HyperPack: a software package for the study of levels, contexts, and patterns of APOBEC-mediated hypermutation in HIV

In vivo HIV-1 hypermutation and viral loads among antiretroviral-naive Brazilian patients

Hypermutation alludes to an excessive number of specific guanine-to-adenine (G- >A) substitutions in proviral DNA and this phenomenon is attributed to the catalytic activity of cellular APOBECs. Population studies relating hypermutation and the progression of infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) have been performed to elucidate the effect of hypermutation on the natural course of HIV-1 infection. However, the many different approaches employed to assess hypermutation in nucleotide sequences render the comparison of results difficult. This study selected 157 treatment-naive patients and sought to correlate the hypermutation level of the proviral sequences in clinical samples with demographic variables, HIV-1 RNA viral load, and the level of CD4(+) T cells. Nested touchdown polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with specific primers to detect hypermutation in the region of HIV-1 integrase, and the amplified sequences were run in agarose gels with HA-Yellow. The analysis of gel migration patterns using the k-means clustering method was validated by its agreement with the results obtained with the software Hypermut. Hypermutation was found in 31.2% of the investigated samples, and a correlation was observed between higher hypermutation levels and higher viral load levels. These findings suggest a high frequency of hypermutation detection in a Brazilian cohort, which can reflect a particular characteristic of this population, but also can result from the method approach by aiming at hypermutation-sensitive sites. Furthermore, we found that hypermutation events are pervasive during HIV-1 infection as a consequence of high viral replication, reflecting its role during disease progression.

A novel Bayesian method for detection of APOBEC3-mediated hypermutation and its application to zoonotic transmission of simian foamy viruses

Simian Foamy Virus (SFV) can be transmitted from non-human primates (NHP) to humans. However, there are no documented cases of human to human transmission, and significant differences exist between infection in NHP and human hosts. The mechanism for these between-host differences is not completely understood. In this paper we develop a new Bayesian approach to the detection of APOBEC3-mediated hypermutation, and use it to compare SFV sequences from human and NHP hosts living in close proximity in Bangladesh. We find that human APOBEC3G can induce genetic changes that may prevent SFV replication in infected humans in vivo.

APOBEC3G cytosine deamination hotspots are defined by both sequence context and single-stranded DNA secondary structure

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing, enzyme-catalytic, polypeptide-like 3G (i.e., APOBEC3G or A3G) is an evolutionarily conserved cytosine deaminase that potently restricts human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), retrotransposons and other viruses. A3G has a nucleotide target site specificity for cytosine dinucleotides, though only certain cytosine dinucleotides are ‘hotspots’ for cytosine deamination, and others experience little or no editing by A3G. The factors that define these critical A3G hotspots are not fully understood. To investigate how A3G hotspots are defined, we used an in vitro fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based oligonucleotide assay to probe the site specificity of A3G. Our findings strongly suggest that the target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) secondary structure as well as the bases directly 3′ and 5′ of the cytosine dinucleotide are critically important A3G recognition. For instance, A3G cannot readily deaminate a cytosine dinucleotide in ssDNA stem structures or in nucleotide base loops composed of three bases. Single-stranded nucleotide loops up to seven bases in length were poor targets for A3G activity unless cytosine residues flanked the cytosine dinucleotide. Furthermore, we observed that A3G favors adenines, cytosines and thymines flanking the cytosine dinucleotide target in unstructured regions of ssDNA. Low cytosine deaminase activity was detected when guanines flanked the cytosine dinucleotide. Taken together, our findings provide the first demonstration that A3G cytosine deamination hotspots are defined by both the sequence context of the cytosine dinucleotide target as well as the ssDNA secondary structure. This knowledge can be used to better trace the origins of mutations to A3G activity, and illuminate its impact on processes such as HIV-1 genetic variation.

APOBEC3G expression and hypermutation are inversely associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) burden in vivo

APOBEC3G (A3G) and APOBEC3F (A3F) reduce Vif-negative HIV-1 provirus formation and cause disabling provirus G-to-A hypermutation in vitro. However, evidence conflicts about whether they negatively impact Vif-positive HIV-1, or only enhance virus genetic diversity, in vivo. We studied peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 19 antiretroviral-naïve, HIV-infected adults: 12 long-term non-progressors (LTNP) and 7 non-controllers (NC). Cells from LTNP had higher A3G and A3F mRNA levels, lower provirus burden, and more A3G-hypermutated positions in provirus sequence than cells from NC. A3G mRNA level was directly associated with its Hypermutation Index (HI) and inversely associated with provirus burden. Plasma HIV-1 RNA levels were inversely associated with A3G expression levels and with HI only among subjects who had HI>1. A3G HI was not associated with provirus burden. These results indicate that A3G deaminase-dependent activity above a threshold level, and its deaminase-independent functions, contribute to decreasing Vif-positive virus replication in vivo.

Profound differences in virus population genetics correspond to protection from CD4 decline resulting from feline lentivirus coinfection

CD4 decline is a hallmark of disease onset in individuals infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1). Cats that are infected with a poorly replicating, apathogenic FIV (PLV) prior to exposure to a virulent FIV strain (FIVC) maintain CD4 numbers by mechanisms that are not correlated with a measurable adaptive immune response or reduction in circulating viral load. We employed population genetic approaches based on the 3′ portion of the viral genome to estimate the population structure of FIVC from single and dual infected cats. In dual infected cats, FIVC effective population size was decreased during the initial viral expansion phase, and after three weeks of infection, the population declined sharply. The FIVC population recovered to pre-bottleneck levels approximately seven weeks post-FIVC infection. However, the population emerging from the bottleneck in dual infected cats was distinct based on estimates of temporal population structure and substitution profiles. The transition to transversion rate ratio (κ) increased from early to late phases in dual infected cats due primarily to a decrease in transversions whereas in single infected cats, κ declined over time. Although one clone with extensive G to A substitutions, indicative of host cytidine deaminase editing, was recovered from a dual infected cat during the bottleneck, the post bottleneck population had an overall reduction in G to A substitutions. These data are consistent with a model of PLV-induced host restriction, putatively involving host DNA editing, that alters the dynamics of FIVC throughout the course of infection leading to disease attenuation.

A classification model for G-to-A hypermutation in hepatitis B virus ultra-deep pyrosequencing reads

MOTIVATION

G → A hypermutation is an innate antiviral defense mechanism, mediated by host enzymes, which leads to the mutational impairment of viruses. Sensitive and specific identification of host-mediated G → A hypermutation is a novel sequence analysis challenge, particularly for viral deep sequencing studies. For example, two of the most common hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) drug-resistance mutations, A181T and M204I, arise from G → A changes and are routinely detected as low-abundance variants in nearly all HBV deep sequencing samples.

RESULTS

We developed a classification model using measures of G → A excess and predicted indicators of lethal mutation and applied this model to 325 920 unique deep sequencing reads from plasma virus samples from 45 drug treatment-naïve HBV-infected individuals. The 2.9% of sequence reads that were classified as hypermutated by our model included most of the reads with A181T and/or M204I, indicating the usefulness of this model for distinguishing viral adaptive changes from host-mediated viral editing.

AVAILABILITY

Source code and sequence data are available at http://hivdb.stanford.edu/pages/resources.html.

CONTACT

ereuman@stanfordalumni.org

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

G to A hypermutation of TT virus

APOBEC3 proteins function as part of innate antiviral immunity and induce G to A hypermutation in retroviruses and hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes. Whether APOBEC3 proteins affect viruses that replicate without a reverse transcription step is unknown. TT virus (TTV), known to present in serum of healthy individuals and HBV carriers, has a single-stranded circular DNA genome and replicates without reverse transcription. In this study, we examined 67 blood samples obtained from healthy individuals and HBV carriers and observed G to A hypermutation of genomes of TTV in both healthy individuals and HBV carriers. During ALT flare-up in HBV carriers, G to A hypermutation of HBV increased, but TTV genomes significantly decreased in number and hypermutated TTV genomes became undetectable. Our results show that hypermutated TTV exist in healthy individuals and HBV carriers and that TTV genomes were susceptible to immune reaction directed to HBV by interacting with APOBEC3 proteins.

Conserved footprints of APOBEC3G on Hypermutated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K(HML2) sequences

The human polynucleotide cytidine deaminases APOBEC3G (hA3G) and APOBEC3F (hA3F) are antiviral restriction factors capable of inducing extensive plus-strand guanine-to-adenine (G-to-A) hypermutation in a variety of retroviruses and retroelements, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). They differ in target specificity, favoring plus-strand 5'GG and 5'GA dinucleotide motifs, respectively. To characterize their mutational preferences in detail, we analyzed single-copy, near-full-length HIV-1 proviruses which had been hypermutated in vitro by hA3G or hA3F. hA3-induced G-to-A mutation rates were significantly influenced by the wider sequence context of the target G. Moreover, hA3G, and to a lesser extent hA3F, displayed clear tetranucleotide preference hierarchies, irrespective of the genomic region examined and overall hypermutation rate. We similarly analyzed patient-derived hypermutated HIV-1 genomes using a new method for estimating reference sequences. The majority of these, regardless of subtype, carried signatures of hypermutation that strongly correlated with those induced in vitro by hA3G. Analysis of genome-wide hA3-induced mutational profiles confirmed that hypermutation levels were reduced downstream of the polypurine tracts. Additionally, while hA3G mutations were found throughout the genome, hA3F often intensely mutated shorter regions, the locations of which varied between proviruses. We extended our analysis to human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) from the HERV-K(HML2) family, finding two elements that carried clear footprints of hA3G activity. This constitutes the most direct evidence to date for hA3G activity in the context of natural HERV infections, demonstrating the involvement of this restriction factor in defense against retroviral attacks over millions of years of human evolution.

Variable contexts and levels of hypermutation in HIV-1 proviral genomes recovered from primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells

APOBEC-mediated cytidine deamination of HIV-1 genomes during reverse transcription has been shown to be a potent mechanism of host restriction for HIV-1 infection ex vivo and in vitro. However, this defense system can be overcome by the viral protein Vif. Unlike other mechanisms of host restriction, the APOCEC-Vif interaction leaves an imprint on integrated proviruses in the form of G-->A hypermutation. In the current work we systematically studied levels, contexts, and patterns of HIV-1 hypermutation in vivo. The analysis of 24 full-genome HIV-1 sequences retrieved from primary PBMCs, representing infections with several HIV-1 clades, and the inclusion of 7 cognate pairs of hypermutated/non-hypermutated sequences derived from the same patient sample, provided a comprehensive view of the characteristics of APOBEC-mediated restriction in vivo. Levels of hypermutation varied nearly 5-fold among the studied proviruses. GpG motifs were most frequently affected (22/24 proviruses). Levels of hypermutation varied across the genome. The reported "twin peak" pattern of hypermutation was observed in 18/24 hypermutants, but the remainder exhibited singular non-conforming patterns. These data suggest considerable complexity in the interplay of host restriction and viral defense during HIV-1 infection.