scholarly journals Reversal of Epigenetic Silencing Allows Robust HIV-1 Replication in the Absence of Integrase Function

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishak D. Irwan ◽  
Heather L. Karnowski ◽  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Kevin Tsai ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Epigenetic Silencing ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Epigenetic Marks ◽  
Proviral Dna ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Circular Dnas ◽  
Episomal Dna ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Integration of the proviral DNA intermediate into the host cell genome normally represents an essential step in the retroviral life cycle. While the reason(s) for this requirement remains unclear, it is known that unintegrated proviral DNA is epigenetically silenced. Here, we demonstrate that human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) mutants lacking a functional integrase (IN) can mount a robust, spreading infection in cells expressing the Tax transcription factor encoded by human T-cell leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1). In these cells, HIV-1 forms episomal DNA circles, analogous to hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNAs (cccDNAs), that are transcriptionally active and fully capable of supporting viral replication. In the presence of Tax, induced NF-κB proteins are recruited to the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoters present on unintegrated HIV-1 DNA, and this recruitment in turn correlates with the loss of inhibitory epigenetic marks and the acquisition of activating marks on histones bound to viral DNA. Therefore, HIV-1 is capable of replication in the absence of integrase function if the epigenetic silencing of unintegrated viral DNA can be prevented or reversed. IMPORTANCE While retroviral DNA is synthesized normally after infection by integrase-deficient viruses, the resultant episomal DNA is then epigenetically silenced. Here, we show that expression of the Tax transcription factor encoded by a second human retrovirus, HTLV-1, prevents or reverses the epigenetic silencing of unintegrated HIV-1 DNA and instead induces the addition of activating epigenetic marks and the recruitment of NF-κB/Rel proteins to the HIV-1 LTR promoter. Moreover, in the presence of Tax, the HIV-1 DNA circles that form in the absence of integrase function are not only efficiently transcribed but also support a spreading, pathogenic integrase-deficient (IN−) HIV-1 infection. Thus, retroviruses have the potential to replicate without integration, as is indeed seen with HBV. Moreover, these data suggest that integrase inhibitors may be less effective in the treatment of HIV-1 infections in individuals who are also coinfected with HTLV-1.

scholarly journals Robust HIV-1 replication in the absence of integrase function

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishak D. Irwan ◽  
Heather L. Karnowski ◽  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Kevin Tsai ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Epigenetic Silencing ◽  
Epigenetic Marks ◽  
Proviral Dna ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus ◽  
Circular Dnas ◽  
Episomal Dna ◽  
Hiv 1

AbstractIntegration of the proviral DNA intermediate into the host cell genome represents an essential step in the retroviral life cycle. While the reason(s) for this requirement remains unclear, it is known that unintegrated proviral DNA is epigenetically silenced. Here, we demonstrate that HIV-1 mutants lacking functional integrase can mount a robust, spreading infection in cells expressing the Tax transcription factor encoded by human T-cell leukemia virus 1. In these cells, HIV-1 forms episomal DNA circles, analogous to Hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNAs (cccDNAs), that are transcriptionally active and fully capable of supporting viral replication. This rescue correlates with the loss of inhibitory epigenetic marks, and the acquisition of activating marks, on histones bound to unintegrated HIV-1 DNA. Thus retroviral DNA integration may have evolved, at least in part, as a mechanism to avoid the epigenetic silencing of extrachromosomal viral DNA by host innate antiviral factors.SignificanceWhile retroviral DNA is synthesized normally after infection by integrase-deficient viruses, the resultant episomal DNA is then epigenetically silenced. Here, we show that expression of the Tax transcription factor encoded by a second human retrovirus, HTLV-1, prevents the epigenetic silencing of unintegrated HIV-1 DNA and instead induces the addition of activating epigenetic marks, and the recruitment of NF-kB/Rel proteins, to the HIV-1 LTR promoter. Moreover, in the presence of Tax, the HIV-1 DNA circles that form in the absence of integrase function are not only efficiently transcribed but also support a spreading, pathogenic IN- HIV-1 infection. Thus, retroviruses have the potential to replicate without integration, as is indeed seen with HBV.

scholarly journals Interactions of Murine APOBEC3 and Human APOBEC3G with Murine Leukemia Viruses

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (13) ◽  
pp. 6566-6575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Rulli ◽  
Jane Mirro ◽  
Shawn A. Hill ◽  
Patricia Lloyd ◽  
Robert J. Gorelick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Type ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Apobec3 Proteins ◽  
Hiv 1 ◽  
Murine Leukemia ◽  
Human Apobec3g

ABSTRACT APOBEC3 proteins are cytidine deaminases which help defend cells against retroviral infections. One antiviral mechanism involves deaminating dC residues in minus-strand DNA during reverse transcription, resulting in G-to-A mutations in the coding strand. We investigated the effects of mouse APOBEC3 (mA3) and human APOBEC3G (hA3G) upon Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV). We find that mA3 inactivates MLV but is significantly less effective against MLV than is hA3G. In contrast, mA3 is as potent against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1, lacking the protective Vif protein) as is hA3G. The two APOBEC3 proteins are packaged to similar extents in MLV particles. Dose-response profiles imply that a single APOBEC3 molecule (or oligomer) is sufficient to inactivate an MLV particle. The inactivation of MLV by mA3 and hA3G is accompanied by relatively small reductions in the amount of viral DNA in infected cells. Although hA3G induces significant levels of G-to-A mutations in both MLV and HIV DNAs, and mA3 induces these mutations in HIV DNA, no such mutations were detected in DNA synthesized by MLV inactivated by mA3. Thus, MLV has apparently evolved to partially resist the antiviral effects of mA3 and to totally resist the ability of mA3 to induce G-to-A mutation in viral DNA. Unlike the resistance of HIV-1 and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 to hA3G, the resistance of MLV to mA3 is not mediated by the exclusion of APOBEC from the virus particle. The nature of its resistance and the mechanism of inactivation of MLV by mA3 are completely unknown.

scholarly journals Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Infection of the Three Monocyte Subsets Contributes to Viral Burden in Humans

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 2195-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fernanda de Castro-Amarante ◽  
Cynthia A. Pise-Masison ◽  
Katherine McKinnon ◽  
Robyn Washington Parks ◽  
Veronica Galli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Monocyte Subsets ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus ◽  
Classical Monocytes ◽  
Intermediate Monocytes

ABSTRACTBecause the viral DNA burden correlates with disease development, we investigated the contribution of monocyte subsets (classical, intermediate, and nonclassical monocytes) to the total viral burden in 22 human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected individuals by assessing their infectivity status, frequency, as well as chemotactic and phagocytic functions. All three monocyte subsets sorted from HTLV-1-infected individuals were positive for viral DNA, and the frequency of classical monocytes was lower in the blood of HTLV-1-infected individuals than in that of uninfected individuals, while the expression levels of the chemokine receptors CCR5, CXCR3, and CX3CR1 in classical monocytes were higher in HTLV-1-infected individuals than uninfected individuals; the percentage of intermediate monocytes and their levels of chemokine receptor expression did not differ between HTLV-1-infected and uninfected individuals. However, the capacity of intermediate monocytes to migrate to CCL5, the ligand for CCR5, was higher, and a higher proportion of nonclassical monocytes expressed CCR1, CXCR3, and CX3CR1. The level of viral DNA in the monocyte subsets correlated with the capacity to migrate to CCL2, CCL5, and CX3CL1 for classical monocytes, with lower levels of phagocytosis for intermediate monocytes, and with the level of viral DNA in CD8+and CD4+T cells for nonclassical monocytes. These data suggest a model whereby HTLV-1 infection augments the number of classical monocytes that migrate to tissues and become infected and the number of infected nonclassical monocytes that transmit virus to CD4+and CD8+T cells. These results, together with prior findings in a macaque model of HTLV-1 infection, support the notion that infection of monocytes by HTLV-1 is likely a requisite for viral persistence in humans.IMPORTANCEMonocytes have been implicated in immune regulation and disease progression in patients with HTLV-1-associated inflammatory diseases. We detected HTLV-1 DNA in all three monocyte subsets and found that infection impacts surface receptor expression, migratory function, and subset frequency. The frequency of nonclassical patrolling monocytes is increased in HTLV-1-infected individuals, and they have increased expression of CCR1, CXCR3, and CX3CR1. The viral DNA level in nonclassical monocytes correlated with the viral DNA level in CD4+and CD8+T cells. Altogether, these data suggest an increased recruitment of classical monocytes to inflammation sites that may result in virus acquisition and, in turn, facilitate virus dissemination and viral persistence. Our findings thus provide new insight into the importance of monocyte infection in viral spread and suggest targeting of monocytes for therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Interaction of Primate Retroviruses with the Human RNA Interference Machinery

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (22) ◽  
pp. 12218-12226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Lin ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Rna Interference ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Foamy Virus ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The question of whether retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), interact with the cellular RNA interference machinery has been controversial. Here, we present data showing that neither HIV-1 nor human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) expresses significant levels of either small interfering RNAs or microRNAs in persistently infected T cells. We also demonstrate that the retroviral nuclear transcription factors HIV-1 Tat and HTLV-1 Tax, as well as the Tas transactivator encoded by primate foamy virus, fail to inhibit RNA interference in human cells. Moreover, the stable expression of physiological levels of HIV-1 Tat did not globally inhibit microRNA production or expression in infected human cells. Together, these data argue that HIV-1 and HTLV-1 neither induce the production of viral small interfering RNAs or microRNAs nor repress the cellular RNA interference machinery in infected cells.

Transmission of Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type I to Sheep: Antibody Profile and Detection of Viral DNA Sequences

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 1717-1724 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDUARDO N. ESTEBAN ◽  
MICHAEL P. SHERMAN ◽  
BERNARD L. POIESZ ◽  
ROBERT R. MARSHAK ◽  
DAVID J. WATERS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Type I ◽  
Cell Leukemia ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus

scholarly journals The versatile role of exosomes in human retroviral infections: from immunopathogenesis to clinical application

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jafar Rezaie ◽  
Cynthia Aslan ◽  
Mahdi Ahmadi ◽  
Naime Majidi Zolbanin ◽  
Fatah Kashanchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Fluids ◽  
Recipient Cell ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Hiv 1

AbstractEukaryotic cells produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediating intercellular communication. These vesicles encompass many bio-molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids that are transported between cells and regulate pathophysiological actions in the recipient cell. Exosomes originate from multivesicular bodies inside cells and microvesicles shed from the plasma membrane and participate in various pathological conditions. Retroviruses such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus -type 1 (HIV-1) and Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-1 engage exosomes for spreading and infection. Exosomes from virus-infected cells transfer viral components such as miRNAs and proteins that promote infection and inflammation. Additionally, these exosomes deliver virus receptors to target cells that make them susceptible to virus entry. HIV-1 infected cells release exosomes that contribute to the pathogenesis including neurological disorders and malignancy. Exosomes can also potentially carry out as a modern approach for the development of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 vaccines. Furthermore, as exosomes are present in most biological fluids, they hold the supreme capacity for clinical usage in the early diagnosis and prognosis of viral infection and associated diseases. Our current knowledge of exosomes' role from virus-infected cells may provide an avenue for efficient retroviruses associated with disease prevention. However, the exact mechanism involved in retroviruses infection/ inflammation remains elusive and related exosomes research will shed light on the mechanisms of pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Tax induces the recruitment of NF-kB to unintegrated HIV-1 DNA to rescue viral gene expression and replication

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishak D. Irwan ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Lentiviral Vectors ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Viral Gene ◽  
Epigenetic Marks ◽  
Tax Protein ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Activation Of Transcription ◽  
Hiv 1

AbstractWe have previously reported that the normally essential step of integration of the HIV-1 proviral DNA intermediate into the host cell genome becomes dispensable in T cells that express the Human T cell leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein. The rescue of integrase (IN) deficient HIV-1 replication by Tax results from the strong activation of transcription from the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter on episomal HIV-1 DNA, an effect that is closely correlated with the recruitment of activating epigenetic marks, such as H3Ac, and depletion of repressive epigenetic marks, such as H3K9me3, from chromatinized unintegrated proviruses. In addition, activation of transcription from unintegrated HIV-1 DNA coincides with the recruitment of NF-kB to the two NF-kB binding sites found in the HIV-1 LTR enhancer. Here we report that the recruitment of NF-kB to unintegrated viral DNA precedes, and is a prerequisite for, Tax-induced changes in epigenetic marks, so that an IN-HIV-1 mutant lacking both LTR NF-kB sites is entirely non-responsive to Tax and fails to undergo the epigenetic changes listed above. We also report that heterologous promoters introduced into IN-HIV-1-based vectors are transcriptionally active even in the absence of Tax. Finally, we failed to reproduce a recent report arguing that heterologous promoters introduced into IN-vectors based on HIV-1 are more active if the HIV-1 promoter and enhancer, located in the LTR U3 region, are deleted, in a so-called self inactivating or SIN lentivector design.ImportanceIntegrase-deficient expression vectors based on HIV-1 are becoming increasingly popular as tools for gene therapy in vivo due to their inability to cause insertional mutagenesis. However, many IN-lentiviral vectors are able to achieve only low levels of gene expression and methods to increase this low level have not been extensively explored. Here we analyze how the HTLV-1 Tax protein is able to rescue the replication of IN-HIV-1 in T cells and describe IN-lentiviral vectors that are able to express a heterologous gene effectively.

scholarly journals p300-Mediated Tax Transactivation from Recombinant Chromatin: Histone Tail Deletion Mimics Coactivator Function

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara A. Georges ◽  
W. Lee Kraus ◽  
Karolin Luger ◽  
Jennifer K. Nyborg ◽  
Paul J. Laybourn
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Acetyl Coa ◽  
Histone Tails ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Cellular Transcription Factor ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Human T Cell

ABSTRACT Efficient transcription of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) genome requires Tax, a virally encoded oncogenic transcription factor, in complex with the cellular transcription factor CREB and the coactivators p300/CBP. To examine Tax transactivation in vitro, we used a chromatin assembly system that included recombinant core histones. The addition of Tax, CREB, and p300 to the HTLV-1 promoter assembled into chromatin activated transcription several hundredfold. Chromatin templates selectively lacking amino-terminal histone tails demonstrated enhanced transcriptional activation by Tax and CREB, with significantly reduced dependence on p300 and acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Interestingly, Tax/CREB activation from the tailless chromatin templates retained a substantial requirement for acetyl-CoA, indicating a role for acetyl-CoA beyond histone acetylation. These data indicate that during Tax transcriptional activation, the amino-terminal histone tails are the major targets of p300 and that tail deletion and acetylation are functionally equivalent.

scholarly journals Effect of Lamivudine on Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) DNA Copy Number, T-Cell Phenotype, and Anti-Tax Cytotoxic T-Cell Frequency in Patients with HTLV-1-Associated Myelopathy

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 10289-10295 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Taylor ◽  
S. E. Hall ◽  
S. Navarrete ◽  
C. A. Michie ◽  
R. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Cell Leukemia ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus

ABSTRACT Patients with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) typically have a high HTLV-1 proviral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and abundant, activated HTLV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). No effective treatment for HAM/TSP has been described so far. We report a 10-fold reduction in viral DNA for five patients with HAM/TSP during treatment with the reverse transcriptase inhibitor lamivudine. In one patient with recent-onset HAM/TSP, the reduction in viral DNA was associated with a fall in the frequency of CTLs specific to two peptides in the immunodominant viral antigen Tax. The half-life of peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations was estimated from changes in viral DNA copy number, CTL frequency, reduction in CD25 expression, and the loss of dicentric chromosomes following radiation-induced damage. Each of these four different techniques indicated a cellular half-life of approximately 3 days consistent with continuous lymphocyte replication and destruction. These results indicate that viral replication through reverse transcription significantly contributes to the maintenance of HTLV-1 viral DNA load. The relative contribution of proliferation versus replication may vary between infected people.

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