1
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Upstream of N-Ras (Unr/CSDE1) Interacts with NCp7 and Gag, Modulating HIV-1 IRES-Mediated Translation Initiation. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081798. [PMID: 36016420 PMCID: PMC9413769 DOI: 10.3390/v14081798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) nucleocapsid protein (NC) as a mature protein or as a domain of the Gag precursor plays important roles in the early and late phases of the infection. To better understand its roles, we searched for new cellular partners and identified the RNA-binding protein Unr/CSDE1, Upstream of N-ras, whose interaction with Gag and NCp7 was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and FRET-FLIM. Unr interaction with Gag was found to be RNA-dependent and mediated by its NC domain. Using a dual luciferase assay, Unr was shown to act as an ITAF (IRES trans-acting factor), increasing the HIV-1 IRES-dependent translation. Point mutations of the HIV-1 IRES in a consensus Unr binding motif were found to alter both the IRES activity and its activation by Unr, suggesting a strong dependence of the IRES on Unr. Interestingly, Unr stimulatory effect is counteracted by NCp7, while Gag increases the Unr-promoted IRES activity, suggesting a differential Unr effect on the early and late phases of viral infection. Finally, knockdown of Unr in HeLa cells leads to a decrease in infection by a non-replicative lentivector, proving its functional implication in the early phase of viral infection.
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2
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How HIV-1 Gag Manipulates Its Host Cell Proteins: A Focus on Interactors of the Nucleocapsid Domain. Viruses 2020; 12:v12080888. [PMID: 32823718 PMCID: PMC7471995 DOI: 10.3390/v12080888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) polyprotein Gag (Group-specific antigen) plays a central role in controlling the late phase of the viral lifecycle. Considered to be only a scaffolding protein for a long time, the structural protein Gag plays determinate and specific roles in HIV-1 replication. Indeed, via its different domains, Gag orchestrates the specific encapsidation of the genomic RNA, drives the formation of the viral particle by its auto-assembly (multimerization), binds multiple viral proteins, and interacts with a large number of cellular proteins that are needed for its functions from its translation location to the plasma membrane, where newly formed virions are released. Here, we review the interactions between HIV-1 Gag and 66 cellular proteins. Notably, we describe the techniques used to evidence these interactions, the different domains of Gag involved, and the implications of these interactions in the HIV-1 replication cycle. In the final part, we focus on the interactions involving the highly conserved nucleocapsid (NC) domain of Gag and detail the functions of the NC interactants along the viral lifecycle.
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3
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Butovskaya E, Soldà P, Scalabrin M, Nadai M, Richter SN. HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Protein Unfolds Stable RNA G-Quadruplexes in the Viral Genome and Is Inhibited by G-Quadruplex Ligands. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:2127-2135. [PMID: 31646863 PMCID: PMC6909241 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
![]()
The G-quadruplexes that form in the
HIV-1 RNA genome hinder progression
of reverse transcriptase
in vitro, but not in infected cells. We investigated the possibility
that the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein NCp7, which remains associated
with the viral RNA during reverse transcription, modulated HIV-1 RNA
G-quadruplex stability. By electrophoresis, circular dichroism, mass
spectrometry, and reverse transcriptase stop assays, we demonstrated
that NCp7 binds and unfolds the HIV-1 RNA G-quadruplexes and promotes
DNA/RNA duplex formation, allowing reverse transcription to proceed.
The G-quadruplex ligand BRACO-19 was able to partially counteract
this effect. These results indicate NCp7 as the first known viral
protein able to unfold RNA G-quadruplexes, and they explain how the
extra-stable HIV-1 RNA G-quadruplexes are processed; they also point
out that the reverse transcription process is hindered by G-quadruplex
ligands at both reverse transcriptase and NCp7 level. This information
can lead to the development of more effective anti-HIV-1 drugs with
a new mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Butovskaya
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via Aristide Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Paola Soldà
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via Aristide Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Scalabrin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via Aristide Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Nadai
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via Aristide Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Sara N. Richter
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via Aristide Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
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4
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Ku T, Lopresti N, Shirley M, Mori M, Marchant J, Heng X, Botta M, Summers MF, Seley-Radtke KL. Synthesis of distal and proximal fleximer base analogues and evaluation in the nucleocapsid protein of HIV-1. Bioorg Med Chem 2019; 27:2883-2892. [PMID: 31126822 PMCID: PMC6556414 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Anti-HIV-1 drug design has been notably challenging due to the virus’ ability to mutate and develop immunity against commercially available drugs. The aims of this project were to develop a series of fleximer base analogues that not only possess inherent flexibility that can remain active when faced with binding site mutations, but also target a non-canonical, highly conserved target: the nucleocapsid protein of HIV (NC). The compounds were predicted by computational studies not to function via zinc ejection, which would endow them with significant advantages over non-specific and thus toxic zinc-ejectors. The target fleximer bases were synthesized using palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling techniques and subsequently tested against NC and HIV-1. The results of those studies are described herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese Ku
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Natalie Lopresti
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Matthew Shirley
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Mattia Mori
- University of Siena, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Jan Marchant
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Xiao Heng
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Maurizio Botta
- University of Siena, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, BioLife Science Bldg., Suite 333, 1900 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Michael F Summers
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA
| | - Katherine L Seley-Radtke
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
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5
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Retureau R, Oguey C, Mauffret O, Hartmann B. Structural Explorations of NCp7-Nucleic Acid Complexes Give Keys to Decipher the Binding Process. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1966-1980. [PMID: 30876916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A comprehensive view of all the structural aspects related to NCp7 is essential to understand how this protein, crucial in many steps of the HIV-1 cycle, binds and anneals nucleic acids (NAs), mainly thanks to two zinc fingers, ZF1 and ZF2. Here, we inspected the structural properties of the available experimental models of NCp7 bound to either DNA or RNA molecules, or free of ligand. Our analyses included the characterization of the relative positioning of ZF1 and ZF2, accessibility measurements and the exhaustive, quantitative mapping of the contacts between amino acids and nucleotides by a recent tessellation method, VLDM. This approach unveiled the intimate connection between NA binding process and the conformations explored by the free protein. It also provided new insights into the functional specializations of ZF1 and ZF2. The larger accessibility of ZF2 in free NCp7 and the consistency of the ZF2/NA interface in different models and conditions give ZF2 the lead of the binding process. ZF1 contributes to stabilize the complexes through various organizations of the ZF1/NA interface. This work outcome is a global binding scheme of NCp7 to DNA and RNA, and an example of how protein-NA complexes are stabilized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Retureau
- LBPA, UMR 8113, ENS Paris-Saclay-CNRS, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan cedex, France
| | - Christophe Oguey
- LPTM, CNRS UMR 8089, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, 2 avenue Adolphe Chauvin, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise, France
| | - Olivier Mauffret
- LBPA, UMR 8113, ENS Paris-Saclay-CNRS, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan cedex, France.
| | - Brigitte Hartmann
- LBPA, UMR 8113, ENS Paris-Saclay-CNRS, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan cedex, France.
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6
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Sholokh M, Sharma R, Grytsyk N, Zaghzi L, Postupalenko VY, Dziuba D, Barthes NPF, Michel BY, Boudier C, Zaporozhets OA, Tor Y, Burger A, Mély Y. Environmentally Sensitive Fluorescent Nucleoside Analogues for Surveying Dynamic Interconversions of Nucleic Acid Structures. Chemistry 2018; 24:13850-13861. [PMID: 29989220 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201802297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids are characterized by a variety of dynamically interconverting structures that play a major role in transcriptional and translational regulation as well as recombination and repair. To monitor these interconversions, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based techniques can be used, but require two fluorophores that are typically large and can alter the DNA/RNA structure and protein binding. Additionally, events that do not alter the donor/acceptor distance and/or angular relationship are frequently left undetected. A more benign approach relies on fluorescent nucleobases that can substitute their native counterparts with minimal perturbation, such as the recently developed 2-thienyl-3-hydroxychromone (3HCnt) and thienoguanosine (th G). To demonstrate the potency of 3HCnt and th G in deciphering interconversion mechanisms, we used the conversion of the (-)DNA copy of the HIV-1 primer binding site (-)PBS stem-loop into (+)/(-)PBS duplex, as a model system. When incorporated into the (-)PBS loop, the two probes were found to be highly sensitive to the individual steps both in the absence and the presence of a nucleic acid chaperone, providing the first complete mechanistic description of this critical process in HIV-1 replication. The combination of the two distinct probes appears to be instrumental for characterizing structural transitions of nucleic acids under various stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Sholokh
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France.,Department of Chemistry, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, 60 Volodymyrska street, 01033, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Rajhans Sharma
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Natalia Grytsyk
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Lyes Zaghzi
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Viktoriia Y Postupalenko
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Dmytro Dziuba
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nicolas P F Barthes
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Benoît Y Michel
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Christian Boudier
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Olga A Zaporozhets
- Department of Chemistry, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, 60 Volodymyrska street, 01033, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Yitzhak Tor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0358, USA
| | - Alain Burger
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272 CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
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7
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Lysova I, Spiegelhalter C, Réal E, Zgheib S, Anton H, Mély Y. ReAsH/tetracystein-based correlative light-electron microscopy for HIV-1 imaging during the early stages of infection. Methods Appl Fluoresc 2018; 6:045001. [PMID: 29938685 DOI: 10.1088/2050-6120/aacec1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Visualization of viruses in the host cell during the course of infection by correlative light-electron microscopy (CLEM) requires a specific labelling of the viral structures in order to recognize the nanometric viral cores in the intracellular environment. For Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the labelling approaches developed for fluorescence microscopy are generally not suited for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), so that imaging of HIV-1 particles in infected cells by CLEM is not straightforward. Herein, we adapt the labeling approach with a tetracystein tag (TC) and a biarsenical resorufin-based label (ReAsH) for monitoring the HIV-1 particles during the early stages of HIV-1 infection by CLEM. In this approach, the ReAsH fluorophore triggers the photo-conversion of 3,3-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB), generating a precipitate sensitive to osmium tetroxide staining that can be visualized by transmission electron microscopy. The TC tag is fused to the nucleocapsid protein NCp7, a nucleic acid chaperone that binds to the viral genome. HeLa cells, infected by ReAsH-labeled pseudoviruses containg NCp7-TC proteins exhibit strong fluorescent cytoplasmic spots that overlap with dark precipitates in the TEM sections. The DAB precipitates corresponding to single viral cores are observed all over the cytoplasm, and notably near microtubules and nuclear pores. This work describes for the first time a specific contrast given by HIV-1 viral proteins in TEM images and opens new perspectives for the use of CLEM to monitor the intracellular traffic of viral complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna Lysova
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, CNRS UMR 7021, Strasbourg University, Faculty of Pharmacy, 74 route du Rhin, Illkirch, France
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8
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Sosic A, Saccone I, Carraro C, Kenderdine T, Gamba E, Caliendo G, Corvino A, Di Vaio P, Fiorino F, Magli E, Perissutti E, Santagada V, Severino B, Spada V, Fabris D, Frecentese F, Gatto B. Non-Natural Linker Configuration in 2,6-Dipeptidyl-Anthraquinones Enhances the Inhibition of TAR RNA Binding/Annealing Activities by HIV-1 NC and Tat Proteins. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:2195-2207. [PMID: 29791798 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) protein represents an excellent molecular target for the development of anti-retrovirals by virtue of its well-characterized chaperone activities, which play pivotal roles in essential steps of the viral life cycle. Our ongoing search for candidates able to impair NC binding/annealing activities led to the identification of peptidyl-anthraquinones as a promising class of nucleic acid ligands. Seeking to elucidate the inhibition determinants and increase the potency of this class of compounds, we have now explored the effects of chirality in the linker connecting the planar nucleus to the basic side chains. We show here that the non-natural linker configuration imparted unexpected TAR RNA targeting properties to the 2,6-peptidyl-anthraquinones and significantly enhanced their potency. Even if the new compounds were able to interact directly with the NC protein, they manifested a consistently higher affinity for the TAR RNA substrate and their TAR-binding properties mirrored their ability to interfere with NC-TAR interactions. Based on these findings, we propose that the viral Tat protein, sharing the same RNA substrate but acting in distinct phases of the viral life cycle, constitutes an additional druggable target for this class of peptidyl-anthraquinones. The inhibition of Tat-TAR interaction for the test compounds correlated again with their TAR-binding properties, while simultaneously failing to demonstrate any direct Tat-binding capabilities. These considerations highlighted the importance of TAR RNA in the elucidation of their inhibition mechanism, rather than direct protein inhibition. We have therefore identified anti-TAR compounds with dual in vitro inhibitory activity on different viral proteins, demonstrating that it is possible to develop multitarget compounds capable of interfering with processes mediated by the interactions of this essential RNA domain of HIV-1 genome with NC and Tat proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Sosic
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco , Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5 , 35131 Padova , Italy
| | - Irene Saccone
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Caterina Carraro
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco , Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5 , 35131 Padova , Italy
| | - Thomas Kenderdine
- The RNA Institute and Department of Chemistry , State University of New York , 1400 Washington Avenue , Albany , New York 12222 , United States
| | - Elia Gamba
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco , Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5 , 35131 Padova , Italy
| | - Giuseppe Caliendo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Angela Corvino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Paola Di Vaio
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Ferdinando Fiorino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Elisa Magli
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Elisa Perissutti
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Vincenzo Santagada
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Beatrice Severino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Valentina Spada
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Dan Fabris
- The RNA Institute and Department of Chemistry , State University of New York , 1400 Washington Avenue , Albany , New York 12222 , United States
| | - Francesco Frecentese
- Dipartimento di Farmacia , Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Napoli , Italy
| | - Barbara Gatto
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco , Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5 , 35131 Padova , Italy
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9
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Ren W, Ji D, Xu X. Metal cofactor modulated folding and target recognition of HIV-1 NCp7. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196662. [PMID: 29715277 PMCID: PMC5929515 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid 7 (NCp7) plays crucial roles in multiple stages of HIV-1 life cycle, and its biological functions rely on the binding of zinc ions. Understanding the molecular mechanism of how the zinc ions modulate the conformational dynamics and functions of the NCp7 is essential for the drug development and HIV-1 treatment. In this work, using a structure-based coarse-grained model, we studied the effects of zinc cofactors on the folding and target RNA(SL3) recognition of the NCp7 by molecular dynamics simulations. After reproducing some key properties of the zinc binding and folding of the NCp7 observed in previous experiments, our simulations revealed several interesting features in the metal ion modulated folding and target recognition. Firstly, we showed that the zinc binding makes the folding transition states of the two zinc fingers less structured, which is in line with the Hammond effect observed typically in mutation, temperature or denaturant induced perturbations to protein structure and stability. Secondly, We showed that there exists mutual interplay between the zinc ion binding and NCp7-target recognition. Binding of zinc ions enhances the affinity between the NCp7 and the target RNA, whereas the formation of the NCp7-RNA complex reshapes the intrinsic energy landscape of the NCp7 and increases the stability and zinc affinity of the two zinc fingers. Thirdly, by characterizing the effects of salt concentrations on the target RNA recognition, we showed that the NCp7 achieves optimal balance between the affinity and binding kinetics near the physiologically relevant salt concentrations. In addition, the effects of zinc binding on the inter-domain conformational flexibility and folding cooperativity of the NCp7 were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weitong Ren
- School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Dongqing Ji
- School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Xiulian Xu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, China
- * E-mail:
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10
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Mori M, Kovalenko L, Malancona S, Saladini F, De Forni D, Pires M, Humbert N, Real E, Botzanowski T, Cianférani S, Giannini A, Dasso Lang MC, Cugia G, Poddesu B, Lori F, Zazzi M, Harper S, Summa V, Mely Y, Botta M. Structure-Based Identification of HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Protein Inhibitors Active against Wild-Type and Drug-Resistant HIV-1 Strains. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:253-266. [PMID: 29235845 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.7b00907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
HIV/AIDS is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Current drugs that target the canonical steps of the HIV-1 life cycle are efficient in blocking viral replication but are unable to eradicate HIV-1 from infected patients. Moreover, drug resistance (DR) is often associated with the clinical use of these molecules, thus raising the need for novel drug candidates as well as novel putative drug targets. In this respect, pharmacological inhibition of the highly conserved and multifunctional nucleocapsid protein (NC) of HIV-1 is considered a promising alternative to current drugs, particularly to overcome DR. Here, using a multidisciplinary approach combining in silico screening, fluorescence-based molecular assays, and cellular antiviral assays, we identified nordihydroguaiaretic acid (6), as a novel natural product inhibitor of NC. By using NMR, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular modeling, 6 was found to act through a dual mechanism of action never highlighted before for NC inhibitors (NCIs). First, the molecule recognizes and binds NC noncovalently, which results in the inhibition of the nucleic acid chaperone properties of NC. In a second step, chemical oxidation of 6 induces a potent chemical inactivation of the protein. Overall, 6 inhibits NC and the replication of wild-type and drug-resistant HIV-1 strains in the low micromolar range with moderate cytotoxicity that makes it a profitable tool compound as well as a good starting point for the development of pharmacologically relevant NCIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Mori
- Department
of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Lesia Kovalenko
- Laboratoire
de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
- Department
of Chemistry, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Savina Malancona
- IRBM Science Park S.p.A., Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Francesco Saladini
- Department
of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Viale Mario Bracci,
16, 50100 Siena, Italy
| | | | - Manuel Pires
- Laboratoire
de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Nicolas Humbert
- Laboratoire
de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Eleonore Real
- Laboratoire
de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Thomas Botzanowski
- Laboratoire
de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire
de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alessia Giannini
- Department
of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Viale Mario Bracci,
16, 50100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Dasso Lang
- Department
of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Giulia Cugia
- ViroStatics S.r.l, Viale Umberto
I 46, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Franco Lori
- ViroStatics S.r.l, Viale Umberto
I 46, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Maurizio Zazzi
- Department
of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Viale Mario Bracci,
16, 50100 Siena, Italy
| | - Steven Harper
- IRBM Science Park S.p.A., Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Vincenzo Summa
- IRBM Science Park S.p.A., Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00071 Pomezia (RM), Italy
| | - Yves Mely
- Laboratoire
de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Maurizio Botta
- Department
of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Sbarro
Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology,
College of Science and Technology, Temple University, BioLife Science
Bldg., Suite 333, 1900 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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11
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Hadpech S, Nangola S, Chupradit K, Fanhchaksai K, Furnon W, Urvoas A, Valerio-Lepiniec M, Minard P, Boulanger P, Hong SS, Tayapiwatana C. Alpha-helicoidal HEAT-like Repeat Proteins (αRep) Selected as Interactors of HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Negatively Interfere with Viral Genome Packaging and Virus Maturation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16335. [PMID: 29180782 PMCID: PMC5703948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16451-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A new generation of artificial proteins, derived from alpha-helicoidal HEAT-like repeat protein scaffolds (αRep), was previously characterized as an effective source of intracellular interfering proteins. In this work, a phage-displayed library of αRep was screened on a region of HIV-1 Gag polyprotein encompassing the C-terminal domain of the capsid, the SP1 linker and the nucleocapsid. This region is known to be essential for the late steps of HIV-1 life cycle, Gag oligomerization, viral genome packaging and the last cleavage step of Gag, leading to mature, infectious virions. Two strong αRep binders were isolated from the screen, αRep4E3 (32 kDa; 7 internal repeats) and αRep9A8 (28 kDa; 6 internal repeats). Their antiviral activity against HIV-1 was evaluated in VLP-producer cells and in human SupT1 cells challenged with HIV-1. Both αRep4E3 and αRep9A8 showed a modest but significant antiviral effects in all bioassays and cell systems tested. They did not prevent the proviral integration reaction, but negatively interfered with late steps of the HIV-1 life cycle: αRep4E3 blocked the viral genome packaging, whereas αRep9A8 altered both virus maturation and genome packaging. Interestingly, SupT1 cells stably expressing αRep9A8 acquired long-term resistance to HIV-1, implying that αRep proteins can act as antiviral restriction-like factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudarat Hadpech
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.,Center of Biomolecular Therapy and Diagnostic, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.,Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Burapha University, Muang District, Chonburi Province, 20131, Thailand.,University Lyon 1, UMR754-INRA-EPHE, Viral Infections and Comparative Pathology, 50, Avenue Tony Garnier, 69366, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Sawitree Nangola
- Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand
| | - Koollawat Chupradit
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.,Center of Biomolecular Therapy and Diagnostic, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Kanda Fanhchaksai
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.,Center of Biomolecular Therapy and Diagnostic, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Wilhelm Furnon
- University Lyon 1, UMR754-INRA-EPHE, Viral Infections and Comparative Pathology, 50, Avenue Tony Garnier, 69366, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Agathe Urvoas
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Marie Valerio-Lepiniec
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Philippe Minard
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Pierre Boulanger
- University Lyon 1, UMR754-INRA-EPHE, Viral Infections and Comparative Pathology, 50, Avenue Tony Garnier, 69366, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Saw-See Hong
- University Lyon 1, UMR754-INRA-EPHE, Viral Infections and Comparative Pathology, 50, Avenue Tony Garnier, 69366, Lyon Cedex 07, France. .,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, 101, rue de Tolbiac, 75654, Paris Cedex 13, France.
| | - Chatchai Tayapiwatana
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand. .,Center of Biomolecular Therapy and Diagnostic, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
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12
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The multiple roles of the nucleocapsid in retroviral RNA conversion into proviral DNA by reverse transcriptase. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 44:1427-1440. [PMID: 27911725 DOI: 10.1042/bst20160101-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Retroviruses are enveloped plus-strand RNA viruses that can cause cancer, immunodeficiency and neurological disorder in human and animals. Retroviruses have several unique properties, such as a genomic RNA in a dimeric form found in the virus, and a replication strategy called 'copy-and-paste' during which the plus-strand genomic RNA is converted into a double-stranded DNA, subsequently integrated into the cellular genome. Two essential viral enzymes, reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN), direct this 'copy-and-paste' replication. RT copies the genomic RNA generating the double-stranded proviral DNA, while IN catalyzes proviral DNA integration into the cellular DNA, then called the provirus. In that context, a major component of the virion core, the nucleocapsid protein (NC), was found to be a potent nucleic-acid chaperone that assists RT during the conversion of the genomic RNA into proviral DNA. Here we briefly review the interplay of NC with viral nucleic-acids, which enables rapid and faithful folding and hybridization of complementary sequences, and with active RT thus providing assistance to the synthesis of the complete proviral DNA. Because of its multiple roles in retrovirus replication, NC could be viewed as a two-faced Janus-chaperone acting on viral nucleic-acids and enzymes.
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13
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Parboosing R, Chonco L, de la Mata FJ, Govender T, Maguire GE, Kruger HG. Potential inhibition of HIV-1 encapsidation by oligoribonucleotide-dendrimer nanoparticle complexes. Int J Nanomedicine 2017; 12:317-325. [PMID: 28115849 PMCID: PMC5221794 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s114446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Encapsidation, the process during which the genomic RNA of HIV is packaged into viral particles, is an attractive target for antiviral therapy. This study explores a novel nanotechnology-based strategy to inhibit HIV encapsidation by an RNA decoy mechanism. The design of the 16-mer oligoribonucleotide (RNA) decoy is based on the sequence of stem loop 3 (SL3) of the HIV packaging signal (Ψ). Recognition of the packaging signal is essential to the encapsidation process. It is theorized that the decoy RNA, by mimicking the packaging signal, will disrupt HIV packaging if efficiently delivered into lymphocytes by complexation with a carbosilane dendrimer. The aim of the study is to measure the uptake, toxicity, and antiviral activity of the dendrimer–RNA nanocomplex. Materials and methods A dendriplex was formed between cationic carbosilane dendrimers and the RNA decoy. Uptake of the fluorescein-labeled RNA into MT4 lymphocytes was determined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The cytoprotective effect (50% effective concentration [EC50]) and the effect on HIV replication were determined in vitro by the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and viral load measurements, respectively. Results Flow cytometry and confocal imaging demonstrated efficient transfection of lymphocytes. The dendriplex containing the Ψ decoy showed some activity (EC50 =3.20 µM, selectivity index =8.4). However, there was no significant suppression of HIV viral load. Conclusion Oligoribonucleotide decoys containing SL3 of the packaging sequence are efficiently delivered into lymphocytes by carbosilane dendrimers where they exhibit a modest cytoprotective effect against HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raveen Parboosing
- Department of Virology, University of KwaZulu-Natal; National Health Laboratory Service, Durban, South Africa
| | - Louis Chonco
- Department of Virology, University of KwaZulu-Natal; National Health Laboratory Service, Durban, South Africa
| | - Francisco Javier de la Mata
- Organic and Inorganic Chemistry Department, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares; Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Thavendran Govender
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Glenn Em Maguire
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Hendrik G Kruger
- Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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14
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Belfetmi A, Zargarian L, Tisné C, Sleiman D, Morellet N, Lescop E, Maskri O, René B, Mély Y, Fossé P, Mauffret O. Insights into the mechanisms of RNA secondary structure destabilization by the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2016; 22:506-517. [PMID: 26826129 PMCID: PMC4793207 DOI: 10.1261/rna.054445.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The mature HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein NCp7 (NC) plays a key role in reverse transcription facilitating the two obligatory strand transfers. Several properties contribute to its efficient chaperon activity: preferential binding to single-stranded regions, nucleic acid aggregation, helix destabilization, and rapid dissociation from nucleic acids. However, little is known about the relationships between these different properties, which are complicated by the ability of the protein to recognize particular HIV-1 stem-loops, such as SL1, SL2, and SL3, with high affinity and without destabilizing them. These latter properties are important in the context of genome packaging, during which NC is part of the Gag precursor. We used NMR to investigate destabilization of the full-length TAR (trans activating response element) RNA by NC, which is involved in the first strand transfer step of reverse transcription. NC was used at a low protein:nucleotide (nt) ratio of 1:59 in these experiments. NMR data for the imino protons of TAR identified most of the base pairs destabilized by NC. These base pairs were adjacent to the loops in the upper part of the TAR hairpin rather than randomly distributed. Gel retardation assays showed that conversion from the initial TAR-cTAR complex to the fully annealed form occurred much more slowly at the 1:59 ratio than at the higher ratios classically used. Nevertheless, NC significantly accelerated the formation of the initial complex at a ratio of 1:59.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Belfetmi
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
| | - Loussiné Zargarian
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
| | - Carine Tisné
- Laboratoire de Cristallographie et RMN biologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR 8015, 75006 Paris Cedex, France
| | - Dona Sleiman
- Laboratoire de Cristallographie et RMN biologiques, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR 8015, 75006 Paris Cedex, France
| | - Nelly Morellet
- Centre de Recherches de Gif, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR 2301, 91190 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Ewen Lescop
- Centre de Recherches de Gif, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR 2301, 91190 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Ouerdia Maskri
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
| | - Brigitte René
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, CNRS UMR 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 67401 Illkirch Cedex, France
| | - Philippe Fossé
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
| | - Olivier Mauffret
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan Cedex, France
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15
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Frecentese F, Sosic A, Saccone I, Gamba E, Link K, Miola A, Cappellini M, Cattelan MG, Severino B, Fiorino F, Magli E, Corvino A, Perissutti E, Fabris D, Gatto B, Caliendo G, Santagada V. Synthesis and in Vitro Screening of New Series of 2,6-Dipeptidyl-anthraquinones: Influence of Side Chain Length on HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2016; 59:1914-24. [PMID: 26797100 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
2,6-Dipeptidyl-anthraquinones are a promising class of nucleic acid-binding compounds that act as NC inhibitors in vitro. We designed, synthesized, and tested new series of 2,6-disubstituted-anthraquinones, which are able to bind viral nucleic acid substrates of NC. We demonstrate here that these novel derivatives interact preferentially with noncanonical structures of TAR and cTAR, stabilize their dynamics, and interfere with NC chaperone activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Frecentese
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Alice Sosic
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Irene Saccone
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Elia Gamba
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Kristina Link
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Angelica Miola
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marta Cappellini
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | | | - Beatrice Severino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Fiorino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Elisa Magli
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Angela Corvino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Elisa Perissutti
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Dan Fabris
- The RNA Institute and Department of Chemistry, State University of New York , 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Barbara Gatto
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova , via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Caliendo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Santagada
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli "Federico II" Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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16
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Sharma KK, Przybilla F, Restle T, Godet J, Mély Y. FRET-based assay to screen inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and nucleocapsid protein. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:e74. [PMID: 26762982 PMCID: PMC4856972 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
During HIV-1 reverse transcription, the single-stranded RNA genome is converted into proviral double stranded DNA by Reverse Transcriptase (RT) within a reverse transcription complex composed of the genomic RNA and a number of HIV-1 encoded proteins, including the nucleocapsid protein NCp7. Here, we developed a one-step and one-pot RT polymerization assay. In this in vitro assay, RT polymerization is monitored in real-time by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) using a commercially available doubly-labeled primer/template DNA. The assay can monitor and quantify RT polymerization activity as well as its promotion by NCp7. Z-factor values as high as 0.89 were obtained, indicating that the assay is suitable for high-throughput drug screening. Using Nevirapine and AZT as prototypical RT inhibitors, reliable IC50 values were obtained from the changes in the RT polymerization kinetics. Interestingly, the assay can also detect NCp7 inhibitors, making it suitable for high-throughput screening of drugs targeting RT, NCp7 or simultaneously, both proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamal K Sharma
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Frédéric Przybilla
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
| | - Tobias Restle
- Institute für Molekulare Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Universität zu Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julien Godet
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France Département d'Information Médicale et de Biostatistiques, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, pl de l'Hôpital, 67400 Strasbourg, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
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17
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Sosic A, Sinigaglia L, Cappellini M, Carli I, Parolin C, Zagotto G, Sabatino G, Rovero P, Fabris D, Gatto B. Mechanisms of HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Protein Inhibition by Lysyl-Peptidyl-Anthraquinone Conjugates. Bioconjug Chem 2015; 27:247-56. [PMID: 26666402 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Nucleocapsid protein NCp7 (NC) is a nucleic acid chaperone responsible for essential steps of the HIV-1 life cycle and an attractive candidate for drug development. NC destabilizes nucleic acid structures and promotes the formation of annealed substrates for HIV-1 reverse transcription elongation. Short helical nucleic acid segments bordered by bulges and loops, such as the Trans-Activation Response element (TAR) of HIV-1 and its complementary sequence (cTAR), are nucleation elements for helix destabilization by NC and also preferred recognition sites for threading intercalators. Inspired by these observations, we have recently demonstrated that 2,6-disubstituted peptidyl-anthraquinone-conjugates inhibit the chaperone activities of recombinant NC in vitro, and that inhibition correlates with the stabilization of TAR and cTAR stem-loop structures. We describe here enhanced NC inhibitory activity by novel conjugates that exhibit longer peptidyl chains ending with a conserved N-terminal lysine. Their efficient inhibition of TAR/cTAR annealing mediated by NC originates from the combination of at least three different mechanisms, namely, their stabilizing effects on nucleic acids dynamics by threading intercalation, their ability to target TAR RNA substrate leading to a direct competition with the protein for the same binding sites on TAR, and, finally, their effective binding to the NC protein. Our results suggest that these molecules may represent the stepping-stone for the future development of NC-inhibitors capable of targeting the protein itself and its recognition site in RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Paolo Rovero
- Dipartimento NeuroFarBa, Sezione di Scienze Farmaceutiche e Nutraceutica, Università di Firenze , 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Dan Fabris
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York , Albany, New York 12222, United States
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18
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Mori M, Kovalenko L, Lyonnais S, Antaki D, Torbett BE, Botta M, Mirambeau G, Mély Y. Nucleocapsid Protein: A Desirable Target for Future Therapies Against HIV-1. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2015; 389:53-92. [PMID: 25749978 PMCID: PMC7122173 DOI: 10.1007/82_2015_433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The currently available anti-HIV-1 therapeutics is highly beneficial to infected patients. However, clinical failures occur as a result of the ability of HIV-1 to rapidly mutate. One approach to overcome drug resistance is to target HIV-1 proteins that are highly conserved among phylogenetically distant viral strains and currently not targeted by available therapies. In this respect, the nucleocapsid (NC) protein, a zinc finger protein, is particularly attractive, as it is highly conserved and plays a central role in virus replication, mainly by interacting with nucleic acids. The compelling rationale for considering NC as a viable drug target is illustrated by the fact that point mutants of this protein lead to noninfectious viruses and by the inability to select viruses resistant to a first generation of anti-NC drugs. In our review, we discuss the most relevant properties and functions of NC, as well as recent developments of small molecules targeting NC. Zinc ejectors show strong antiviral activity, but are endowed with a low therapeutic index due to their lack of specificity, which has resulted in toxicity. Currently, they are mainly being investigated for use as topical microbicides. Greater specificity may be achieved by using non-covalent NC inhibitors (NCIs) targeting the hydrophobic platform at the top of the zinc fingers or key nucleic acid partners of NC. Within the last few years, innovative methodologies have been developed to identify NCIs. Though the antiviral activity of the identified NCIs needs still to be improved, these compounds strongly support the druggability of NC and pave the way for future structure-based design and optimization of efficient NCIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Mori
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Chimica e Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Siena, via A. Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
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19
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Sosic A, Cappellini M, Sinigaglia L, Jacquet R, Deffieux D, Fabris D, Quideau S, Gatto B. Polyphenolic C-glucosidic ellagitannins present in oak-aged wine inhibit HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein. Tetrahedron 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2015.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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20
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Anton H, Taha N, Boutant E, Richert L, Khatter H, Klaholz B, Rondé P, Réal E, de Rocquigny H, Mély Y. Investigating the cellular distribution and interactions of HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein by quantitative fluorescence microscopy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116921. [PMID: 25723396 PMCID: PMC4344342 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleocapsid protein (NCp7) of the Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a small basic protein containing two zinc fingers. About 2000 NCp7 molecules coat the genomic RNA in the HIV-1 virion. After infection of a target cell, the viral core enters into the cytoplasm, where NCp7 chaperones the reverse transcription of the genomic RNA into the proviral DNA. As a consequence of their much lower affinity for double-stranded DNA as compared to single-stranded RNAs, NCp7 molecules are thought to be released in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of infected cells in the late steps of reverse transcription. Yet, little is known on the cellular distribution of the released NCp7 molecules and on their possible interactions with cell components. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify potential cellular partners of NCp7 and to monitor its intracellular distribution and dynamics by means of confocal fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence correlation and cross-correlation spectroscopy, and raster imaging correlation spectroscopy. HeLa cells transfected with eGFP-labeled NCp7 were used as a model system. We found that NCp7-eGFP localizes mainly in the cytoplasm and the nucleoli, where it binds to cellular RNAs, and notably to ribosomal RNAs which are the most abundant. The binding of NCp7 to ribosomes was further substantiated by the intracellular co-diffusion of NCp7 with the ribosomal protein 26, a component of the large ribosomal subunit. Finally, gradient centrifugation experiments demonstrate a direct association of NCp7 with purified 80S ribosomes. Thus, our data suggest that NCp7 molecules released in newly infected cells may primarily bind to ribosomes, where they may exert a new potential role in HIV-1 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halina Anton
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
- * E-mail: (YM); (HA)
| | - Nedal Taha
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Emmanuel Boutant
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Ludovic Richert
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Heena Khatter
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR 7104 CNRS, U964 Inserm, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Bruno Klaholz
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR 7104 CNRS, U964 Inserm, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Philippe Rondé
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Eléonore Réal
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Hugues de Rocquigny
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
- * E-mail: (YM); (HA)
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21
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Sosic A, Cappellini M, Scalabrin M, Gatto B. Nucleocapsid Annealing-Mediated Electrophoresis (NAME) assay allows the rapid identification of HIV-1 nucleocapsid inhibitors. J Vis Exp 2015:52474. [PMID: 25650789 PMCID: PMC4354545 DOI: 10.3791/52474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA or DNA folded in stable tridimensional folding are interesting targets in the development of antitumor or antiviral drugs. In the case of HIV-1, viral proteins involved in the regulation of the virus activity recognize several nucleic acids. The nucleocapsid protein NCp7 (NC) is a key protein regulating several processes during virus replication. NC is in fact a chaperone destabilizing the secondary structures of RNA and DNA and facilitating their annealing. The inactivation of NC is a new approach and an interesting target for anti-HIV therapy. The Nucleocapsid Annealing-Mediated Electrophoresis (NAME) assay was developed to identify molecules able to inhibit the melting and annealing of RNA and DNA folded in thermodynamically stable tridimensional conformations, such as hairpin structures of TAR and cTAR elements of HIV, by the nucleocapsid protein of HIV-1. The new assay employs either the recombinant or the synthetic protein, and oligonucleotides without the need of their previous labeling. The analysis of the results is achieved by standard polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by conventional nucleic acid staining. The protocol reported in this work describes how to perform the NAME assay with the full-length protein or its truncated version lacking the basic N-terminal domain, both competent as nucleic acids chaperones, and how to assess the inhibition of NC chaperone activity by a threading intercalator. Moreover, NAME can be performed in two different modes, useful to obtain indications on the putative mechanism of action of the identified NC inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Sosic
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova
| | - Marta Cappellini
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova
| | | | - Barbara Gatto
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova;
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22
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Garg D, Torbett BE. Advances in targeting nucleocapsid-nucleic acid interactions in HIV-1 therapy. Virus Res 2014; 193:135-43. [PMID: 25026536 PMCID: PMC4252855 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The continuing challenge of HIV-1 treatment resistance in patients creates a need for the development of new antiretroviral inhibitors. The HIV nucleocapsid (NC) protein is a potential therapeutic target. NC is necessary for viral RNA packaging and in the early stages of viral infection. The high level of NC amino acid conservation among all HIV-1 clades suggests a low tolerance for mutations. Thus, NC mutations that could arise during inhibitor treatment to provide resistance may render the virus less fit. Disruption of NC function provides a unique opportunity to strongly dampen replication at multiple points during the viral life cycle with a single inhibitor. Although NC exhibits desirable features for a potential antiviral target, the structural flexibility, size, and the presence of two zinc fingers makes small molecule targeting of NC a challenging task. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in strategies to develop inhibitors of NC function and present a perspective on potential novel approaches that may help to overcome some of the current challenges in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divita Garg
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Bruce E Torbett
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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23
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Zargarian L, Tisné C, Barraud P, Xu X, Morellet N, René B, Mély Y, Fossé P, Mauffret O. Dynamics of linker residues modulate the nucleic acid binding properties of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein zinc fingers. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102150. [PMID: 25029439 PMCID: PMC4100767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NC) is a small basic protein containing two zinc fingers (ZF) separated by a short linker. It is involved in several steps of the replication cycle and acts as a nucleic acid chaperone protein in facilitating nucleic acid strand transfers occurring during reverse transcription. Recent analysis of three-dimensional structures of NC-nucleic acids complexes established a new property: the unpaired guanines targeted by NC are more often inserted in the C-terminal zinc finger (ZF2) than in the N-terminal zinc finger (ZF1). Although previous NMR dynamic studies were performed with NC, the dynamic behavior of the linker residues connecting the two ZF domains remains unclear. This prompted us to investigate the dynamic behavior of the linker residues. Here, we collected 15N NMR relaxation data and used for the first time data at several fields to probe the protein dynamics. The analysis at two fields allows us to detect a slow motion occurring between the two domains around a hinge located in the linker at the G35 position. However, the amplitude of motion appears limited in our conditions. In addition, we showed that the neighboring linker residues R29, A30, P31, R32, K33 displayed restricted motion and numerous contacts with residues of ZF1. Our results are fully consistent with a model in which the ZF1-linker contacts prevent the ZF1 domain to interact with unpaired guanines, whereas the ZF2 domain is more accessible and competent to interact with unpaired guanines. In contrast, ZF1 with its large hydrophobic plateau is able to destabilize the double-stranded regions adjacent to the guanines bound by ZF2. The linker residues and the internal dynamics of NC regulate therefore the different functions of the two zinc fingers that are required for an optimal chaperone activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loussiné Zargarian
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8113, Cachan, France
| | - Carine Tisné
- Laboratoire de Cristallographie et RMN Biologiques, Université Paris Descartes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8015, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Barraud
- Laboratoire de Cristallographie et RMN Biologiques, Université Paris Descartes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8015, Paris, France
| | - Xiaoqian Xu
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8113, Cachan, France
- Department of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Nelly Morellet
- Centre de Recherches de Gif, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Brigitte René
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8113, Cachan, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Philippe Fossé
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8113, Cachan, France
| | - Olivier Mauffret
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8113, Cachan, France
- * E-mail:
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24
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Retrospective on the all-in-one retroviral nucleocapsid protein. Virus Res 2014; 193:2-15. [PMID: 24907482 PMCID: PMC7114435 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Revised: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
This retrospective reviews 30 years of research on the retroviral nucleocapsid protein (NC) focusing on HIV-1 NC. Originally considered as a non-specific nucleic-acid binding protein, NC has seminal functions in virus replication. Indeed NC turns out to be a all-in-one viral protein that chaperones viral DNA synthesis and integration, and virus formation. As a chaperone NC provides assistance to genetic recombination thus allowing the virus to escape the immune response and antiretroviral therapies against HIV-1.
This review aims at briefly presenting a retrospect on the retroviral nucleocapsid protein (NC), from an unspecific nucleic acid binding protein (NABP) to an all-in-one viral protein with multiple key functions in the early and late phases of the retrovirus replication cycle, notably reverse transcription of the genomic RNA and viral DNA integration into the host genome, and selection of the genomic RNA together with the initial steps of virus morphogenesis. In this context we will discuss the notion that NC protein has a flexible conformation and is thus a member of the growing family of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) where disorder may account, at least in part, for its function as a nucleic acid (NA) chaperone and possibly as a protein chaperone vis-à-vis the viral DNA polymerase during reverse transcription. Lastly, we will briefly review the development of new anti-retroviral/AIDS compounds targeting HIV-1 NC because it represents an ideal target due to its multiple roles in the early and late phases of virus replication and its high degree of conservation.
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Abstract
Reverse transcription is an obligatory step in retrovirus replication in the course of which the retroviral RNA/DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RT) copies the single-stranded positive sense RNA genome to synthesize the double-stranded viral DNA. At the same time the RT-associated RNaseH activity degrades the genomic RNA template, which has just been copied. The viral nucleocapsid protein NCp7 is an obligatory partner of RT, chaperoning synthesis of the complete viral DNA flanked by the two long-terminal repeats (LTR), required for viral DNA integration into the host genome and its expression. Here we describe assays for in vitro and ex vivo monitoring of reverse transcription and the chaperoning role of the nucleocapsid protein (NC).
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26
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Sun M, Grigsby IF, Gorelick RJ, Mansky LM, Musier-Forsyth K. Retrovirus-specific differences in matrix and nucleocapsid protein-nucleic acid interactions: implications for genomic RNA packaging. J Virol 2014; 88:1271-80. [PMID: 24227839 PMCID: PMC3911680 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02151-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviral RNA encapsidation involves a recognition event between genomic RNA (gRNA) and one or more domains in Gag. In HIV-1, the nucleocapsid (NC) domain is involved in gRNA packaging and displays robust nucleic acid (NA) binding and chaperone functions. In comparison, NC of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a deltaretrovirus, displays weaker NA binding and chaperone activity. Mutation of conserved charged residues in the deltaretrovirus bovine leukemia virus (BLV) matrix (MA) and NC domains affects virus replication and gRNA packaging efficiency. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that the MA domain may generally contribute to NA binding and genome encapsidation in deltaretroviruses. Here, we examined the interaction between HTLV-2 and HIV-1 MA proteins and various NAs in vitro. HTLV-2 MA displays higher NA binding affinity and better chaperone activity than HIV-1 MA. HTLV-2 MA also binds NAs with higher affinity than HTLV-2 NC and displays more robust chaperone function. Mutation of two basic residues in HTLV-2 MA α-helix II, previously implicated in BLV gRNA packaging, reduces NA binding affinity. HTLV-2 MA binds with high affinity and specificity to RNA derived from the putative packaging signal of HTLV-2 relative to nonspecific NA. Furthermore, an HIV-1 MA triple mutant designed to mimic the basic character of HTLV-2 MA α-helix II dramatically improves binding affinity and chaperone activity of HIV-1 MA in vitro and restores RNA packaging to a ΔNC HIV-1 variant in cell-based assays. Taken together, these results are consistent with a role for deltaretrovirus MA proteins in viral RNA packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Retroviral Research, and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Iwen F. Grigsby
- Institute for Molecular Virology, Departments of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences and Microbiology, School of Dentistry and Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Robert J. Gorelick
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Louis M. Mansky
- Institute for Molecular Virology, Departments of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences and Microbiology, School of Dentistry and Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Karin Musier-Forsyth
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Retroviral Research, and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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27
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Godet J, Kenfack C, Przybilla F, Richert L, Duportail G, Mély Y. Site-selective probing of cTAR destabilization highlights the necessary plasticity of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein to chaperone the first strand transfer. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:5036-48. [PMID: 23511968 PMCID: PMC3643577 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NCp7) is a nucleic acid chaperone required during reverse transcription. During the first strand transfer, NCp7 is thought to destabilize cTAR, the (−)DNA copy of the TAR RNA hairpin, and subsequently direct the TAR/cTAR annealing through the zipping of their destabilized stem ends. To further characterize the destabilizing activity of NCp7, we locally probe the structure and dynamics of cTAR by steady-state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. NC(11–55), a truncated NCp7 version corresponding to its zinc-finger domain, was found to bind all over the sequence and to preferentially destabilize the penultimate double-stranded segment in the lower part of the cTAR stem. This destabilization is achieved through zinc-finger–dependent binding of NC to the G10 and G50 residues. Sequence comparison further revealed that C•A mismatches close to the two G residues were critical for fine tuning the stability of the lower part of the cTAR stem and conferring to G10 and G50 the appropriate mobility and accessibility for specific recognition by NC. Our data also highlight the necessary plasticity of NCp7 to adapt to the sequence and structure variability of cTAR to chaperone its annealing with TAR through a specific pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Godet
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67401 Illkirch, France
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28
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Goudreau N, Hucke O, Faucher AM, Grand-Maître C, Lepage O, Bonneau PR, Mason SW, Titolo S. Discovery and structural characterization of a new inhibitor series of HIV-1 nucleocapsid function: NMR solution structure determination of a ternary complex involving a 2:1 inhibitor/NC stoichiometry. J Mol Biol 2013; 425:1982-1998. [PMID: 23485336 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The nucleocapsid (NC) protein is an essential factor with multiple functions within the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication cycle. In this study, we describe the discovery of a novel series of inhibitors that targets HIV-1 NC protein by blocking its interaction with nucleic acids. This series was identified using a previously described capsid (CA) assembly assay, employing a recombinant HIV-1 CA-NC protein and immobilized TG-rich deoxyoligonucleotides. Using visible absorption spectroscopy, we were able to demonstrate that this new inhibitor series binds specifically and reversibly to the NC with a peculiar 2:1 stoichiometry. A fluorescence-polarization-based binding assay was also developed in order to monitor the inhibitory activities of this series of inhibitors. To better characterize the structural aspect of inhibitor binding onto NC, we performed NMR studies using unlabeled and (13)C,(15)N-double-labeled NC(1-55) protein constructs. This allowed the determination of the solution structure of a ternary complex characterized by two inhibitor molecules binding to the two zinc knuckles of the NC protein. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of a high-resolution structure of a small-molecule inhibitor bound to NC, demonstrating sub-micromolar potency and moderate antiviral potency with one analogue of the series. This structure was compared with available NC/oligonucleotide complex structures and further underlined the high flexibility of the NC protein, allowing it to adopt many conformations in order to bind its different oligonucleotide/nucleomimetic targets. In addition, analysis of the interaction details between the inhibitor molecules and NC demonstrated how this novel inhibitor series is mimicking the guanosine nucleobases found in many reported complex structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Goudreau
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5.
| | - Oliver Hucke
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5.
| | - Anne-Marie Faucher
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
| | - Chantal Grand-Maître
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
| | - Olivier Lepage
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
| | - Pierre R Bonneau
- Department of Chemistry, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
| | - Stephen W Mason
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
| | - Steve Titolo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Research & Development, 2100 Cunard Street, Laval, QC, Canada H7S 2G5
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Sosic A, Frecentese F, Perissutti E, Sinigaglia L, Santagada V, Caliendo G, Magli E, Ciano A, Zagotto G, Parolin C, Gatto B. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of TAR and cTAR binders as HIV-1 nucleocapsid inhibitors. MEDCHEMCOMM 2013. [DOI: 10.1039/c3md00212h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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30
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Chamontin C, Yu B, Racine PJ, Darlix JL, Mougel M. MoMuLV and HIV-1 nucleocapsid proteins have a common role in genomic RNA packaging but different in late reverse transcription. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51534. [PMID: 23236513 PMCID: PMC3517543 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviral nucleocapsid proteins harbor nucleic acid chaperoning activities that mostly rely on the N-terminal basic residues and the CCHC zinc finger motif. Such chaperoning is essential for virus replication, notably for genomic RNA selection and packaging in virions, and for reverse transcription of genomic RNA into DNA. Recent data revealed that HIV-1 nucleocapsid restricts reverse transcription during virus assembly--a process called late reverse transcription--suggesting a regulation between RNA packaging and late reverse transcription. Indeed, mutating the HIV-1 nucleocapsid basic residues or the two zinc fingers caused a reduction in RNA incorporated and an increase in newly made viral DNA in the mutant virions. MoMuLV nucleocapsid has an N-terminal basic region similar to HIV-1 nucleocapsid but a unique zinc finger. This prompted us to investigate whether the N-terminal basic residues and the zinc finger of MoMuLV and HIV-1 nucleocapsids play a similar role in genomic RNA packaging and late reverse transcription. To this end, we analyzed the genomic RNA and viral DNA contents of virions produced by cells transfected with MoMuLV molecular clones where the zinc finger was mutated or completely deleted or with a deletion of the N-terminal basic residues of nucleocapsid. All mutant virions showed a strong defect in genomic RNA content indicating that the basic residues and zinc finger are important for genomic RNA packaging. In contrast to HIV-1 nucleocapsid-mutants, the level of viral DNA in mutant MoMuLV virions was only slightly increased. These results confirm that the N-terminal basic residues and zinc finger of MoMuLV nucleocapsid are critical for genomic RNA packaging but, in contrast to HIV-1 nucleocapsid, they most probably do not play a role in the control of late reverse transcription. In addition, these results suggest that virus formation and late reverse transcription proceed according to distinct mechanisms for MuLV and HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bing Yu
- UMR5236 CNRS, UM1,UM2, CPBS, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Jena-Luc Darlix
- UMR 7213 CNRS, Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
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31
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Bocanegra R, Rodríguez-Huete A, Fuertes MÁ, del Álamo M, Mateu MG. Molecular recognition in the human immunodeficiency virus capsid and antiviral design. Virus Res 2012; 169:388-410. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2012.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Revised: 06/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Bazzi A, Zargarian L, Chaminade F, De Rocquigny H, René B, Mély Y, Fossé P, Mauffret O. Intrinsic nucleic acid dynamics modulates HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein binding to its targets. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38905. [PMID: 22745685 PMCID: PMC3380039 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NC) is involved in the rearrangement of nucleic acids occurring in key steps of reverse transcription. The protein, through its two zinc fingers, interacts preferentially with unpaired guanines in single-stranded sequences. In mini-cTAR stem-loop, which corresponds to the top half of the cDNA copy of the transactivation response element of the HIV-1 genome, NC was found to exhibit a clear preference for the TGG sequence at the bottom of mini-cTAR stem. To further understand how this site was selected among several potential binding sites containing unpaired guanines, we probed the intrinsic dynamics of mini-cTAR using (13)C relaxation measurements. Results of spin relaxation time measurements have been analyzed using the model-free formalism and completed by dispersion relaxation measurements. Our data indicate that the preferentially recognized guanine in the lower part of the stem is exempt of conformational exchange and highly mobile. In contrast, the unrecognized unpaired guanines of mini-cTAR are involved in conformational exchange, probably related to transient base-pairs. These findings support the notion that NC preferentially recognizes unpaired guanines exhibiting a high degree of mobility. The ability of NC to discriminate between close sequences through their dynamic properties contributes to understanding how NC recognizes specific sites within the HIV genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bazzi
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
| | - Loussiné Zargarian
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
| | - Françoise Chaminade
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
| | - Hugues De Rocquigny
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité mixte de Recherche 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Brigitte René
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité mixte de Recherche 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Philippe Fossé
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
| | - Olivier Mauffret
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cachan, France
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33
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Breuer S, Chang MW, Yuan J, Torbett BE. Identification of HIV-1 inhibitors targeting the nucleocapsid protein. J Med Chem 2012; 55:4968-77. [PMID: 22587465 DOI: 10.1021/jm201442t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) is a RNA/DNA binding protein encoded within the Gag polyprotein, which is critical for the selection and chaperoning of viral genomic RNA during virion assembly. RNA/DNA binding occurs through a highly conserved zinc-knuckle motif present in NC. Given the necessity of NC-viral RNA/DNA interaction for viral replication, identification of compounds that disrupt the NC-RNA/DNA interaction may have value as an antiviral strategy. To identify small molecules that disrupt NC-viral RNA/DNA binding, a high-throughput fluorescence polarization assay was developed and a library of 14,400 diverse, druglike compounds was screened. Compounds that disrupted NC binding to a fluorescence-labeled DNA tracer were next evaluated by differential scanning fluorimetry to identify compounds that must bind to NC or Gag to impart their effects. Two compounds were identified that inhibited NC-DNA interaction, specifically bound NC with nanomolar affinity, and showed modest anti-HIV-1 activity in ex vivo cell assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Breuer
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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Ivanyi-Nagy R, Darlix JL. Fuzziness in the Core of the Human Pathogenic Viruses HCV and HIV. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2012; 725:142-58. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0659-4_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Chaurasiya KR, Geertsema H, Cristofari G, Darlix JL, Williams MC. A single zinc finger optimizes the DNA interactions of the nucleocapsid protein of the yeast retrotransposon Ty3. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:751-60. [PMID: 21917850 PMCID: PMC3258130 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Revised: 08/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reverse transcription in retroviruses and retrotransposons requires nucleic acid chaperones, which drive the rearrangement of nucleic acid conformation. The nucleic acid chaperone properties of the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) nucleocapsid (NC) protein have been extensively studied, and nucleic acid aggregation, duplex destabilization and rapid binding kinetics have been identified as major components of its activity. However, the properties of other nucleic acid chaperone proteins, such as retrotransposon Ty3 NC, a likely ancestor of HIV-1 NC, are not well understood. In addition, it is unclear whether a single zinc finger is sufficient to optimize the properties characteristic of HIV-1 NC. We used single-molecule DNA stretching as a method for detailed characterization of Ty3 NC chaperone activity. We found that wild type Ty3 NC aggregates single- and double-stranded DNA, weakly stabilizes dsDNA, and exhibits rapid binding kinetics. Single-molecule studies in the presence of Ty3 NC mutants show that the N-terminal basic residues and the unique zinc finger at the C-terminus are required for optimum chaperone activity in this system. While the single zinc finger is capable of optimizing Ty3 NC's DNA interaction kinetics, two zinc fingers may be necessary in order to facilitate the DNA destabilization exhibited by HIV-1 NC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy R. Chaurasiya
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, IFR 128 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hylkje Geertsema
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, IFR 128 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gaël Cristofari
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, IFR 128 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jean-Luc Darlix
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, IFR 128 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark C. Williams
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, IFR 128 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Nucleocapsid protein annealing of a primer-template enhances (+)-strand DNA synthesis and fidelity by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. J Mol Biol 2011; 415:866-80. [PMID: 22210155 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires reverse transcriptase (RT) and HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NCp7) for proper viral replication. HIV-1 NCp7 has been shown to enhance various steps in reverse transcription including tRNA initiation and strand transfer, which may be mediated through interactions with RT as well as RNA and DNA oligonucleotides. With the use of DNA oligonucleotides, we have examined the interaction of NCp7 with RT and the kinetics of reverse transcription during (+)-strand synthesis with an NCp7-facilitated annealed primer-template. Through the use of a pre-steady-state kinetics approach, the NCp7-annealed primer-template has a substantial increase (3- to 7-fold) in the rate of incorporation (k(pol)) by RT as compared to heat-annealed primer-template with single-nucleotide incorporation. There was also a 2-fold increase in the binding affinity constant (K(d)) of the nucleotide. These differences in k(pol) and K(d) were not through direct interactions between HIV-1 RT and NCp7. When extension by RT was examined, the data suggest that the NCp7-annealed primer-template facilitates the formation of a longer product more quickly compared to the heat-annealed primer-template. This enhancement in rate is mediated through interactions with NCp7's zinc fingers and N-terminal domain and nucleic acids. The NCp7-annealed primer-template also enhances the fidelity of RT (3-fold) by slowing the rate of incorporation of an incorrect nucleotide. Taken together, this study elucidates a new role of NCp7 by facilitating DNA-directed DNA synthesis during reverse transcription by HIV-1 RT that may translate into enhanced viral fitness and offers an avenue to exploit for targeted therapeutic intervention against HIV.
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Sharma KK, de Rocquigny H, Darlix JL, Lavergne JP, Pénin F, Lessinger JM, Mély Y. Analysis of the RNA chaperoning activity of the hepatitis C virus core protein on the conserved 3'X region of the viral genome. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:2540-53. [PMID: 22127859 PMCID: PMC3315292 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The core protein of hepatitis c virus (HCV) is a structural protein with potent RNA chaperoning activities mediated by its hydrophilic N-terminal domain D1, which is thought to play a key role in HCV replication. To further characterize the core chaperoning properties, we studied the interactions between core D1 and the conserved HCV 3'X genomic region required for genome replication. To this end, we monitored the real-time annealing kinetics of native and mutated fluorescently labelled 16-nt palindromic sequence (DLS) and 27-nt Stem Loop II (SL2) from X with their respective complementary sequences. Core D1 and peptides consisting of the core basic domains were found to promote both annealing reactions and partly switch the loop-loop interaction pathway, which predominates in the absence of peptide, towards a pathway involving the stem termini. The chaperone properties of the core D1 peptides were found to be mediated through interaction of their basic clusters with the oligonucleotide phosphate groups, in line with the absence of high affinity site for core on HCV genomic RNA. The core ability to facilitate the interconversion between different RNA structures may explain how this protein regulates RNA structural transitions during HCV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamal Kant Sharma
- Laboratorie de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74, Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch Cedex, France
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38
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Guichard C, Ivanyi-Nagy R, Sharma KK, Gabus C, Marc D, Mély Y, Darlix JL. Analysis of nucleic acid chaperoning by the prion protein and its inhibition by oligonucleotides. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39:8544-58. [PMID: 21737432 PMCID: PMC3201874 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are unique neurodegenerative illnesses associated with the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into the aggregated misfolded scrapie isoform, named PrP(Sc). Recent studies on the physiological role of PrP(C) revealed that this protein has probably multiple functions, notably in cell-cell adhesion and signal transduction, and in assisting nucleic acid folding. In fact, in vitro findings indicated that the human PrP (huPrP) possesses nucleic acid binding and annealing activities, similarly to nucleic acid chaperone proteins that play essential roles in cellular DNA and RNA metabolism. Here, we show that a peptide, representing the N-terminal domain of huPrP, facilitates nucleic acid annealing by two parallel pathways nucleated through the stem termini. We also show that PrP of human or ovine origin facilitates DNA strand exchange, ribozyme-directed cleavage of an RNA template and RNA trans-splicing in a manner similar to the nucleocapsid protein of HIV-1. In an attempt to characterize inhibitors of PrP-chaperoning in vitro we discovered that the thioaptamer 5'-GACACAAGCCGA-3' was extensively inhibiting the PrP chaperoning activities. At the same time a recently characterized methylated oligoribonucleotide inhibiting the chaperoning activity of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein was poorly impairing the PrP chaperoning activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Guichard
- Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM, ENS, IFR 128, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, France
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Jouvenet N, Lainé S, Pessel-Vivares L, Mougel M. Cell biology of retroviral RNA packaging. RNA Biol 2011; 8:572-80. [PMID: 21691151 DOI: 10.4161/rna.8.4.16030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Generation of infectious retroviral particles rely on the targeting of all structural components to the correct cellular sites at the correct time. Gag, the main structural protein, orchestrates the assembly process and the mechanisms that trigger its targeting to assembly sites are well described. Gag is also responsible for the packaging of the viral genome and the molecular details of the Gag/RNA interaction are well characterized. Until recently, much less was understood about the cell biology of retrovirus RNA packaging. However, novel biochemical and live-cell microscopic approaches have identified where in the cell the initial events of genome recognition by Gag occur. These recent developments have shed light on the role played by the viral genome during virion assembly. Other central issues of the cell biology of RNA packaging, such as how the Gag-RNA complex traffics through the cytoplasm towards assembly sites, await characterization.
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40
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Grigorov B, Bocquin A, Gabus C, Avilov S, Mély Y, Agopian A, Divita G, Gottikh M, Witvrouw M, Darlix JL. Identification of a methylated oligoribonucleotide as a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcription complex. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39:5586-96. [PMID: 21447560 PMCID: PMC3141241 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon HIV-1 infection of a target cell, the viral reverse transcriptase (RT) copies the genomic RNA to synthesize the viral DNA. The genomic RNA is within the incoming HIV-1 core where it is coated by molecules of nucleocapsid (NC) protein that chaperones the reverse transcription process. Indeed, the RT chaperoning properties of NC extend from the initiation of cDNA synthesis to completion of the viral DNA. New and effective drugs against HIV-1 continue to be required, which prompted us to search for compounds aimed at inhibiting NC protein. Here, we report that the NC chaperoning activity is extensively inhibited in vitro by small methylated oligoribonucleotides (mODN). These mODNs were delivered intracellularly using a cell-penetrating-peptide and found to impede HIV-1 replication in primary human cells at nanomolar concentrations. Extensive analysis showed that viral cDNA synthesis was severely impaired by mODNs. Partially resistant viruses with mutations in NC and RT emerged after months of passaging in cell culture. A HIV-1 molecular clone (NL4.3) bearing these mutations was found to replicate at high concentrations of mODN, albeit with a reduced fitness. Small, methylated ODNs such as mODN-11 appear to be a new type of highly potent inhibitor of HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyan Grigorov
- Laboretro, INSERM #758, ENS Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasboug, Illkirch, France
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41
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Quintal SM, dePaula QA, Farrell NP. Zinc finger proteins as templates for metal ion exchange and ligand reactivity. Chemical and biological consequences. Metallomics 2011; 3:121-39. [PMID: 21253649 DOI: 10.1039/c0mt00070a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Zinc finger reactions with inorganic ions and coordination compounds are as diverse as the zinc fingers themselves. Use of metal ions such as Co(2+) and Cd(2+) has given structural, thermodynamic and kinetic information on zinc fingers and zinc-finger-DNA/RNA interactions. It is a general truism that alteration of the coordination sphere in the finger environment will disrupt the recognition with DNA/RNA and this has implications for mechanism of toxicity and carcinogenesis of metal ions. Structural zinc fingers are susceptible to electrophilic attack and the recognition that the coordination sphere of inorganic compounds may be modulated for control of electrophilic attack on zinc fingers raises the possibility of systematic studies of zinc fingers as drug targets using inorganic chemistry. Some inorganic compounds such as those of As(III) and Au(I) may exert their biological effects through inactivation of zinc fingers and novel approaches to specifically attack the zinc-bound ligands using Co(III)-Schiff bases and Platinum(II)-Nucleobase compounds have been proposed. The genomic importance of zinc fingers suggests that the "coordination chemistry" of zinc fingers themselves is ripe for exploration to design new targets for medicinal inorganic chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana M Quintal
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1001 W. Main St., Richmond, VA 23284-2006, USA
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42
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Bazzi A, Zargarian L, Chaminade F, Boudier C, De Rocquigny H, René B, Mély Y, Fossé P, Mauffret O. Structural insights into the cTAR DNA recognition by the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein: role of sugar deoxyriboses in the binding polarity of NC. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39:3903-16. [PMID: 21227929 PMCID: PMC3089453 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq1290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An essential step of the reverse transcription of the HIV-1 genome is the first strand transfer that requires the annealing of the TAR RNA hairpin to the cTAR DNA hairpin. HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NC) plays a crucial role by facilitating annealing of the complementary hairpins. Using nuclear magnetic resonance and gel retardation assays, we investigated the interaction between NC and the top half of the cTAR DNA (mini-cTAR). We show that NC(11-55) binds the TGG sequence in the lower stem that is destabilized by the adjacent internal loop. The 5′ thymine interacts with residues of the N-terminal zinc knuckle and the 3′ guanine is inserted in the hydrophobic plateau of the C-terminal zinc knuckle. The TGG sequence is preferred relative to the apical and internal loops containing unpaired guanines. Investigation of the DNA–protein contacts shows the major role of hydrophobic interactions involving nucleobases and deoxyribose sugars. A similar network of hydrophobic contacts is observed in the published NC:DNA complexes, whereas NC contacts ribose differently in NC:RNA complexes. We propose that the binding polarity of NC is related to these contacts that could be responsible for the preferential binding to single-stranded nucleic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bazzi
- LBPA, ENS de Cachan, CNRS, Cachan, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch, France
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43
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Miller Jenkins LM, Ott DE, Hayashi R, Coren LV, Wang D, Xu Q, Schito ML, Inman JK, Appella DH, Appella E. Small-molecule inactivation of HIV-1 NCp7 by repetitive intracellular acyl transfer. Nat Chem Biol 2010; 6:887-9. [PMID: 20953192 PMCID: PMC2997617 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2010] [Accepted: 09/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The zinc fingers of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein, NCp7, are prime targets for antiretroviral therapeutics. Here we show that S-acyl-2-mercaptobenzamide thioester (SAMT) chemotypes inhibit HIV by modifying the NCp7 region of Gag in infected cells, thereby blocking Gag processing and reducing infectivity. The thiol produced by SAMT reaction with NCp7 is acetylated by cellular enzymes to regenerate active SAMTs via a recycling mechanism unique among small-molecule inhibitors of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Miller Jenkins
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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44
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Levin JG, Mitra M, Mascarenhas A, Musier-Forsyth K. Role of HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein in HIV-1 reverse transcription. RNA Biol 2010; 7:754-74. [PMID: 21160280 DOI: 10.4161/rna.7.6.14115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NC) is a nucleic acid chaperone, which remodels nucleic acid structures so that the most thermodynamically stable conformations are formed. This activity is essential for virus replication and has a critical role in mediating highly specific and efficient reverse transcription. NC's function in this process depends upon three properties: (1) ability to aggregate nucleic acids; (2) moderate duplex destabilization activity; and (3) rapid on-off binding kinetics. Here, we present a detailed molecular analysis of the individual events that occur during viral DNA synthesis and show how NC's properties are important for almost every step in the pathway. Finally, we also review biological aspects of reverse transcription during infection and the interplay between NC, reverse transcriptase, and human APOBEC3G, an HIV-1 restriction factor that inhibits reverse transcription and virus replication in the absence of the HIV-1 Vif protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith G Levin
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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45
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Muriaux D, Darlix JL. Properties and functions of the nucleocapsid protein in virus assembly. RNA Biol 2010; 7:744-53. [PMID: 21157181 DOI: 10.4161/rna.7.6.14065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein (NC) is a small basic protein generated by the cleavage of the Gag structural polyprotein precusor by the viral protease during virus assembly in the infected cell. HIV-1 NC possesses two copies of a highly conserved CCHC zinc finger (ZnF), flanked by basic residues. HIV-1 NC and more generally retroviral NC proteins are nucleic acid binding proteins possessing potent nucleic acid condensing and chaperoning activities. As such NC protein drives critical structural rearrangements of the genomic RNA, notably RNA dimerization in the course of virus assembly and viral nucleic acid annealing required for genomic RNA replication by the viral reverse transcriptase (RT). Here we review the relationships between the 3D structure of HIV-1 NC, notably the central globular domain encompassing the two zinc fingers and the basic linker and NC functions in the early and late phases of virus replication. One of the salient feature of the NC central globular domain is an hydrophobic plateau which appears to orchestrate the NC functions, such as chaperoning the conversion of the genomic RNA into viral DNA by RT during the early phase, and driving the selection and dimerization of the genomic RNA at the initial stage of viral particle assembly. This ensures a bona fide trafficking of early GagNC-genomic RNA complexes to the plasma membrane of the infected cell and ultimately virion formation and budding.
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46
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Wu T, Datta SA, Mitra M, Gorelick RJ, Rein A, Levin JG. Fundamental differences between the nucleic acid chaperone activities of HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein and Gag or Gag-derived proteins: biological implications. Virology 2010; 405:556-67. [PMID: 20655566 PMCID: PMC2963451 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2010.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2010] [Revised: 05/16/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The HIV-1 Gag polyprotein precursor has multiple domains including nucleocapsid (NC). Although mature NC and NC embedded in Gag are nucleic acid chaperones (proteins that remodel nucleic acid structure), few studies include detailed analysis of the chaperone activity of partially processed Gag proteins and comparison with NC and Gag. Here we address this issue by using a reconstituted minus-strand transfer system. NC and NC-containing Gag proteins exhibited annealing and duplex destabilizing activities required for strand transfer. Surprisingly, unlike NC, with increasing concentrations, Gag proteins drastically inhibited the DNA elongation step. This result is consistent with "nucleic acid-driven multimerization" of Gag and the reported slow dissociation of Gag from bound nucleic acid, which prevent reverse transcriptase from traversing the template ("roadblock" mechanism). Our findings illustrate one reason why NC (and not Gag) has evolved as a critical cofactor in reverse transcription, a paradigm that might also extend to other retrovirus systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiyun Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 6B, Room 216, 6 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-2780, USA
| | - Siddhartha A.K. Datta
- HIV Drug Resistance Program, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
| | - Mithun Mitra
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 6B, Room 216, 6 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-2780, USA
| | - Robert J. Gorelick
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
| | - Alan Rein
- HIV Drug Resistance Program, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
| | - Judith G. Levin
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 6B, Room 216, 6 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-2780, USA
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47
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Mougel M, Cimarelli A, Darlix JL. Implications of the nucleocapsid and the microenvironment in retroviral reverse transcription. Viruses 2010; 2:939-960. [PMID: 21994662 PMCID: PMC3185662 DOI: 10.3390/v2040939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Revised: 03/03/2010] [Accepted: 04/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
This mini-review summarizes the process of reverse-transcription, an obligatory step in retrovirus replication during which the retroviral RNA/DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RT) copies the single-stranded genomic RNA to generate the double-stranded viral DNA while degrading the genomic RNA via its associated RNase H activity. The hybridization of complementary viral sequences by the nucleocapsid protein (NC) receives a special focus, since it acts to chaperone the strand transfers obligatory for synthesis of the complete viral DNA and flanking long terminal repeats (LTR). Since the physiological microenvironment can impact on reverse-transcription, this mini-review also focuses on factors present in the intra-cellular or extra-cellular milieu that can drastically influence both the timing and the activity of reverse-transcription and hence virus infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marylène Mougel
- CPBS, UMR5236 CNRS, UMI, 4 bd Henri IV, 34965 Montpellier, France; E-Mail:
| | - Andrea Cimarelli
- LaboRetro Unité de Virologie humaine INSERM #758, IFR128, ENS Lyon, 46 Allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon, France; E-Mail:
| | - Jean-Luc Darlix
- LaboRetro Unité de Virologie humaine INSERM #758, IFR128, ENS Lyon, 46 Allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon, France; E-Mail:
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +33 472728169; Fax: +33 472728137
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48
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Goldschmidt V, Miller Jenkins LM, de Rocquigny H, Darlix JL, Mély Y. The nucleocapsid protein of HIV-1 as a promising therapeutic target for antiviral drugs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.2217/hiv.10.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The nucleocapsid protein (NCp7) is a major HIV-1 structural protein that plays key roles in viral replication, mainly through its conserved zinc fingers that direct specific interactions with the viral nucleic acids. Owing to its high degree of conservation and critical functions, NCp7 represents a target of choice for drugs that can potentially complement HAART, thus possibly impairing the circulation of drug-resistant HIV-1 strains. Zinc ejectors showing potent antiretroviral activity were developed, but early generations suffered from limited selectively and significant toxicity. Compounds with improved selectivity have been developed and are being explored as topical microbicide candidates. Several classes of molecules inhibiting the interaction of NCp7 with the viral nucleic acids have also been developed. Although small molecules would be more suited for drug development, most molecules selected by screening showed limited antiretroviral activity. Peptides and RNA aptamers appear to be more promising, but the mechanism of their antiretroviral activity remains elusive. Substantial and more concerted efforts are needed to further develop anti-HIV drugs targeting NCp7 and bring them to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Goldschmidt
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR-CNRS 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch-Cedex, France
| | - Lisa M Miller Jenkins
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hugues de Rocquigny
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR-CNRS 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch-Cedex, France
| | - Jean-Luc Darlix
- LaboRetro, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM 758, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon, France
| | - Yves Mély
- Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR-CNRS 7213, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 route du Rhin, 67401 Illkirch-Cedex, France
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49
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Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by a bis-thiadiazolbenzene-1,2-diamine that chelates zinc ions from retroviral nucleocapsid zinc fingers. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010; 54:1461-8. [PMID: 20124006 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01671-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nucleocapsid p7 (NCp7) protein holds two highly conserved "CCHC" zinc finger domains that are required for several phases of viral replication. Basic residues flank the zinc fingers, and both determinants are required for high-affinity binding to RNA. Several compounds were previously found to target NCp7 by reacting with the sulfhydryl group of cysteine residues from the zinc fingers. Here, we have identified an N,N'-bis(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)benzene-1,2-diamine (NV038) that efficiently blocks the replication of a wide spectrum of HIV-1, HIV-2, and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strains. Time-of-addition experiments indicate that NV038 interferes with a step of the viral replication cycle following the viral entry but preceding or coinciding with the early reverse transcription reaction, pointing toward an interaction with the nucleocapsid protein p7. In fact, in vitro, NV038 efficiently depletes zinc from NCp7, which is paralleled by the inhibition of the NCp7-induced destabilization of cTAR (complementary DNA sequence of TAR). A chemical model suggests that the two carbonyl oxygens of the esters in this compound are involved in the chelation of the Zn(2+) ion. This compound thus acts via a different mechanism than the previously reported zinc ejectors, as its structural features do not allow an acyl transfer to Cys or a thiol-disulfide interchange. This new lead and the mechanistic study presented provide insight into the design of a future generation of anti-NCp7 compounds.
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Qualley DF, Stewart-Maynard KM, Wang F, Mitra M, Gorelick RJ, Rouzina I, Williams MC, Musier-Forsyth K. C-terminal domain modulates the nucleic acid chaperone activity of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 nucleocapsid protein via an electrostatic mechanism. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:295-307. [PMID: 19887455 PMCID: PMC2804176 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.051334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2009] [Revised: 10/30/2009] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviral nucleocapsid (NC) proteins are molecular chaperones that facilitate nucleic acid (NA) remodeling events critical in viral replication processes such as reverse transcription. Surprisingly, the NC protein from human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an extremely poor NA chaperone. Using bulk and single molecule methods, we find that removal of the anionic C-terminal domain (CTD) of HTLV-1 NC results in a protein with chaperone properties comparable with that of other retroviral NCs. Increasing the ionic strength of the solution also improves the chaperone activity of full-length HTLV-1 NC. To determine how the CTD negatively modulates the chaperone activity of HTLV-1 NC, we quantified the thermodynamics and kinetics of wild-type and mutant HTLV-1 NC/NA interactions. The wild-type protein exhibits very slow dissociation kinetics, and removal of the CTD or mutations that eliminate acidic residues dramatically increase the protein/DNA interaction kinetics. Taken together, these results suggest that the anionic CTD interacts with the cationic N-terminal domain intramolecularly when HTLV-1 NC is not bound to nucleic acids, and similar interactions occur between neighboring molecules when NC is NA-bound. The intramolecular N-terminal domain-CTD attraction slows down the association of the HTLV-1 NC with NA, whereas the intermolecular interaction leads to multimerization of HTLV-1 NC on the NA. The latter inhibits both NA/NC aggregation and rapid protein dissociation from single-stranded DNA. These features make HTLV-1 NC a poor NA chaperone, despite its robust duplex destabilizing capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic F. Qualley
- From the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Retrovirus Research, and Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | | | - Fei Wang
- the Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
| | - Mithun Mitra
- From the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Retrovirus Research, and Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
| | - Robert J. Gorelick
- the AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Science Applications International Corporation-Frederick, Inc., NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Ioulia Rouzina
- the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Mark C. Williams
- the Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
| | - Karin Musier-Forsyth
- From the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Retrovirus Research, and Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
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