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Chen M, Li M, Budai MM, Rice AP, Kimata JT, Mohan M, Wang J. Clearance of HIV-1 or SIV reservoirs by promotion of apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy: Targeting intracellular molecules in cure-directed strategies. J Leukoc Biol 2022; 112:1245-1259. [PMID: 35362118 PMCID: PMC9522917 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.4mr0222-606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The reservoirs of the HIV display cellular properties resembling long-lived immune memory cells that could be exploited for viral clearance. Our interest in developing a cure for HIV stems from the studies of immunologic memory against infections. We and others have found that long-lived immune memory cells employ prosurvival autophagy and antiapoptotic mechanisms to protect their longevity. Here, we describe the rationale for the development of an approach to clear HIV-1 by selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH). While reactivation of HIV-1 in the host cells with latency reversing agents (LRAs) induces viral gene expression leading to cell death, LRAs also simultaneously up-regulate prosurvival antiapoptotic molecules and autophagy. Mechanistically, transcription factors that promote HIV-1 LTR-directed gene expression, such as NF-κB, AP-1, and Hif-1α, can also enhance the expression of cellular genes essential for cell survival and metabolic regulation, including Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, and autophagy genes. In the SECH approach, we inhibit the prosurvival antiapoptotic molecules and autophagy induced by LRAs, thereby allowing maximum killing of host cells by the induced HIV-1 proteins. SECH treatments cleared HIV-1 infections in humanized mice in vivo and in HIV-1 patient PBMCs ex vivo. SECH also cleared infections by the SIV in rhesus macaque PBMCs ex vivo. Research efforts are underway to improve the efficacy and safety of SECH and to facilitate the development of SECH as a therapeutic approach for treating people with HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Min Li
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marietta M. Budai
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew P. Rice
- Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jason T. Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mahesh Mohan
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Jin Wang
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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Koofhethile CK, Moyo S, Kotokwe KP, Chang C, Mokgethi P, Muchoba L, Mokgweetsi S, Makhema J, Lockman S, Gaseitsiwe S, de Oliveira T, Essex M, Shapiro R, Kanki P, Novitsky V. Detection of Inducible Replication-Competent HIV-1 Subtype C Provirus Despite Long-Term Antiretroviral Treatment in Perinatally Infected Adolescents in Botswana. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2021; 37:16-23. [PMID: 32935556 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2020.0097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses HIV replication, the latent reservoir remains the barrier to HIV eradication. It remains unknown whether long-term ART impacts levels of inducible replication-competent provirus. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the proviral reservoir in HIV-1 perinatally infected adolescents having received ART for >13 years. We recruited 15 vertically infected adolescents living with HIV in Botswana. Historical viral load, CD4+ T cell count, and treatment data were retrieved from their outpatient medical records. Inducible replication-competent proviruses from cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells were quantified using a TZM-bl based assay (TZA). Total proviral DNA copies were quantified using droplet digital PCR. The mean age of study participants was 16 years (standard deviation = 0.7) and median CD4+ T cell count at enrollment was 784 [interquartile range (IQR) = 728.8-1,288] cells/mm3. Median age at ART initiation was 8 (IQR = 6-12) months. Fourteen (93%) participants had HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/mL at the time of enrollment in the study. A median of 19 (IQR = 18-27) HIV-1 RNA measurements were available per participant. Six (40%) participants displayed viral suppression at all clinic visits since initiating ART, whereas the remaining 9 (60%) had one or more clinic visits with detectable HIV-1 RNA. The median inducible replication-competent provirus count was 7.4 infectious units per million cells (IQR = 6.7-19.2), and did not differ significantly by either complete or incomplete viral suppression (7.2 vs. 7.4, p = .86), or by age at ART initiation (7.4 if <12 months, 11.2 if >12 months, p = .85). The median total HIV DNA count was 129.1 copies per million cells (IQR = 18.9-212.3). Our data suggest that long-term ART initiated within the 1st year in perinatally infected infants did not eliminate proviral DNA or inducible replication-competent proviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine K. Koofhethile
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sikhulile Moyo
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Charlotte Chang
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Lorato Muchoba
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | - Joseph Makhema
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shahin Lockman
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Simani Gaseitsiwe
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tulio de Oliveira
- College of Health Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Durban, South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), UKZN, Durban, South Africa
| | - M. Essex
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Roger Shapiro
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Phyllis Kanki
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vladimir Novitsky
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Li M, Liu W, Bauch T, Graviss EA, Arduino RC, Kimata JT, Chen M, Wang J. Clearance of HIV infection by selective elimination of host cells capable of producing HIV. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4051. [PMID: 32792548 PMCID: PMC7426846 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17753-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA genome of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is reverse-transcribed into DNA and integrated into the host genome, resulting in latent infections that are difficult to clear. Here we show an approach to eradicate HIV infections by selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH), which includes viral reactivation, induction of cell death, inhibition of autophagy and the blocking of new infections. Viral reactivation triggers cell death specifically in HIV-1-infected T cells, which is promoted by agents that induce apoptosis and inhibit autophagy. SECH treatments can clear HIV-1 in >50% mice reconstituted with a human immune system, as demonstrated by the lack of viral rebound after withdrawal of treatments, and by adoptive transfer of treated lymphocytes into uninfected humanized mice. Moreover, SECH clears HIV-1 in blood samples from HIV-1-infected patients. Our results suggest a strategy to eradicate HIV infections by selectively eliminating host cells capable of producing HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Tonya Bauch
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Edward A Graviss
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Roberto C Arduino
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jason T Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jin Wang
- Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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Su H, Sravanam S, Gorantla S, Kaminski R, Khalili K, Poluektova L, Gendelman HE, Dash PK. Amplification of Replication Competent HIV-1 by Adoptive Transfer of Human Cells From Infected Humanized Mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:38. [PMID: 32117811 PMCID: PMC7026001 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of latent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in "putative" infectious reservoirs is required for determining treatment efficiency and for viral elimination strategies. Such tests require induction of replication competent provirus and quantitative testing of viral load for validation. Recently, humanized mice were employed in the development of such tests by employing a murine viral outgrowth assay (mVOA). Here blood cells were recovered from virus infected antiretroviral therapy suppressed patients. These cells were adoptively transferred to uninfected humanized mice where replication competent virus was recovered. Prior reports supported the notion that an mVOA assay provides greater sensitivity than cell culture-based quantitative VOA tests for detection of latent virus. In the current study, the mVOA assays was adapted using donor human hematopoietic stem cells-reconstituted mice to affirm research into HIV-1 elimination. We simulated an antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated virus-infected human by maintaining the infected humanized mice under suppressive treatment. This was operative prior to human cell adoptive transfers. Replication-competent HIV-1 was easily detected in recipient animals from donors with undetectable virus in plasma. Moreover, when the assay was used to investigate viral presence in tissue reservoirs, quantitative endpoints were determined in "putative" viral reservoirs not possible in human sample analyses. We conclude that adoptive transfer of cells between humanized mice is a sensitive and specific assay system for detection of replication competent latent HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Su
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Sruthi Sravanam
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Santhi Gorantla
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Rafal Kaminski
- Department of Neuroscience, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kamel Khalili
- Department of Neuroscience, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Larisa Poluektova
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Howard E. Gendelman
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Neurovirology, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Prasanta K. Dash
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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Samal J, Kelly S, Na-Shatal A, Elhakiem A, Das A, Ding M, Sanyal A, Gupta P, Melody K, Roland B, Ahmed W, Zakir A, Bility M. Human immunodeficiency virus infection induces lymphoid fibrosis in the BM-liver-thymus-spleen humanized mouse model. JCI Insight 2018; 3:120430. [PMID: 30232273 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.120430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A major pathogenic feature associated with HIV infection is lymphoid fibrosis, which persists during antiretroviral therapy (ART). Lymphoid tissues play critical roles in the generation of antigen-specific immune response, and fibrosis disrupts the stromal network of lymphoid tissues, resulting in impaired immune cell trafficking and function, as well as immunodeficiency. Developing an animal model for investigating the impact of HIV infection-induced lymphoid tissue fibrosis on immunodeficiency and immune cell impairment is critical for therapeutics development and clinical translation. Said model will enable in vivo mechanistic studies, thus complementing the well-established surrogate model of SIV infection-induced lymphoid tissue fibrosis in macaques. We developed a potentially novel human immune system-humanized mouse model by coengrafting autologous fetal thymus, spleen, and liver organoids under the kidney capsule, along with i.v. injection of autologous fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cells, thus termed the BM-liver-thymus-spleen (BLTS) humanized mouse model. BLTS humanized mouse model supports development of human immune cells and human lymphoid organoids (human thymus and spleen organoids). HIV infection in BLTS humanized mice results in progressive fibrosis in human lymphoid tissues, which was associated with immunodeficiency in the lymphoid tissues, and lymphoid tissue fibrosis persists during ART, thus recapitulating clinical outcomes.
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