corey ◽  
Steven G. Self

ABSTRACT The antiviral role of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is poorly understood. Specifically, the degree to which CTLs reduce viral replication by killing HIV-1-infected cells in vivo is not known. Here we employ mathematical models of the infection process and CTL action to estimate the rate that CTLs can kill HIV-1-infected cells from in vitro and in vivo data. Our estimates, which are surprisingly consistent considering the disparities between the two experimental systems, demonstrate that on average CTLs can kill from 0.7 to 3 infected target cells per day, with the variability in this figure due to epitope specificity or other factors. These results are compatible with the observed decline in viremia after primary infection being primarily a consequence of CTL activity and have interesting implications for vaccine design.


2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (17) ◽  
pp. 7728-7739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Yuan ◽  
Guobin Kang ◽  
Fangrui Ma ◽  
Wuxun Lu ◽  
Wenjin Fan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe origins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) have been widely accepted to be the consequences of simian immunodeficiency viruses from wild chimpanzees (SIVcpz) crossing over to humans. However, there has not been anyin vivostudy of SIVcpz infection of humans. Also, it remains largely unknown why only specific SIVcpz strains have achieved cross-species transmission and what transmission risk might exist for those SIVcpz strains that have not been found to infect humans. Closing this knowledge gap is essential for better understanding cross-species transmission and predicting the likelihood of additional cross-species transmissions of SIV into humans. Here we show that humanized bone marrow, thymus, and liver (hu-BLT) mice are susceptible to all studied strains of SIVcpz, including the inferred ancestral viruses of pandemic and nonpandemic HIV-1 groups M (SIVcpzMB897) and N (SIVcpzEK505) as well as strains that have not been found in humans (SIVcpzMT145 and SIVcpzBF1167). Importantly, the ability of SIVcpz to cross the interspecies barrier to infect humanized mice correlates with their phylogenetic distance to pandemic HIV-1. We also identified mutations of SIVcpzMB897 (Env G411R and G413R) and SIVcpzBF1167 (Env H280Q and Q380R) at 14 weeks postinoculation. Together, our results have recapitulated the events of SIVcpz cross-species transmission to humans and identified mutations that occurred during the first 16 weeks of infection, providingin vivoexperimental evidence that the origins of HIV-1 are the consequence of SIVcpz crossing over to humans. This study also revealed that SIVcpz viruses whose inferred descendants have not been found in humans still have the potential to cause an HIV-1-like zoonosis.IMPORTANCEIt is believed that the origins of HIV-1 are the consequence of SIV from wild chimpanzees crossing over to humans. However, the origins of HIV-1 have been linked back to only specific SIVcpz strains. There have been no experiments that directly test thein vivocross-species transmissibility of SIVcpz strains to humans. This is the firstin vivostudy of SIVcpz cross-species transmission. With the humanized-BLT mouse model, we have providedin vivoexperimental evidence of multiple SIVcpz strains crossing over to humans and identified several important mutations of divergent SIVcpz strains after long-term replication in human cells. We also found that the cross-species transmission barrier of SIVcpz to humans correlates with their phylogenetic distance to pandemic HIV-1 group M. Importantly, this work provides evidence that SIVcpz viruses, whose inferred descendants have not been found in humans, still have the potential to cause a future HIV-1-like zoonotic outbreak.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 3935-3948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Stolp ◽  
Libin Abraham ◽  
Jochen M. Rudolph ◽  
Oliver T. Fackler

ABSTRACT Nef is an accessory protein and pathogenicity factor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) which elevates virus replication in vivo. We recently described for HIV type 1SF2 (HIV-1SF2) the potent interference of Nef with T-lymphocyte chemotaxis via its association with the cellular kinase PAK2. Mechanistic analysis revealed that this interaction results in deregulation of the actin-severing factor cofilin and thus blocks the chemokine-mediated actin remodeling required for cell motility. However, the efficiency of PAK2 association is highly variable among Nef proteins from different lentiviruses, prompting us to evaluate the conservation of this actin-remodeling/cofilin-deregulating mechanism. Based on the analysis of a total of 17 HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV Nef proteins, we report here that inhibition of chemokine-induced actin remodeling as well as inactivation of cofilin are strongly conserved activities of lentiviral Nef proteins. Of note, even for Nef variants that display only marginal PAK2 association in vitro, these activities require the integrity of a PAK2 recruitment motif and the presence of endogenous PAK2. Thus, reduced in vitro affinity to PAK2 does not indicate limited functionality of Nef-PAK2 complexes in intact HIV-1 host cells. These results establish hijacking of PAK2 for deregulation of cofilin and inhibition of triggered actin remodeling as a highly conserved function of lentiviral Nef proteins, supporting the notion that PAK2 association may be critical for Nef's activity in vivo.


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