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Cheng X, Joseph A, Castro V, Chen-Liaw A, Skidmore Z, Ueno T, Fujisawa JI, Rauch DA, Challen GA, Martinez MP, Green P, Griffith M, Payton JE, Edwards JR, Ratner L. Epigenomic regulation of human T-cell leukemia virus by chromatin-insulator CTCF. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009577. [PMID: 34019588 PMCID: PMC8174705 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that causes an aggressive T-cell malignancy and a variety of inflammatory conditions. The integrated provirus includes a single binding site for the epigenomic insulator, CCCTC-binding protein (CTCF), but its function remains unclear. In the current study, a mutant virus was examined that eliminates the CTCF-binding site. The mutation did not disrupt the kinetics and levels of virus gene expression, or establishment of or reactivation from latency. However, the mutation disrupted the epigenetic barrier function, resulting in enhanced DNA CpG methylation downstream of the CTCF binding site on both strands of the integrated provirus and H3K4Me3, H3K36Me3, and H3K27Me3 chromatin modifications both up- and downstream of the site. A majority of clonal cell lines infected with wild type HTLV-1 exhibited increased plus strand gene expression with CTCF knockdown, while expression in mutant HTLV-1 clonal lines was unaffected. These findings indicate that CTCF binding regulates HTLV-1 gene expression, DNA and histone methylation in an integration site dependent fashion. Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a cause of leukemia and lymphoma as well as several inflammatory medical disorders. The virus integrates in the host cell DNA, and it has a single binding site for a protein designated CTCF. This protein is important in the regulation of many DNA viruses, as well as many properties of normal and malignant cells. In order to define the role of CTCF binding to HTLV, we analyzed a mutant virus lacking the binding site. We found that this mutation variably affected gene expression, DNA and histone modification, suggesting a key role in regulation of virus replication in infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaogang Cheng
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Ancy Joseph
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Victor Castro
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Alice Chen-Liaw
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Zachary Skidmore
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Takaharu Ueno
- Department of Microbiology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Daniel A. Rauch
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Grant A. Challen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Michael P. Martinez
- Center for Retrovirus Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Patrick Green
- Center for Retrovirus Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline E. Payton
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - John R. Edwards
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Phamacogenomics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Lee Ratner
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Afonso PV, Cassar O, Gessain A. Molecular epidemiology, genetic variability and evolution of HTLV-1 with special emphasis on African genotypes. Retrovirology 2019; 16:39. [PMID: 31842895 PMCID: PMC6916231 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-019-0504-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1) is an oncoretrovirus that infects at least 10 million people worldwide. HTLV-1 exhibits a remarkable genetic stability, however, viral strains have been classified in several genotypes and subgroups, which often mirror the geographic origin of the viral strain. The Cosmopolitan genotype HTLV-1a, can be subdivided into geographically related subgroups, e.g. Transcontinental (a-TC), Japanese (a-Jpn), West-African (a-WA), North-African (a-NA), and Senegalese (a-Sen). Within each subgroup, the genetic diversity is low. Genotype HTLV-1b is found in Central Africa; it is the major genotype in Gabon, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo. While strains from the HTLV-1d genotype represent only a few percent of the strains present in Central African countries, genotypes -e, -f, and -g have been only reported sporadically in particular in Cameroon Gabon, and Central African Republic. HTLV-1c genotype, which is found exclusively in Australo-Melanesia, is the most divergent genotype. This reflects an ancient speciation, with a long period of isolation of the infected populations in the different islands of this region (Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu archipelago). Until now, no viral genotype or subgroup is associated with a specific HTLV-1-associated disease. HTLV-1 originates from a simian reservoir (STLV-1); it derives from interspecies zoonotic transmission from non-human primates to humans (ancient or recent). In this review, we describe the genetic diversity of HTLV-1, and analyze the molecular mechanisms that are at play in HTLV-1 evolution. Similar to other retroviruses, HTLV-1 evolves either through accumulation of point mutations or recombination. Molecular studies point to a fairly low evolution rate of HTLV-1 (between 5.6E−7 and 1.5E−6 substitutions/site/year), supposedly because the virus persists within the host via clonal expansion (instead of new infectious cycles that use reverse transcriptase).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe V Afonso
- Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, CRNS-UMR 3569, Département de Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Bâtiment Lwoff, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris cedex 15, France.
| | - Olivier Cassar
- Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, CRNS-UMR 3569, Département de Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Bâtiment Lwoff, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris cedex 15, France
| | - Antoine Gessain
- Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, CRNS-UMR 3569, Département de Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Bâtiment Lwoff, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris cedex 15, France.
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Afonso PV, Fagrouch Z, Deijs M, Niphuis H, Bogers W, Gessain A, van der Hoek L, Verschoor EJ. Absence of accessory genes in a divergent simian T-lymphotropic virus type 1 isolated from a bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata). PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007521. [PMID: 31283766 PMCID: PMC6638983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Primate T-lymphotropic viruses type 1 (PTLV-1) are complex retroviruses infecting both human (HTLV-1) and simian (STLV-1) hosts. They share common epidemiological, clinical and molecular features. In addition to the canonical gag, pol, env retroviral genes, PTLV-1 purportedly encodes regulatory (i.e. Tax, Rex, and HBZ) and accessory proteins (i.e. P12/8, P13, P30). The latter have been found essential for viral persistence in vivo. Methodology/Principal findings We have isolated a STLV-1 virus from a bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata–Mra18C9), a monkey from India. The complete sequence was obtained and phylogenetic analyses were performed. The Mra18C9 strain is highly divergent from the known PTLV-1 strains. Intriguingly, the Mra18C9 lacks the 3 accessory open reading frames. In order to determine if the absence of accessory proteins is specific to this particular strain, a comprehensive analysis of the complete PTLV-1 genomes available in Genbank was performed and found that the lack of one or many accessory ORF is common among PTLV-1. Conclusion This study raises many questions regarding the actual nature, role and importance of accessory proteins in the PTLV-1 biology. Primate T-lymphotropic viruses type 1 (PTLV-1) are complex retroviruses infecting both human (HTLV-1) and simian (STLV-1) hosts. It has been shown that the persistence and pathogenesis of these viruses depend on the expression of small, accessory proteins. A bonnet macaque (a monkey present in India) was found infected with STLV-1. The genome was sequenced and found quite divergent from the other STLV-1 genomes previously described. Intriguingly, this virus does not encode accessory proteins. Analysis of other available sequences found that most strains lack at least one accessory gene. Thus the importance and the role of these proteins in the PTLV-1 biology should be revisited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe V. Afonso
- Unité EPVO, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569 CNRS, Paris, France
- * E-mail: (PVA); (EJV)
| | - Zahra Fagrouch
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | - Martin Deijs
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University Of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Henk Niphuis
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | - Willy Bogers
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | | | - Lia van der Hoek
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University Of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ernst J. Verschoor
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, the Netherlands
- * E-mail: (PVA); (EJV)
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