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Aptamers in Virology-A Consolidated Review of the Most Recent Advancements in Diagnosis and Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13101646. [PMID: 34683938 PMCID: PMC8540715 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of short oligonucleotide or peptide molecules as target-specific aptamers has recently garnered substantial attention in the field of the detection and treatment of viral infections. Based on their high affinity and high specificity to desired targets, their use is on the rise to replace antibodies for the detection of viruses and viral antigens. Furthermore, aptamers inhibit intracellular viral transcription and translation, in addition to restricting viral entry into host cells. This has opened up a plethora of new targets for the research and development of novel vaccines against viruses. Here, we discuss the advances made in aptamer technology for viral diagnosis and therapy in the past decade.
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Song Z, Gremminger T, Singh G, Cheng Y, Li J, Qiu L, Ji J, Lange MJ, Zuo X, Chen SJ, Zou X, Boris-Lawrie K, Heng X. The three-way junction structure of the HIV-1 PBS-segment binds host enzyme important for viral infectivity. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:5925-5942. [PMID: 33978756 PMCID: PMC8191761 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 reverse transcription initiates at the primer binding site (PBS) in the viral genomic RNA (gRNA). Although the structure of the PBS-segment undergoes substantial rearrangement upon tRNALys3 annealing, the proper folding of the PBS-segment during gRNA packaging is important as it ensures loading of beneficial host factors. DHX9/RNA helicase A (RHA) is recruited to gRNA to enhance the processivity of reverse transcriptase. Because the molecular details of the interactions have yet to be defined, we solved the solution structure of the PBS-segment preferentially bound by RHA. Evidence is provided that PBS-segment adopts a previously undefined adenosine-rich three-way junction structure encompassing the primer activation stem (PAS), tRNA-like element (TLE) and tRNA annealing arm. Disruption of the PBS-segment three-way junction structure diminished reverse transcription products and led to reduced viral infectivity. Because of the existence of the tRNA annealing arm, the TLE and PAS form a bent helical structure that undergoes shape-dependent recognition by RHA double-stranded RNA binding domain 1 (dsRBD1). Mutagenesis and phylogenetic analyses provide evidence for conservation of the PBS-segment three-way junction structure that is preferentially bound by RHA in support of efficient reverse transcription, the hallmark step of HIV-1 replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenwei Song
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Thomas Gremminger
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Gatikrushna Singh
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Yi Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Liming Qiu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Juan Ji
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Margaret J Lange
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-Ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Shi-Jie Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Xiaoqin Zou
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Kathleen Boris-Lawrie
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Xiao Heng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
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Gremminger T, Song Z, Ji J, Foster A, Weng K, Heng X. Extended Interactions between HIV-1 Viral RNA and tRNA Lys3 Are Important to Maintain Viral RNA Integrity. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010058. [PMID: 33374603 PMCID: PMC7793103 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The reverse transcription of the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) initiates upon annealing of the 3′-18-nt of tRNALys3 onto the primer binding site (PBS) in viral RNA (vRNA). Additional intermolecular interactions between tRNALys3 and vRNA have been reported, but their functions remain unclear. Here, we show that abolishing one potential interaction, the A-rich loop: tRNALys3 anticodon interaction in the HIV-1 MAL strain, led to a decrease in viral infectivity and reduced the synthesis of reverse transcription products in newly infected cells. In vitro biophysical and functional experiments revealed that disruption of the extended interaction resulted in an increased affinity for reverse transcriptase (RT) and enhanced primer extension efficiency. In the absence of deoxyribose nucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs), vRNA was degraded by the RNaseH activity of RT, and the degradation rate was slower in the complex with the extended interaction. Consistently, the loss of vRNA integrity was detected in virions containing A-rich loop mutations. Similar results were observed in the HIV-1 NL4.3 strain, and we show that the nucleocapsid (NC) protein is necessary to promote the extended vRNA: tRNALys3 interactions in vitro. In summary, our data revealed that the additional intermolecular interaction between tRNALys3 and vRNA is likely a conserved mechanism among various HIV-1 strains and protects the vRNA from RNaseH degradation in mature virions.
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Zou X, Wu J, Gu J, Shen L, Mao L. Application of Aptamers in Virus Detection and Antiviral Therapy. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1462. [PMID: 31333603 PMCID: PMC6618307 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral infections can cause serious diseases for humans and animals. Accurate and early detection of viruses is often crucial for clinical diagnosis and therapy. Aptamers are mostly single-stranded nucleotide sequences that are artificially synthesized by an in vitro technology known as the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX). Similar to antibodies, aptamers bind specifically to their targets. However, compared with antibody, aptamers are easy to synthesize and modify and can bind to a broad range of targets. Thus, aptamers are promising for detecting viruses and treating viral infections. In this review, we briefly introduce aptamer-based biosensors (aptasensors) and describe their applications in rapid detection of viruses and as antiviral agents in treating infections. We summarize available data about the use of aptamers to detect and inhibit viruses. Furthermore, for the first time, we list aptamers specific to different viruses that have been screened out but have not yet been used for detecting viruses or treating viral infections. Finally, we analyze barriers and developing perspectives in the application of aptamer-based virus detection and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Zou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Jiaqi Gu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Li Shen
- Zhenjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lingxiang Mao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
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Poly-Target Selection Identifies Broad-Spectrum RNA Aptamers. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2018; 13:605-619. [PMID: 30472639 PMCID: PMC6251793 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Aptamer selections often yield distinct subpopulations, each with unique phenotypes that can be leveraged for specialized applications. Although most selections aim to attain ever higher specificity, we sought to identify aptamers that recognize increasingly divergent primate lentiviral reverse transcriptases (RTs). We hypothesized that aptamer subpopulations in libraries pre-enriched against a single RT may exhibit broad-spectrum binding and inhibition, and we devised a multiplexed poly-target selection to elicit those phenotypes against a panel of primate lentiviral RTs. High-throughput sequencing and coenrichment/codepletion analysis of parallel and duplicate selection trajectories rapidly narrowed the list of candidate aptamers by orders of magnitude and identified dozens of priority candidates for further screening. Biochemical characterization validated a novel aptamer motif and several rare and unobserved variants of previously known motifs that inhibited recombinant RTs to varying degrees. These broad-spectrum aptamers also suppressed replication of viral constructs carrying phylogenetically diverse RTs. The poly-target selection and coenrichment/codepletion approach described herein is a generalizable strategy for identifying cross-reactivity among related targets from combinatorial libraries.
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Scarborough RJ, Gatignol A. RNA Interference Therapies for an HIV-1 Functional Cure. Viruses 2017; 10:E8. [PMID: 29280961 PMCID: PMC5795421 DOI: 10.3390/v10010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 drug therapies can prevent disease progression but cannot eliminate HIV-1 viruses from an infected individual. While there is hope that elimination of HIV-1 can be achieved, several approaches to reach a functional cure (control of HIV-1 replication in the absence of drug therapy) are also under investigation. One of these approaches is the transplant of HIV-1 resistant cells expressing anti-HIV-1 RNAs, proteins or peptides. Small RNAs that use RNA interference pathways to target HIV-1 replication have emerged as competitive candidates for cell transplant therapy and have been included in all gene combinations that have so far entered clinical trials. Here, we review RNA interference pathways in mammalian cells and the design of therapeutic small RNAs that use these pathways to target pathogenic RNA sequences. Studies that have been performed to identify anti-HIV-1 RNA interference therapeutics are also reviewed and perspectives on their use in combination gene therapy to functionally cure HIV-1 infection are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Scarborough
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A0G4, Canada.
| | - Anne Gatignol
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A0G4, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A0G4, Canada.
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Lange MJ, Nguyen PDM, Callaway MK, Johnson MC, Burke DH. RNA-protein interactions govern antiviral specificity and encapsidation of broad spectrum anti-HIV reverse transcriptase aptamers. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:6087-6097. [PMID: 28334941 PMCID: PMC5449596 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA aptamers that bind HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibit HIV-1 replication, but little is known about potential aptamer-specific viral resistance. During replication, RT interacts with diverse nucleic acids. Thus, the genetic threshold for eliciting resistance may be high for aptamers that make numerous contacts with RT. To evaluate the impact of RT–aptamer binding specificity on replication, we engineered proviral plasmids encoding diverse RTs within the backbone of HIV-1 strain NL4-3. Viruses inhibited by pseudoknot aptamers were rendered insensitive by a naturally occurring R277K variant, providing the first demonstration of aptamer-specific resistance in cell culture. Naturally occurring, pseudoknot-insensitive viruses were rendered sensitive by the inverse K277R mutation, establishing RT as the genetic locus for aptamer-mediated HIV-1 inhibition. Non-pseudoknot RNA aptamers exhibited broad-spectrum inhibition. Inhibition was observed only when virus was produced in aptamer-expressing cells, indicating that encapsidation is required. HIV-1 suppression magnitude correlated with the number of encapsidated aptamer transcripts per virion, with saturation occurring around 1:1 stoichiometry with packaged RT. Encapsidation specificity suggests that aptamers may encounter dimerized GagPol in the cytosol during viral assembly. This study provides new insights into HIV-1's capacity to escape aptamer-mediated inhibition, the potential utility of broad-spectrum aptamers to overcome resistance, and molecular interactions that occur during viral assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret J Lange
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Phuong D M Nguyen
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Mackenzie K Callaway
- Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Marc C Johnson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Donald H Burke
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Whatley AS, Ditzler MA, Lange MJ, Biondi E, Sawyer AW, Chang JL, Franken JD, Burke DH. Potent Inhibition of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and Replication by Nonpseudoknot, "UCAA-motif" RNA Aptamers. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2013; 2:e71. [PMID: 23385524 PMCID: PMC3586799 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2012.62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
RNA aptamers that bind the reverse transcriptase (RT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compete with nucleic acid primer/template for access to RT, inhibit RT enzymatic activity in vitro, and suppress viral replication when expressed in human cells. Numerous pseudoknot aptamers have been identified by sequence analysis, but relatively few have been confirmed experimentally. In this work, a screen of nearly 100 full-length and >60 truncated aptamer transcripts established the predictive value of the F1Pk and F2Pk pseudoknot signature motifs. The screen also identified a new, nonpseudoknot motif with a conserved unpaired UCAA element. High-throughput sequence (HTS) analysis identified 181 clusters capable of forming this novel element. Comparative sequence analysis, enzymatic probing and RT inhibition by aptamer variants established the essential requirements of the motif, which include two conserved base pairs (AC/GU) on the 5′ side of the unpaired UCAA. Aptamers in this family inhibit RT in primer extension assays with IC50 values in the low nmol/l range, and they suppress viral replication with a potency that is comparable with that of previously studied aptamers. All three known anti-RT aptamer families (pseudoknots, the UCAA element, and the recently described “(6/5)AL” motif) are therefore suitable for developing aptamer-based antiviral gene therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S Whatley
- 1] Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA [2] Current addresses: Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development (10P9), Washington DC, USA
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