Palmitoylation and p8-mediated human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 transmission

BURNS INDUCE ALTERATIONS IN THE ACYL PROTEOME OF MICE AND HUMANS

ABSTRACT

Hypermetabolic reprogramming triggered by thermal injury causes substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite the therapeutic potential of targeting this response, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Interestingly, protein S-acylation is a reversible posttranslational modification induced by metabolic alterations via DHHC acyltransferases. While this modification aids in the regulation of cellular functions, deregulated S-acylation contributes to various diseases by altering protein structure, stability, and localization. However, whether and how S-acylation may impact morbidity and mortality during postburn hypermetabolism is unknown. In this study, we discovered that alterations in the acyl proteome play a key role in mediating adverse outcomes that occur after burn injury. Using a murine model, we show that burn injury induces profound changes in the expression of various DHHC isoforms in metabolic organs central to regulating postburn hypermetabolism, the adipose tissue, and liver. This was accompanied by increased levels of S-acylated proteins in several pathways involved in mediating the adverse hypermetabolic response, including ER stress, lipolysis, and browning. In fact, similar results were also observed in adipose tissue from severely burned patients, as reflected by increased S-acylation of ERK1/2, eIF2a, ATGL, FGF21, and UCP1 relative to nonburn controls. Importantly, pharmacologically targeting this posttranslational modification using a nonselective DHHC inhibitor effectively attenuated burn-induced ER stress, lipolysis, and browning induction in an ex vivo explant model. Together, these findings suggest that S-acylation may facilitate the protein activation profile that drives burn-induced hypermetabolism and that targeting it could potentially be an effective strategy to restore metabolic function and improve outcomes after injury.

Transfer of HTLV-1 p8 and Gag to target T-cells depends on VASP, a novel interaction partner of p8

The Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) orf I-encoded accessory protein p8 is cleaved from its precursor p12, and both proteins contribute to viral persistence. p8 induces cellular protrusions, which are thought to facilitate transfer of p8 to target cells and virus transmission. Host factors interacting with p8 and mediating p8 transfer are unknown. Here, we report that vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), which promotes actin filament elongation, is a novel interaction partner of p8 and important for p8 and HTLV-1 Gag cell-to-cell transfer. VASP contains an Ena/VASP homology 1 (EVH1) domain that targets the protein to focal adhesions. Bioinformatics identified a short stretch in p8 (amino acids (aa) 24–45) which may mediate interactions with the EVH1 domain of VASP. Co-immunoprecipitations confirmed interactions of VASP:p8 in 293T, Jurkat and HTLV-1-infected MT-2 cells. Co-precipitation of VASP:p8 could be significantly blocked by peptides mimicking aa 26–37 of p8. Mutational studies revealed that the EVH1-domain of VASP is necessary, but not sufficient for the interaction with p8. Further, deletion of the VASP G- and F-actin binding domains significantly diminished co-precipitation of p8. Imaging identified areas of partial co-localization of VASP with p8 at the plasma membrane and in protrusive structures, which was confirmed by proximity ligation assays. Co-culture experiments revealed that p8 is transferred between Jurkat T-cells via VASP-containing conduits. Imaging and flow cytometry revealed that repression of both endogenous and overexpressed VASP by RNA interference or by CRISPR/Cas9 reduced p8 transfer to the cell surface and to target Jurkat T-cells. Stable repression of VASP by RNA interference in chronically infected MT-2 cells impaired both p8 and HTLV-1 Gag transfer to target Jurkat T-cells, while virus release was unaffected. Thus, we identified VASP as a novel interaction partner of p8, which is important for transfer of HTLV-1 p8 and Gag to target T-cells.

The delta-retrovirus Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 encodes the accessory protein p8, which is generated by proteolytic cleavage from p12. Earlier work has shown that p8 enhances the formation of cellular conduits between T-cells, is transferred through these conduits to target T-cells and increases HTLV-1 transmission. It was suggested that p8 dampens T-cell responses in target T-cells, thus facilitating HTLV-1 infection. Our work sheds light on the mechanism of p8 transfer to target T-cells. We show that vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), a novel interaction partner of p8, contributes to transfer of p8 to target T-cells. Mechanistically, VASP is crucial for recruitment of p8 to the cell surface. Since VASP is known to promote elongation of actin filaments by preventing them from capping, interactions of p8 with VASP are an elegant strategy to exploit the host cell machinery for being transported to the cell surface, and as a consequence, to other cells. Given that VASP is also important for cell-to-cell transfer of the HTLV-1 Gag protein, our work proposes that VASP is a new cellular target to counteract HTLV-1 cell-to-cell transmission.

Role of HTLV-1 orf-I encoded proteins in viral transmission and persistence

The human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTVL-1), first reported in 1980 by Robert Gallo's group, is the etiologic agent of both cancer and inflammatory diseases. Despite approximately 40 years of investigation, the prognosis for afflicted patients remains poor with no effective treatments. The virus persists in the infected host by evading the host immune response and inducing proliferation of infected CD4⁺ T-cells. Here, we will review the role that viral orf-I protein products play in altering intracellular signaling, protein expression and cell-cell communication in order to escape immune recognition and promote T-cell proliferation. We will also review studies of orf-I mutations found in infected patients and their potential impact on viral load, transmission and persistence. Finally, we will compare the orf-I gene in HTLV-1 subtypes as well as related STLV-1.

Non-Structural Proteins from Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 in Cellular Membranes-Mechanisms for Viral Survivability and Proliferation

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the causative agent of illnesses, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (a neurodegenerative disorder), and other diseases. Therefore, HTLV-1 infection is a serious public health concern. Currently, diseases caused by HTLV-1 cannot be prevented or cured. Hence, there is a pressing need to comprehensively understand the mechanisms of HTLV-1 infection and intervention in host cell physiology. HTLV-1-encoded non-structural proteins that reside and function in the cellular membranes are of particular interest, because they alter cellular components, signaling pathways, and transcriptional mechanisms. Summarized herein is the current knowledge about the functions of the membrane-associated p8^I, p12^I, and p13^II regulatory non-structural proteins. p12^I resides in endomembranes and interacts with host proteins on the pathways of signal transduction, thus preventing immune responses to the virus. p8^I is a proteolytic product of p12^I residing in the plasma membrane, where it contributes to T-cell deactivation and participates in cellular conduits, enhancing virus transmission. p13^II associates with the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it is proposed to function as a potassium channel. Potassium influx through p13^II in the matrix causes membrane depolarization and triggers processes that lead to either T-cell activation or cell death through apoptosis.

Quantitating the Transfer of the HTLV-1 p8 Protein Between T-Cells by Flow Cytometry

The Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-encoded accessory protein p8 is cleaved from the precursor protein p12 encoded by the HTLV-1 open reading frame I. Both p12 and p8 are thought to contribute to efficient viral persistence. Mechanistically, p8 induces T-cell conjugates and cellular conduits. The latter are considered to facilitate transfer of p8 to target cells and virus transmission. Transfer of p8 between p8-expressing T-cells and recipient cells has been analyzed by immunofluorescence and live imaging. However, automatic quantitation of p8-transfer between cells has not been studied yet. Here we developed a novel method allowing time saving quantitation of p8 transfer between cells by flow cytometry. After establishing a protocol for the detection of intracellular p8 by flow cytometry and validation of p8 protein expression by western blot and immunofluorescence, we set up a co-culture assay between p8-expressing donor Jurkat T-cells and recipient Jurkat T-cells that had been prestained with a well-retained live cell dye. Upon quantitating the amount of p8 positive recipient cells with regard to the percentage of p8 expressing donor cells, time course experiments confirmed that p8 is rapidly transferred between Jurkat T-cells. We found that p8 enters approximately 5% of recipient T-cells immediately upon co-culture for 5 min. Prolonged co-culture for up to 24 h revealed an increase of relative p8 transfer to approximately 23% of the recipient cells. Immunofluorescence analysis of co-culture experiments and manual quantitation of p8 expression in fluorescence images confirmed the validity of the flow cytometry based assay. Application of the new assay revealed that manipulation of actin polymerization significantly decreased p8 transfer between Jurkat T-cells suggesting an important role of actin dynamics contributing to p8 transfer. Further, transfer of p8 to co-cultured T-cells varies between different donor cell types since p8 transfer could hardly been detected in co-cultures of 293T donor cells with Jurkat acceptor cells. In summary, our novel assay allows automatic and rapid quantitation of p8 transfer to target cells and might thus contribute to a better understanding of cellular processes and dynamics regulating p8 transfer and HTLV-1 transmission.

Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Infection and Adult T-Cell Leukemia

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the first retrovirus discovered to cause adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), a highly aggressive blood cancer. HTLV-1 research in the past 35 years has been most revealing in the mechanisms of viral oncogenesis. HTLV-1 establishes a lifelong persistent infection in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes. The infection outcome is governed by host immunity. ATL develops in 2-5% of infected individuals 30-50 years after initial exposure. HTLV-1 encodes two oncoproteins Tax and HBZ, which are required for initiation of cellular transformation and maintenance of cell proliferation, respectively. HTLV-1 oncogenesis is driven by a clonal selection and expansion process during which both host and viral factors cooperate to impair genome stability, immune surveillance, and other mechanisms of tumor suppression. A better understanding of HTLV-1 biology and leukemogenesis will reveal new strategies and modalities for ATL prevention and treatment.

Molecular Mechanisms of HTLV-1 Cell-to-Cell Transmission

The tumorvirus human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a member of the delta-retrovirus family, is transmitted via cell-containing body fluids such as blood products, semen, and breast milk. In vivo, HTLV-1 preferentially infects CD4⁺ T-cells, and to a lesser extent, CD8⁺ T-cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes. Efficient infection of CD4⁺ T-cells requires cell-cell contacts while cell-free virus transmission is inefficient. Two types of cell-cell contacts have been described to be critical for HTLV-1 transmission, tight junctions and cellular conduits. Further, two non-exclusive mechanisms of virus transmission at cell-cell contacts have been proposed: (1) polarized budding of HTLV-1 into synaptic clefts; and (2) cell surface transfer of viral biofilms at virological synapses. In contrast to CD4⁺ T-cells, dendritic cells can be infected cell-free and, to a greater extent, via viral biofilms in vitro. Cell-to-cell transmission of HTLV-1 requires a coordinated action of steps in the virus infectious cycle with events in the cell-cell adhesion process; therefore, virus propagation from cell-to-cell depends on specific interactions between cellular and viral proteins. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms of HTLV-1 transmission with a focus on the HTLV-1-encoded proteins Tax and p8, their impact on host cell factors mediating cell-cell contacts, cytoskeletal remodeling, and thus, virus propagation.

Co-dependence of HTLV-1 p12 and p8 functions in virus persistence

HTLV-1 orf-I is linked to immune evasion, viral replication and persistence. Examining the orf-I sequence of 160 HTLV-1-infected individuals; we found polymorphism of orf-I that alters the relative amounts of p12 and its cleavage product p8. Three groups were identified on the basis of p12 and p8 expression: predominantly p12, predominantly p8 and balanced expression of p12 and p8. We found a significant association between balanced expression of p12 and p8 with high viral DNA loads, a correlate of disease development. To determine the individual roles of p12 and p8 in viral persistence, we constructed infectious molecular clones expressing p12 and p8 (D26), predominantly p12 (G29S) or predominantly p8 (N26). As we previously showed, cells expressing N26 had a higher level of virus transmission in vitro. However, when inoculated into Rhesus macaques, cells producing N26 virus caused only a partial seroconversion in 3 of 4 animals and only 1 of those animals was HTLV-1 DNA positive by PCR. None of the animals exposed to G29S virus seroconverted or had detectable viral DNA. In contrast, 3 of 4 animals exposed to D26 virus seroconverted and were HTLV-1 positive by PCR. In vitro studies in THP-1 cells suggested that expression of p8 was sufficient for productive infection of monocytes. Since orf-I plays a role in T-cell activation and recognition; we compared the CTL response elicited by CD4+ T-cells infected with the different HTLV-1 clones. Although supernatant p19 levels and viral DNA loads for all four infected lines were similar, a significant difference in Tax-specific HLA.A2-restricted killing was observed. Cells infected with Orf-I-knockout virus (12KO), G29S or N26 were killed by CTLs, whereas cells infected with D26 virus were resistant to CTL killing. These results indicate that efficient viral persistence and spread require the combined functions of p12 and p8.