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Izquierdo-Pujol J, Puertas MC, Martinez-Picado J, Morón-López S. Targeting Viral Transcription for HIV Cure Strategies. Microorganisms 2024; 12:752. [PMID: 38674696 PMCID: PMC11052381 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppresses viral replication to undetectable levels, reduces mortality and morbidity, and improves the quality of life of people living with HIV (PWH). However, ART cannot cure HIV infection because it is unable to eliminate latently infected cells. HIV latency may be regulated by different HIV transcription mechanisms, such as blocks to initiation, elongation, and post-transcriptional processes. Several latency-reversing (LRA) and -promoting agents (LPA) have been investigated in clinical trials aiming to eliminate or reduce the HIV reservoir. However, none of these trials has shown a conclusive impact on the HIV reservoir. Here, we review the cellular and viral factors that regulate HIV-1 transcription, the potential pharmacological targets and genetic and epigenetic editing techniques that have been or might be evaluated to disrupt HIV-1 latency, the role of miRNA in post-transcriptional regulation of HIV-1, and the differences between the mechanisms regulating HIV-1 and HIV-2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Izquierdo-Pujol
- IrsiCaixa, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (J.I.-P.); (M.C.P.); (J.M.-P.)
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), 08916 Badalona, Spain
| | - Maria C. Puertas
- IrsiCaixa, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (J.I.-P.); (M.C.P.); (J.M.-P.)
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), 08916 Badalona, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Martinez-Picado
- IrsiCaixa, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (J.I.-P.); (M.C.P.); (J.M.-P.)
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), 08916 Badalona, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunity, School of Medicine, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Morón-López
- IrsiCaixa, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (J.I.-P.); (M.C.P.); (J.M.-P.)
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), 08916 Badalona, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Smith LM, Ladner JT, Hodara VL, Parodi LM, Harris RA, Callery JE, Lai Z, Zou Y, Raveedran M, Rogers J, Giavedoni LD. Multiplexed Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific Paired RNA-Guided Cas9 Nickases Inactivate Proviral DNA. J Virol 2021; 95:e0088221. [PMID: 34549979 PMCID: PMC8577357 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00882-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV and SIV) infections establish lifelong reservoirs of cells harboring an integrated proviral genome. Genome editing CRISPR-associated Cas9 nucleases, combined with SIV-specific guiding RNA (gRNA) molecules, inactivate integrated provirus DNA in vitro and in animal models. We generated RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases (RGNu) and nickases (RGNi) targeting conserved SIV regions with no homology in the human or rhesus macaque genome. Assays in cells cotransfected with SIV provirus and plasmids coding for RGNus identified SIV long terminal repeat (LTR), trans-activation response (TAR) element, and ribosome slip site (RSS) regions as the most effective at virus suppression; RGNi targeting these regions inhibited virus production significantly. Multiplex plasmids that coexpressed these three RGNu (Nu3), or six (three pairs) RGNi (Ni6), were more efficient at virus suppression than any combination of individual RGNu and RGNi plasmids. Both Nu3 and Ni6 plasmids were tested in lymphoid cells chronically infected with SIVmac239, and whole-genome sequencing was used to determine on- and off-target mutations. Treatment with these all-in-one plasmids resulted in similar levels of mutations of viral sequences from the cellular genome; Nu3 induced indels at the 3 SIV-specific sites, whereas for Ni6 indels were present at the LTR and TAR sites. Levels of off-target effects detected by two different algorithms were indistinguishable from background mutations. In summary, we demonstrate that Cas9 nickase in association with gRNA pairs can specifically eliminate parts of the integrated provirus DNA; also, we show that careful design of an all-in-one plasmid coding for 3 gRNAs and Cas9 nuclease inhibits SIV production with undetectable off-target mutations, making these tools a desirable prospect for moving into animal studies. IMPORTANCE Our approach to HIV cure, utilizing the translatable SIV/rhesus macaque model system, aims at provirus inactivation and its removal with the least possible off-target side effects. We developed single molecules that delivered either three truncated SIV-specific gRNAs along with Cas9 nuclease or three pairs of SIV-specific gRNAs (six individual gRNAs) along with Cas9 nickase to enhance efficacy of on-target mutagenesis. Whole-genome sequencing demonstrated effective SIV sequence mutation and inactivation and the absence of demonstrable off-target mutations. These results open the possibility to employ Cas9 variants that introduce single-strand DNA breaks to eliminate integrated proviral DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Smith
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Program and Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Jason T. Ladner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Vida L. Hodara
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Program and Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Laura M. Parodi
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Program and Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - R. Alan Harris
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jessica E. Callery
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Program and Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Zhao Lai
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Yi Zou
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Muthuswamy Raveedran
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jeffrey Rogers
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Luis D. Giavedoni
- Host-Pathogen Interactions Program and Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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