SARS-CoV-2 Restructures the Host Chromatin Architecture

SARS-CoV-2 has made >190-million infections worldwide, thus it is pivotal to understand the viral impacts on host cells. Many viruses can significantly alter host chromatin, but such roles of SARS-CoV-2 are largely unknown. Here, we characterized the three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture and epigenome landscapes in human cells after SARS-CoV-2 infection, revealing remarkable restructuring of host chromatin architecture. High-resolution Hi-C 3.0 uncovered widespread A compartmental weakening and A-B mixing, together with a global reduction of intra-TAD chromatin contacts. The cohesin complex, a central organizer of the 3D genome, was significantly depleted from intra-TAD regions, supporting that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts cohesin loop extrusion. Calibrated ChIP-Seq verified chromatin restructuring by SARS-CoV-2 that is particularly manifested by a pervasive reduction of euchromatin modifications. Built on the rewired 3D genome/epigenome maps, a modified activity-by-contact model highlights the transcriptional weakening of antiviral interferon response genes or virus sensors (e.g., DDX58) incurred by SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, pro-inflammatory genes (e.g. IL-6) high in severe infections were uniquely regulated by augmented H3K4me3 at their promoters. These findings illustrate how SARS-CoV-2 rewires host chromatin architecture to confer immunological gene deregulation, laying a foundation to characterize the long-term epigenomic impacts of this virus.

Moloney murine leukemia virus p12 is required for histone loading onto retroviral DNAs

During retrovirus infection, a histone-free DNA copy of the viral RNA genome is synthesized and rapidly loaded with nucleosomes de novo upon nuclear entry. The potential role of viral accessory proteins in histone loading onto retroviral DNAs has not been extensively investigated. The p12 protein of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) is a virion protein critical for tethering the incoming viral DNA to host chromatin in the early stages of infection. Infection by virions containing a mutant p12 (PM14) defective in chromatin tethering results in the formation of viral DNAs that do not accumulate in the nucleus. In this report, we show that viral DNAs of these mutants are not loaded with histones. Moreover, the DNA genomes delivered by mutant p12 show prolonged association with viral structural proteins nucleocapsid (NC) and capsid (CA). The histone-poor viral DNA genomes do not become associated with the host RNA polymerase II machinery. These findings provide insights into fundamental aspects of retroviral biology, indicating that tethering to host chromatin by p12 and retention in the nucleus are required to allow loading of histones onto the viral DNA. Importance: Incoming retroviral DNAs are rapidly loaded with nucleosomal histones upon entry into the nucleus and before integration into the host genome. The entry of murine leukemia virus DNA into the nucleus only occurs upon dissolution of the nuclear membrane in mitosis, and retention in the nucleus requires the action of a viral protein, p12, which tethers the DNA to host chromatin. Data presented here show that the tethering activity of p12 is required for the loading of histones onto the viral DNA. p12 mutants lacking tethering activity fail to acquire histones, retain capsid and nucleocapsid proteins, and are poorly transcribed. The work defines a new requirement for a viral protein to allow chromatinization of viral DNA.

Host Chromatin Regulators Required for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Cytolethal Distending Toxin Activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Model

Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is a bacterial genotoxin that causes host cell cycle arrest and death. We previously employed a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model with inducible expression of the CDT catalytic subunit from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ( Aa ), Aa CdtB, and showed that a wide variety of host factors play a role in facilitating the activity of CdtB. Our observation that a yeast H2B mutant defective in chromatin condensation was partially resistant to CdtB implies that chromatin structure may affect CDT function. In this study, we identified host chromatin regulatory genes required for CdtB cytotoxicity. We found that the deletion of HTZ1 or certain subunits of SWR-, INO80-, and SIR complexes increased cellular resistance to CdtB. We hypothesized that CdtB may interact with Htz1 or the chromatin, but immunoprecipitation experiments failed to detect physical interaction between CdtB and Htz1 or the chromatin. However, we observed reduced nuclear localization of CdtB in several mutants, suggesting that impaired nuclear translocation may, at least partly, explain the mechanisms of CdtB resistance. In addition, mutations in chromatin regulatory genes induce changes in the global gene expression profile and these may indirectly affect CdtB toxicity. Our results suggest that decreased expression of ER-Golgi transport-related genes that may be involved in CdtB transport, and/or increased expression of DNA repair genes may contribute to CdtB resistance. These results suggest that the functions of chromatin regulators may contribute to the activity of CDT in host cells.

A viral histone-like protein exploits H1-HMGB1 antagonism for chromatin invasion

Virus infection necessarily requires redirecting cellular resources towards viral progeny production. Adenovirus successfully accomplishes this by usurping host chromatin through multiple approaches from redistributing histone modifications to globally altering chromatin composition. We previously showed that adenovirus histone-like protein VII sequesters the histone chaperone SET and the HMGB family of alarmins in host chromatin. HMGB1 has been shown to antagonize linker histone H1 binding to chromatin. Consistent with this antagonism, we find several H1 isoforms significantly chromatin-depleted in the presence of protein VII and accompanying HMGB proteins. Here, we use complementary systems in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human cells to dissect the mechanism of chromatin invasion by adenovirus protein VII. In yeast, we find that protein VII binds chromatin and subsequently slows cell growth. Using yeast genetics, we demonstrate that loss of HMGB1 or SET homologs rescues this growth defect, indicating that these factors are required for the phenotype, while deletion of the linker histone H1 homolog exacerbates the defect. Strikingly, expression of human SET or HMGB1 in the corresponding mutant background restores the defects. We find that as a consequence of chromatin invasion, protein VII disrupts cell cycle progression such that cells accumulate in G2/M, both in yeast and diploid human cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that protein VII can impede the cell cycle in the presence of adenovirus E1A and E1B, two viral proteins well-established to override cell cycle checkpoints. Together, our results demonstrate that protein VII exploits H1-HMGB1 antagonism to invade chromatin and obstruct cell cycle progression, ensuring cellular resources are directed towards viral progeny production.

Direct tracking of single proviruses reveals HIV-1/LEDGF complexes excluded from virus-induced membraneless organelles

The ultimate goal of HIV-1 is integration into the host chromatin to optimize the release of high levels of viral progeny and discretely coexist with the host. To uncover the HIV-1 DNA fate in the nuclear landscape we directly tracked the viral DNA (vDNA) and the viral RNA (vRNA) by coupling HIV-1 ANCHOR technology with RNA FISH or MCP-MS2 RNA-tagging bacterial system. Our computational imaging analysis revealed that proviral forms are early located in proximity of the nuclear periphery of mitotic and non-mitotic cells. We also observed that HIV-1 infection prompts clustering formation of the host factor CPSF6 restructuring membraneless organelles enriched in both viral proteins and speckle factors. Interestingly, we observed that integrase proteins are retained in CPSF6 clusters, while the late retrotranscribed DNA was excluded from HIV-induced membranelless organelles (HIV-1 MLOs), indicating that those structures are not proviral sites, but orchestrate viral events prior to the integration step. HIV-1 MLOs are in the vicinity of pre-existing LEDGF clusters. Importantly, we identified actively transcribing proviruses localize, outside HIV-1 MLOs, in LEDGF-abundant regions, known to be active chromatin sites. This study highlights single functional host-proviral complexes in their nuclear landscape, which is markedly restructured by HIV-1 to favor viral replication.

Integrative profiling of early host chromatin accessibility responses in human neutrophils with sensitive pathogen detection

Sepsis is a leading cause of death globally where neutrophils respond to pathogens via tightly regulated antimicrobial effectors. Combining early neutrophilic responses and pathogen detection may reveal insights for disease recognition. We performed ATAC-seq of human neutrophils challenged with six toll-like receptor ligands and two organisms; and RNA-seq after Escherichia coli (EC) exposure for 1 and 4 hours along with ATAC-seq. ATAC-seq of neurophils retains more pathogenic DNA reads than standard library preparation methods. Only a fraction of differential chromatin regions overlap between challenges. Shared signatures exist for ligands but rest are unique in position, function, and challenge. Epigenomic changes are plastic, only ∼500 are shared by EC challenges over time, resulting in varied differential genes and associated processes. We also identify three classes of chromatin mediated gene regulation based on their relative locations. These and transcription factor footprinting reveal timely and challenge specific mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in neutrophils.

Structural basis for strand-transfer inhibitor binding to HIV intasomes

The HIV intasome is a large nucleoprotein assembly that mediates the integration of a DNA copy of the viral genome into host chromatin. Intasomes are targeted by the latest generation of antiretroviral drugs, integrase strand-transfer inhibitors (INSTIs). Challenges associated with lentiviral intasome biochemistry have hindered high-resolution structural studies of how INSTIs bind to their native drug target. Here, we present high-resolution cryo–electron microscopy structures of HIV intasomes bound to the latest generation of INSTIs. These structures highlight how small changes in the integrase active site can have notable implications for drug binding and design and provide mechanistic insights into why a leading INSTI retains efficacy against a broad spectrum of drug-resistant variants. The data have implications for expanding effective treatments available for HIV-infected individuals.

Incorporation and influence of Leishmania histone H3 in chromatin

Immunopathologies caused by Leishmania cause severe human morbidity and mortality. This protozoan parasite invades and persists inside host cells, resulting in disease development. Leishmania modifies the epigenomic status of the host cells, thus probably averting the host cell defense mechanism. To accomplish this, Leishmania may change the host cell chromatin structure. However, the mechanism by which the parasite changes the host cell chromatin has not been characterized. In the present study, we found that ectopically produced Leishmania histone H3, LmaH3, which mimics the secreted LmaH3 in infected cells, is incorporated into chromatin in human cells. A crystallographic analysis revealed that LmaH3 forms nucleosomes with human histones H2A, H2B and H4. We found that LmaH3 was less stably incorporated into the nucleosome, as compared to human H3.1. Consistently, we observed that LmaH3–H4 association was remarkably weakened. Mutational analyses revealed that the specific LmaH3 Trp35, Gln57 and Met98 residues, which correspond to the H3.1 Tyr41, Arg63 and Phe104 residues, might be responsible for the instability of the LmaH3 nucleosome. Nucleosomes containing LmaH3 resisted the Mg2+-mediated compaction of the chromatin fiber. These distinct physical characteristics of LmaH3 support the possibility that histones secreted by parasites during infection may modulate the host chromatin structure.

Quantitative Microscopy Reveals Stepwise Alteration of Chromatin Structure during Herpesvirus Infection

During lytic herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection, the expansion of the viral replication compartments leads to an enrichment of the host chromatin in the peripheral nucleoplasm. We have shown previously that HSV-1 infection induces the formation of channels through the compacted peripheral chromatin. Here, we used three-dimensional confocal and expansion microscopy, soft X-ray tomography, electron microscopy, and random walk simulations to analyze the kinetics of host chromatin redistribution and capsid localization relative to their egress site at the nuclear envelope. Our data demonstrated a gradual increase in chromatin marginalization, and the kinetics of chromatin smoothening around the viral replication compartments correlated with their expansion. We also observed a gradual transfer of capsids to the nuclear envelope. Later in the infection, random walk modeling indicated a gradually faster transport of capsids to the nuclear envelope that correlated with an increase in the interchromatin channels in the nuclear periphery. Our study reveals a stepwise and time-dependent mechanism of herpesvirus nuclear egress, in which progeny viral capsids approach the egress sites at the nuclear envelope via interchromatin spaces.