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Wang Q, Su Q, Liu B, Li Y, Sun W, Liu Y, Xue R, Chang S, Wang Y, Zhao P. Enhanced Antiviral Ability by a Combination of Zidovudine and Short Hairpin RNA Targeting Avian Leukosis Virus. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:808982. [PMID: 35250911 PMCID: PMC8889011 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.808982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian leukosis virus (ALV) causes tumor diseases in poultry and is circulating all over the world, leading to significant economic losses. In addition, mixed infection of ALV with other viruses is very common and is often reported to contaminate live vaccines. At present, there is no effective method to suppress the replication of ALV in vitro, so it is very difficult to remove it in mixed infection. As a retrovirus, the replication of ALV can be limited by reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors like zidovudine (AZT), but it also causes nontargeted cytotoxicity. To find the optimal solution in cytotoxicity and inhibition efficiency in vitro culture system, we firstly designed a combination therapy of AZT and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting ALV and then verified its efficiency by multiple biological methods. Results showed that shRNA can effectively inhibit the expression of RT and then limit the replication of ALV. The combination of AZT and shRNA can significantly improve the antiviral efficiency in viral replication, shedding, and provirus assembly under the condition of low cytotoxicity. Overall, in this study, the combination therapy of AZT and shRNA targeting ALV showed excellent antiviral performance against ALV in vitro culture system. This method can be applied to multiple scenarios, such as the removal of ALV in mixed infection or the purification of contaminated vaccine strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Qi Su
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Bowen Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yan Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Wanli Sun
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yanxue Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Ruyu Xue
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Shuang Chang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yixin Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
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Carbonell A, Lisón P, Daròs J. Multi-targeting of viral RNAs with synthetic trans-acting small interfering RNAs enhances plant antiviral resistance. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 100:720-737. [PMID: 31350772 PMCID: PMC6899541 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi)-based tools are used in multiple organisms to induce antiviral resistance through the sequence-specific degradation of target RNAs by complementary small RNAs. In plants, highly specific antiviral RNAi-based tools include artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and synthetic trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs). syn-tasiRNAs have emerged as a promising antiviral tool allowing for the multi-targeting of viral RNAs through the simultaneous expression of several syn-tasiRNAs from a single precursor. Here, we compared in tomato plants the effects of an amiRNA construct expressing a single amiRNA and a syn-tasiRNA construct expressing four different syn-tasiRNAs against Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), an economically important pathogen affecting tomato crops worldwide. Most of the syn-tasiRNA lines were resistant to TSWV, whereas the majority of the amiRNA lines were susceptible and accumulated viral progenies with mutations in the amiRNA target site. Only the two amiRNA lines with higher amiRNA accumulation were resistant, whereas resistance in syn-tasiRNA lines was not exclusive of lines with high syn-tasiRNA accumulation. Collectively, these results suggest that syn-tasiRNAs induce enhanced antiviral resistance because of the combined silencing effect of each individual syn-tasiRNA, which minimizes the possibility that the virus simultaneously mutates all different target sites to fully escape each syn-tasiRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Carbonell
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universitat Politècnica de València46022ValenciaSpain
| | - Purificación Lisón
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universitat Politècnica de València46022ValenciaSpain
| | - José‐Antonio Daròs
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universitat Politècnica de València46022ValenciaSpain
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Liu C, Liang Z, Kong X. Efficacy Analysis of Combinatorial siRNAs against HIV Derived from One Double Hairpin RNA Precursor. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1651. [PMID: 28900421 PMCID: PMC5581867 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Combinatorial small interfering RNA duplexes (siRNAs) have the potential to be a gene therapy against HIV-1, and some studies have reported that transient combinatorial siRNA expression represses HIV replication, but the effects of long-term siRNA expression on HIV replication have not been studied in detail. In this study, HIV-1 replication under the influence of stable combinatorial siRNA expression from a single RNA transcript was analyzed. First, a series of cassettes encoding short hairpin RNA (shRNA)/long hairpin RNA (lhRNA)/double long hairpins (dlhRNA) was constructed and subjected to an analysis of inhibitory efficacy. Next, an optimized dlhRNA encoding cassette was selected and inserted into lentiviral delivery vector FG12. Transient dlhRNA expression reduced replication of HIV-1 in TZM-bl cells and CD4+ T cells successfully. HIV-1 susceptible TZM-bl cells were transducted with the dlhRNA expressing lentiviral vector and sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting to obtain stable dlhRNA expressing cells. The generation of four anti-HIV siRNAs in these dlhRNA expressing cells was verified by stem-loop RT-PCR assay. dlhRNA expression did not activate a non-specific interferon response. The dlhRNA expressing cells were also challenged with HIV-1 NL4-3, which revealed that stable expression of combinatorial siRNAs repressed HIV-1 replication for 8 days, after which HIV-1 overcame the inhibitory effect of siRNA expression by expressing mutant versions of RNAi targets. The results of this evaluation of the long-term inhibitory effects of combinatorial siRNAs against HIV-1 provide a reference for researchers who utilize combinatorial RNA interference against HIV-1 or other error-prone viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Medical Molecular Virology Laboratory, School of Medicine, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China
| | - Zhipin Liang
- Medical Molecular Virology Laboratory, School of Medicine, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China
| | - Xiaohong Kong
- Medical Molecular Virology Laboratory, School of Medicine, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China
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4
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Clarke BD, McColl KA, Ward AC, Doran TJ. shRNAs targeting either the glycoprotein or polymerase genes inhibit Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus replication in zebrafish ZF4 cells. Antiviral Res 2017; 141:124-132. [DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Samir M, Pessler F. Small Non-coding RNAs Associated with Viral Infectious Diseases of Veterinary Importance: Potential Clinical Applications. Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:22. [PMID: 27092305 PMCID: PMC4819147 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules that can regulate mRNAs by inducing their degradation or by blocking translation. Considering that miRNAs are ubiquitous, stable, and conserved across animal species, it seems feasible to exploit them for clinical applications. Unlike in human viral diseases, where some miRNA-based molecules have progressed to clinical application, in veterinary medicine, this concept is just starting to come into view. Clinically, miRNAs could represent powerful diagnostic tools to pinpoint animal viral diseases and/or prognostic tools to follow up disease progression or remission. Additionally, the possible consequences of miRNA dysregulation make them potential therapeutic targets and open the possibilities to use them as tools to generate viral disease-resistant livestock. This review presents an update of preclinical studies on using sncRNAs to combat viral diseases that affect pet and farm animals. Moreover, we discuss the possibilities and challenges of bringing these bench-based discoveries to the veterinary clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Samir
- TWINCORE Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany; Zoonoses Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Frank Pessler
- TWINCORE Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany; Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
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Jung U, Urak K, Veillette M, Nepveu-Traversy MÉ, Pham QT, Hamel S, Rossi JJ, Berthoux L. Preclinical Assessment of Mutant Human TRIM5α as an Anti-HIV-1 Transgene. Hum Gene Ther 2015; 26:664-79. [PMID: 26076730 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2015.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Current HIV-1 gene therapy approaches aim at stopping the viral life cycle at its earliest steps, such as entry or immediate postentry events. Among the most widely adopted strategies are CCR5 downregulation/knockout and the use of broadly neutralizing antibodies. However, the long-term efficacy and side effects are still unclear. TRIM5α is an interferon-stimulated restriction factor that can intercept incoming retroviruses within one hour of cytosolic entry and potently inhibit the infectivity of restriction-sensitive viruses. The human TRIM5α (TRIM5αhu) generally does not efficiently target HIV-1, but point mutations in its capsid-binding domain can confer anti-HIV-1 activity. Although the mechanisms by which TRIM5αhu mutants inhibit HIV-1 are relatively well understood, their characterization as potential transgenes for gene therapy is lacking. Additionally, previous reports of general immune activation by overexpression of TRIM5α have hindered its broad adoption as a potential transgene. Here we demonstrate the ability of the R332G-R335G TRIM5αhu mutant to efficiently restrict highly divergent HIV-1 strains, including Group O, as well as clinical isolates bearing cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape mutations. R332G-R335G TRIM5αhu efficiently protected human lymphocytes against HIV-1 infection, even when expressed at relatively low levels following lentiviral transduction. Most importantly, under these conditions Rhesus macaque TRIM5α (TRIM5αRh) and TRIM5αhu (wild-type or mutated) had no major effects on the NF-κB pathway. Transgenic TRIM5α did not modulate the kinetics of IκBα, JunB, and TNFAIP3 expression following TNF-α treatment. Finally, we show that human lymphocytes expressing R332G-R335G TRIM5αhu have clear survival advantages over unmodified parental cells in the presence of pathogenic, replication-competent HIV-1. These results support the relevance of R332G-R335G and other mutants of TRIM5αhu as candidate effectors for HIV-1 gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Jung
- 1 Division of Molecular & Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope , Duarte, California
| | - Kevin Urak
- 1 Division of Molecular & Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope , Duarte, California
| | - Maxime Veillette
- 2 Laboratory of Retrovirology, Department of Medical Biology, Université du Québec, Trois-Rivières, Canada
| | | | - Quang Toan Pham
- 2 Laboratory of Retrovirology, Department of Medical Biology, Université du Québec, Trois-Rivières, Canada
| | - Sophie Hamel
- 2 Laboratory of Retrovirology, Department of Medical Biology, Université du Québec, Trois-Rivières, Canada
| | - John J Rossi
- 1 Division of Molecular & Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope , Duarte, California.,3 Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California
| | - Lionel Berthoux
- 2 Laboratory of Retrovirology, Department of Medical Biology, Université du Québec, Trois-Rivières, Canada
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Presloid JB, Novella IS. RNA Viruses and RNAi: Quasispecies Implications for Viral Escape. Viruses 2015; 7:3226-40. [PMID: 26102581 PMCID: PMC4488735 DOI: 10.3390/v7062768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to high mutation rates, populations of RNA viruses exist as a collection of closely related mutants known as a quasispecies. A consequence of error-prone replication is the potential for rapid adaptation of RNA viruses when a selective pressure is applied, including host immune systems and antiviral drugs. RNA interference (RNAi) acts to inhibit protein synthesis by targeting specific mRNAs for degradation and this process has been developed to target RNA viruses, exhibiting their potential as a therapeutic against infections. However, viruses containing mutations conferring resistance to RNAi were isolated in nearly all cases, underlining the problems of rapid viral evolution. Thus, while promising, the use of RNAi in treating or preventing viral diseases remains fraught with the typical complications that result from high specificity of the target, as seen in other antiviral regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- John B Presloid
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, The University of Toledo, 3055 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH 43614, USA.
| | - Isabel S Novella
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, The University of Toledo, 3055 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH 43614, USA.
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Evaluation of canonical siRNA and Dicer substrate RNA for inhibition of hepatitis C virus genome replication--a comparative study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117742. [PMID: 25705875 PMCID: PMC4338191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) frequently establishes persistent infections in the liver, leading to the development of chronic hepatitis and, potentially, to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma at later stages. The objective of this study was to test the ability of five Dicer substrate siRNAs (DsiRNA) to inhibit HCV replication and to compare these molecules to canonical 21 nt siRNA. DsiRNA molecules were designed to target five distinct regions of the HCV genome - the 5' UTR and the coding regions for NS3, NS4B, NS5A or NS5B. These molecules were transfected into Huh7.5 cells that stably harboured an HCV subgenomic replicon expressing a firefly luciferase/neoR reporter (SGR-Feo-JFH-1) and were also tested on HCVcc-infected cells. All of the DsiRNAs inhibited HCV replication in both the subgenomic system and HCVcc-infected cells. When DsiRNAs were transfected prior to infection with HCVcc, the inhibition levels reached 99.5%. When directly compared, canonical siRNA and DsiRNA exhibited similar potency of virus inhibition. Furthermore, both types of molecules exhibited similar dynamics of inhibition and frequencies of resistant mutants after 21 days of treatment. Thus, DsiRNA molecules are as potent as 21 nt siRNAs for the inhibition of HCV replication and may provide future approaches for HCV therapy if the emergence of resistant mutants can be addressed.
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Fu GF, Pan JC, Lin N, Hu HY, Tang WM, Xu JS, Wang XL, Xu XQ, Qiu T, Liu XY, Chen GH, Mahapatra T, Huan XP, Yang HT. siRNA against KIR3DL1 as a potential gene therapeutic agent in controlling HIV-1 infection. Viral Immunol 2014; 27:207-13. [PMID: 24834927 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2013.0126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to develop a small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the expression of KIR3DL1 receptor on natural killer (NK) cells, in order to promote the ability of NK cells to destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cells and thus prevent failure of siRNA therapy targeting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virus among HIV-1 infected patients in vitro. METHODS A siRNA targeting KIR3DL1 was synthesized and then modified with cholesterol, methylene, and sulfate. The inhibitory action of the siRNAs on primary cultured NK cells was detected. The amount of IFN-γ and TNF-α secretions in NK cells was measured. The intended functions of NK cells in vitro were analyzed by CFSE and PI methods. RESULTS There were no significant differences in inhibiting the expression of KIR3DL1 on NK cells between the modified and unmodified siRNAs, while inhibition by each of them differed significantly from controls. The amount of IFN-γ and TNF-α secretions in the NK cells was abundant due to unsuccessful expression of KIR3DL1 on NK cells, which further promoted function of the NK cells. CONCLUSION The siRNA against KIR3DL1 could enhance the ability of the NK cells to kill the HIV-1 infected cells in vitro and successfully prevented the failure of siRNA therapy targeting the HIV-1 virus. Therefore, it can act as a potential gene therapeutic agent among HIV-1 infected people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geng-Feng Fu
- 1 Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control , Nanjing, China
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Herrera-Carrillo E, Liu YP, Berkhout B. The impact of unprotected T cells in RNAi-based gene therapy for HIV-AIDS. Mol Ther 2014; 22:596-606. [PMID: 24336172 PMCID: PMC3944328 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2013.280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 12/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is highly effective in inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication by the expression of antiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in stably transduced T-cell lines. For the development of a durable gene therapy that prevents viral escape, we proposed to combine multiple shRNAs against highly conserved regions of the HIV-1 RNA genome. The future in vivo application of such a gene therapy protocol will reach only a fraction of the T cells, such that HIV-1 replication will continue in the unmodified T cells, thereby possibly frustrating the therapy by generation of HIV-1 variants that escape from the inhibition imposed by the protected cells. We studied virus inhibition and evolution in pure cultures of shRNA-expressing cells versus mixed cell cultures of protected and unprotected T cells. The addition of the unprotected T cells indeed seems to accelerate HIV-1 evolution and escape from a single shRNA inhibitor. However, expression of three antiviral shRNAs from a single lentiviral vector prevents virus escape even in the presence of unprotected cells. These results support the idea to validate the therapeutic potential of this anti-HIV approach in appropriate in vivo models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Herrera-Carrillo
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ying Poi Liu
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ben Berkhout
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Inhibition of hepatitis C virus in chimeric mice by short synthetic hairpin RNAs: sequence analysis of surviving virus shows added selective pressure of combination therapy. J Virol 2014; 88:4647-56. [PMID: 24478422 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00105-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED We have recently shown that a cocktail of two short synthetic hairpin RNAs (sshRNAs), targeting the internal ribosome entry site of hepatitis C virus (HCV) formulated with lipid nanoparticles, was able to suppress viral replication in chimeric mice infected with HCV GT1a by up to 2.5 log10 (H. Ma et al., Gastroenterology 146:63-66.e5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2013.09.049) Viral load remained about 1 log10 below pretreatment levels 21 days after the end of dosing. We have now sequenced the HCV viral RNA amplified from serum of treated mice after the 21-day follow-up period. Viral RNA from the HCV sshRNA-treated groups was altered in sequences complementary to the sshRNAs and nowhere else in the 500-nucleotide sequenced region, while the viruses from the control group that received an irrelevant sshRNA had no mutations in that region. The ability of the most commonly selected mutations to confer resistance to the sshRNAs was confirmed in vitro by introducing those mutations into HCV-luciferase reporters. The mutations most frequently selected by sshRNA treatment within the sshRNA target sequence occurred at the most polymorphic residues, as identified from an analysis of available clinical isolates. These results demonstrate a direct antiviral activity with effective HCV suppression, demonstrate the added selective pressure of combination therapy, and confirm an RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism of action. IMPORTANCE This study presents a detailed analysis of the impact of treating a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected animal with synthetic hairpin-shaped RNAs that can degrade the virus's RNA genome. These RNAs can reduce the viral load in these animals by over 99% after 1 to 2 injections. The study results confirm that the viral rebound that often occurred a few weeks after treatment is due to emergence of a virus whose genome is mutated in the sequences targeted by the RNAs. The use of two RNA inhibitors, which is more effective than use of either one by itself, requires that any resistant virus have mutations in the targets sites of both agents, a higher hurdle, if the virus is to retain the ability to replicate efficiently. These results demonstrate a direct antiviral activity with effective HCV suppression, demonstrate the added selective pressure of combination therapy, and confirm an RNAi mechanism of action.
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