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Apetroaei MM, Velescu BȘ, Nedea MI(I, Dinu-Pîrvu CE, Drăgănescu D, Fâcă AI, Udeanu DI, Arsene AL. The Phenomenon of Antiretroviral Drug Resistance in the Context of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Treatment: Dynamic and Ever Evolving Subject Matter. Biomedicines 2024; 12:915. [PMID: 38672269 PMCID: PMC11048092 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a significant global health issue that affects a substantial number of individuals across the globe, with a total of 39 million individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ART has resulted in a reduction in HIV-related mortality. Nevertheless, the issue of medication resistance is a significant obstacle in the management of HIV/AIDS. The unique genetic composition of HIV enables it to undergo rapid mutations and adapt, leading to the emergence of drug-resistant forms. The development of drug resistance can be attributed to various circumstances, including noncompliance with treatment regimens, insufficient dosage, interactions between drugs, viral mutations, preexposure prophylactics, and transmission from mother to child. It is therefore essential to comprehend the molecular components of HIV and the mechanisms of antiretroviral medications to devise efficacious treatment options for HIV/AIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miruna-Maria Apetroaei
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
| | - Bruno Ștefan Velescu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
| | - Marina Ionela (Ilie) Nedea
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
| | - Cristina Elena Dinu-Pîrvu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
| | - Doina Drăgănescu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
| | - Anca Ionela Fâcă
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
- Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumophthisiology, 90 Viilor Street, 050159 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Denisa Ioana Udeanu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
- Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumophthisiology, 90 Viilor Street, 050159 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Andreea Letiția Arsene
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, 020956 Bucharest, Romania; (M.-M.A.); (M.I.N.); (C.E.D.-P.); (D.D.); (A.I.F.); (D.I.U.); (A.L.A.)
- Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumophthisiology, 90 Viilor Street, 050159 Bucharest, Romania
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2
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Častorálová M, Sýs J, Prchal J, Pavlů A, Prokopová L, Briki Z, Hubálek M, Ruml T. A myristoyl switch at the plasma membrane triggers cleavage and oligomerization of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus matrix protein. eLife 2024; 13:e93489. [PMID: 38517277 PMCID: PMC11014724 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
For most retroviruses, including HIV, association with the plasma membrane (PM) promotes the assembly of immature particles, which occurs simultaneously with budding and maturation. In these viruses, maturation is initiated by oligomerization of polyprotein precursors. In contrast, several retroviruses, such as Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), assemble in the cytoplasm into immature particles that are transported across the PM. Therefore, protease activation and specific cleavage must not occur until the pre-assembled particle interacts with the PM. This interaction is triggered by a bipartite signal consisting of a cluster of basic residues in the matrix (MA) domain of Gag polyprotein and a myristoyl moiety N-terminally attached to MA. Here, we provide evidence that myristoyl exposure from the MA core and its insertion into the PM occurs in M-PMV. By a combination of experimental methods, we show that this results in a structural change at the C-terminus of MA allowing efficient cleavage of MA from the downstream region of Gag. This suggests that, in addition to the known effect of the myristoyl switch of HIV-1 MA on the multimerization state of Gag and particle assembly, the myristoyl switch may have a regulatory role in initiating sequential cleavage of M-PMV Gag in immature particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markéta Častorálová
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
| | - Jakub Sýs
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of Czech Academy of SciencePragueCzech Republic
| | - Jan Prchal
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
| | - Anna Pavlů
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
| | - Lucie Prokopová
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
| | - Zina Briki
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
| | - Martin Hubálek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of Czech Academy of SciencePragueCzech Republic
| | - Tomas Ruml
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and TechnologyPragueCzech Republic
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3
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Hsieh SH, Yu FH, Huang KJ, Wang CT. HIV-1 reverse transcriptase stability correlates with Gag cleavage efficiency: reverse transcriptase interaction implications for modulating protease activation. J Virol 2023; 97:e0094823. [PMID: 37671867 PMCID: PMC10537780 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00948-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolytic processing of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 particles mediated by viral protease (PR) is essential for acquiring virus infectivity. Activation of PR embedded in Gag-Pol is triggered by Gag-Pol dimerization during virus assembly. We previously reported that amino acid substitutions at the RT tryptophan repeat motif destabilize virus-associated RT and attenuate the ability of efavirenz (EFV, an RT dimerization enhancer) to increase PR-mediated Gag cleavage efficiency. Furthermore, a single amino acid change at RT significantly reduces virus yields due to enhanced Gag cleavage. These data raise the possibility of the RT domain contributing to PR activation by promoting Gag-Pol dimerization. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the putative involvement of a hydrophobic leucine repeat motif (LRM) spanning RT L282 to L310 in RT/RT interactions. We found that LRM amino acid substitutions led to RT instability and that RT is consequently susceptible to degradation by PR. The LRM mutants exhibited reduced Gag cleavage efficiencies while attenuating the EFV enhancement of Gag cleavage. In addition, an RT dimerization-defective mutant, W401A, reduced enhanced Gag cleavage via a leucine zipper (LZ) motif inserted at the deleted Gag-Pol region. Importantly, the presence of RT and integrase domains failed to counteract the LZ enhancement of Gag cleavage. A combination of the Gag cleavage enhancement factors EFV and W402A markedly impaired Gag cleavage, indicating a disruption of W402A Gag-Pol dimerization following EFV binding to W402A Gag-Pol. Our results support the idea that RT modulates PR activation by affecting Gag-Pol/Gag-Pol interaction. IMPORTANCE A stable reverse transcriptase (RT) p66/51 heterodimer is required for HIV-1 genome replication in host cells following virus entry. The activation of viral protease (PR) to mediate virus particle processing helps viruses acquire infectivity following cell release. RT and PR both appear to be major targets for inhibiting HIV-1 replication. We found a strong correlation between impaired p66/51RT stability and deficient PR-mediated Gag cleavage, suggesting that RT/RT interaction is critical for triggering PR activation via the promotion of adequate Gag-Pol dimerization. Accordingly, RT/RT interaction is a potentially advantageous method for anti-HIV/AIDS therapy if it is found to simultaneously block PR and RT enzymatic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Han Hsieh
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Hsien Yu
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Jung Huang
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Tien Wang
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
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4
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Sarkar S, Zadrozny KK, Zadorozhnyi R, Russell RW, Quinn CM, Kleinpeter A, Ablan S, Meshkin H, Perilla JR, Freed EO, Ganser-Pornillos BK, Pornillos O, Gronenborn AM, Polenova T. Structural basis of HIV-1 maturation inhibitor binding and activity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1237. [PMID: 36871077 PMCID: PMC9985623 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36569-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 maturation inhibitors (MIs), Bevirimat (BVM) and its analogs interfere with the catalytic cleavage of spacer peptide 1 (SP1) from the capsid protein C-terminal domain (CACTD), by binding to and stabilizing the CACTD-SP1 region. MIs are under development as alternative drugs to augment current antiretroviral therapies. Although promising, their mechanism of action and associated virus resistance pathways remain poorly understood at the molecular, biochemical, and structural levels. We report atomic-resolution magic-angle-spinning NMR structures of microcrystalline assemblies of CACTD-SP1 complexed with BVM and/or the assembly cofactor inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6). Our results reveal a mechanism by which BVM disrupts maturation, tightening the 6-helix bundle pore and quenching the motions of SP1 and the simultaneously bound IP6. In addition, BVM-resistant SP1-A1V and SP1-V7A variants exhibit distinct conformational and binding characteristics. Taken together, our study provides a structural explanation for BVM resistance as well as guidance for the design of new MIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucharita Sarkar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Kaneil K Zadrozny
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Roman Zadorozhnyi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Ryan W Russell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Caitlin M Quinn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Alex Kleinpeter
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702-1201, USA
| | - Sherimay Ablan
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702-1201, USA
| | - Hamed Meshkin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Juan R Perilla
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Eric O Freed
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702-1201, USA
| | - Barbie K Ganser-Pornillos
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.
| | - Owen Pornillos
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.
| | - Angela M Gronenborn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
| | - Tatyana Polenova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1051 Biomedical Science Tower 3, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
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5
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Natural Immunity against HIV-1: Progression of Understanding after Association Studies. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061243. [PMID: 35746714 PMCID: PMC9227919 DOI: 10.3390/v14061243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural immunity against HIV has been observed in many individuals in the world. Among them, a group of female sex workers enrolled in the Pumwani sex worker cohort remained HIV uninfected for more than 30 years despite high-risk sex work. Many studies have been carried out to understand this natural immunity to HIV in the hope to develop effective vaccines and preventions. This review focuses on two such examples. These studies started from identifying immunogenetic or genetic associations with resistance to HIV acquisition, and followed up with an in-depth investigation to understand the biological relevance of the correlations of protection, and to develop and test novel vaccines and preventions.
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6
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Lin YR, Chu SM, Yu FH, Huang KJ, Wang CT. Effects of reduced gag cleavage efficiency on HIV-1 Gag-Pol package. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:94. [PMID: 35395730 PMCID: PMC8994222 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02503-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV-1 pol, which encodes enzymes required for virus replication, is initially translated as a Gag-Pol fusion protein. Gag-Pol is incorporated into virions via interactions with Gag precursor Pr55gag. Protease (PR) embedded in Gag-Pol mediates the proteolytic processing of both Pr55gag and Gag-Pol during or soon after virus particle release from cells. Since efficient Gag-Pol viral incorporation depends on interaction with Pr55gag via its N-terminal Gag domain, the prevention of premature Gag cleavage may alleviate Gag-Pol packaging deficiencies associated with cleavage enhancement from PR. RESULTS We engineered PR cleavage-blocking Gag mutations with the potential to significantly reduce Gag processing efficiency. Such mutations may mitigate the negative effects of enhanced PR activation on virus assembly and Gag-Pol packaging due to an RT dimerization enhancer or leucine zipper dimerization motif. When co-expressed with Pr55gag, we noted that enhanced PR activation resulted in reduced Gag-Pol cis or trans incorporation into Pr55gag particles, regardless of whether or not Gag cleavage sites within Gag-Pol were blocked. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the amount of HIV-1 Gag-Pol or Pol viral incorporation is largely dependent on virus particle production, and that cleavage blocking in the Gag-Pol N-terminal Gag domain does not exert significant impacts on Pol packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ru Lin
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ming Chu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Hsien Yu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Jung Huang
- Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Tien Wang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Medicine, 112, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Division of Clinical Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
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7
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Amino acid substitutions at the HIV-1 transframe region significantly impair virus infectivity. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262477. [PMID: 35085286 PMCID: PMC8794111 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A transframe region within HIV-1 Gag-Pol (referred to as p6* or p6pol), directly linked to the protease (PR) N-terminus, plays a pivotal role in modulating PR activation. To identify specific p6* residues involved in PR activation, we created a series of p6* mutants by making substitutions for conserved p6* residues. Our results indicate that some p6* mutants were defective in terms of virus infectivity, despite displaying a wild-type virus particle processing pattern. Mutations at p6* F8 reduced virus infectivity associated with insufficient virus processing, due in part to impaired PR maturation and RT packaging. Our data strongly suggest that conserved Phe (F) residues at position 8 of p6* are involved in the PR maturation process.
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8
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Dynamics of HIV-1 Gag Processing as Revealed by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy and Single Virus Tracking. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020340. [PMID: 35215933 PMCID: PMC8874525 DOI: 10.3390/v14020340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The viral polyprotein Gag plays a central role for HIV-1 assembly, release and maturation. Proteolytic processing of Gag by the viral protease is essential for the structural rearrangements that mark the transition from immature to mature, infectious viruses. The timing and kinetics of Gag processing are not fully understood. Here, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and single virus tracking are used to follow Gag processing in nascent HIV-1 particles in situ. Using a Gag polyprotein labelled internally with eCFP, we show that proteolytic release of the fluorophore from Gag is accompanied by an increase in its fluorescence lifetime. By tracking nascent virus particles in situ and analyzing the intensity and fluorescence lifetime of individual traces, we detect proteolytic cleavage of eCFP from Gag in a subset (6.5%) of viral particles. This suggests that for the majority of VLPs, Gag processing occurs with a delay after particle assembly.
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9
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Co-evolution of drug resistance and broadened substrate recognition in HIV protease variants isolated from an Escherichia coli genetic selection system. Biochem J 2022; 479:479-501. [PMID: 35089310 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A genetic selection system for activity of HIV protease is described that is based on a synthetic substrate constructed as a modified AraC regulatory protein that when cleaved stimulate L-arabinose metabolism in an Escherichia coli araC strain. Growth stimulation on selective plates was shown to depend on active HIV protease and the scissile bond in the substrate. In addition, the growth of cells correlated well with the established cleavage efficiency of the sites in the viral polyprotein, Gag, when these sites were individually introduced into the synthetic substate of the selection system. Plasmids encoding protease variants selected based on stimulation of cell growth in the presence of saquinavir or cleavage of a site not cleaved by wild-type protease, were indistinguishable with respect to both phenotypes. Also, both groups of selected plasmids encoded side chain substitutions known from clinical isolates or displayed different side chain substitutions but at identical positions. One highly frequent side chain substitution, E34V, not regarded as a major drug resistance substitution was found in variants obtained under both selective conditions and is suggested to improve protease processing of the synthetic substrate. This substitution is away from the substrate-binding cavity and together with other substitutions in the selected reading frames supports the previous suggestion of a substrate-binding site extended from the active site binding pocket itself.
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10
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Durand S, Seigneuret F, Burlaud-Gaillard J, Lemoine R, Tassi MF, Moreau A, Mougel M, Roingeard P, Tauber C, de Rocquigny H. Quantitative analysis of the formation of nucleoprotein complexes between HIV-1 Gag protein and genomic RNA using transmission electron microscopy. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101500. [PMID: 34929171 PMCID: PMC8760521 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In HIV, the polyprotein precursor Gag orchestrates the formation of the viral capsid. In the current view of this viral assembly, Gag forms low-order oligomers that bind to the viral genomic RNA triggering the formation of high-ordered ribonucleoprotein complexes. However, this assembly model was established using biochemical or imaging methods that do not describe the cellular location hosting Gag-gRNA complex nor distinguish gRNA packaging in single particles. Here, we studied the intracellular localization of these complexes by electron microscopy and monitored the distances between the two partners by morphometric analysis of gold beads specifically labeling Gag and gRNA. We found that formation of these viral clusters occurred shortly after the nuclear export of the gRNA. During their transport to the plasma membrane, the distance between Gag and gRNA decreases together with an increase of gRNA packaging. Point mutations in the zinc finger patterns of the nucleocapsid domain of Gag caused an increase in the distance between Gag and gRNA as well as a sharp decrease of gRNA packaged into virions. Finally, we show that removal of stem loop 1 of the 5'-untranslated region does not interfere with gRNA packaging, whereas combined with the removal of stem loop 3 is sufficient to decrease but not abolish Gag-gRNA cluster formation and gRNA packaging. In conclusion, this morphometric analysis of Gag-gRNA cluster formation sheds new light on HIV-1 assembly that can be used to describe at nanoscale resolution other viral assembly steps involving RNA or protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Durand
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Florian Seigneuret
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Julien Burlaud-Gaillard
- Microscopy IBiSA Platform, PPF ASB, University of Tours and CHRU of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Roxane Lemoine
- B Cell Ressources Platform, EA4245 "Transplantation, Immunology and Inflammation", University of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Marc-Florent Tassi
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Alain Moreau
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Marylène Mougel
- Équipe R2D2 Retroviral RNA Dynamics and Delivery, IRIM, CNRS UMR9004, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Roingeard
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France; Microscopy IBiSA Platform, PPF ASB, University of Tours and CHRU of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Clovis Tauber
- UMR U1253 iBrain, Inserm, University of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Hugues de Rocquigny
- Morphogenesis and Antigenicity of HIV and Hepatitis Viruses, Inserm - U1259 MAVIVH, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours Cedex 1, France.
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11
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McFadden WM, Snyder AA, Kirby KA, Tedbury PR, Raj M, Wang Z, Sarafianos SG. Rotten to the core: antivirals targeting the HIV-1 capsid core. Retrovirology 2021; 18:41. [PMID: 34937567 PMCID: PMC8693499 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-021-00583-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The capsid core of HIV-1 is a large macromolecular assembly that surrounds the viral genome and is an essential component of the infectious virus. In addition to its multiple roles throughout the viral life cycle, the capsid interacts with multiple host factors. Owing to its indispensable nature, the HIV-1 capsid has been the target of numerous antiretrovirals, though most capsid-targeting molecules have not had clinical success until recently. Lenacapavir, a long-acting drug that targets the HIV-1 capsid, is currently undergoing phase 2/3 clinical trials, making it the most successful capsid inhibitor to-date. In this review, we detail the role of the HIV-1 capsid protein in the virus life cycle, categorize antiviral compounds based on their targeting of five sites within the HIV-1 capsid, and discuss their molecular interactions and mechanisms of action. The diverse range of inhibition mechanisms provides insight into possible new strategies for designing novel HIV-1 drugs and furthers our understanding of HIV-1 biology. ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- William M McFadden
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Alexa A Snyder
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Karen A Kirby
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Philip R Tedbury
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Monika Raj
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Zhengqiang Wang
- Center for Drug Design, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Stefan G Sarafianos
- Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. .,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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12
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Potential Associations of Mutations within the HIV-1 Env and Gag Genes Conferring Protease Inhibitor (PI) Drug Resistance. MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres12040071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of patients in Africa are experiencing virological failure on a second-line antiretroviral protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimen, even without resistance-associated mutations in the protease region, suggesting a potential role of other genes in PI resistance. Here, we investigated the prevalence of mutations associated with Lopinavir/Ritonavir (LPV/r) failure in the Envelope gene and the possible coevolution with mutations within the Gag-protease (gag-PR) region. Env and Gag-PR sequences generated from 24 HIV-1 subtype C infected patients failing an LPV/r inclusive treatment regimen and 344 subtype C drug-naïve isolates downloaded from the Los Alamos Database were analyzed. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine the differences in mutation frequency. Bayesian network probability was applied to determine the relationship between mutations occurring within the env and gag-PR regions and LPV/r treatment. Thirty-five mutations in the env region had significantly higher frequencies in LPV/r-treated patients. A combination of Env and Gag-PR mutations was associated with a potential pathway to LPV/r resistance. While Env mutations were not directly associated with LPV/r resistance, they may exert pressure through the Gag and minor PR mutation pathways. Further investigations using site-directed mutagenesis are needed to determine the impact of Env mutations alone and in combination with Gag-PR mutations on viral fitness and LPV/r efficacy.
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13
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Schneider-Nachum G, Flynn J, Mavor D, Schiffer CA, Bolon DNA. Analyses of HIV proteases variants at the threshold of viability reveals relationships between processing efficiency and fitness. Virus Evol 2021; 7:veab103. [PMID: 35299788 PMCID: PMC8923237 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigating the relationships between protein function and fitness provides keys for understanding biochemical mechanisms that underly evolution. Mutations with partial fitness defects can delineate the threshold of biochemical function required for viability. We utilized a previous deep mutational scan of HIV-1 protease (PR) to identify variants with 15–45 per cent defects in replication and analysed the biochemical function of eight variants (L10M, L10S, V32C, V32I, A71V, A71S, Q92I, Q92N). We purified each variant and assessed the efficiency of peptide cleavage for three cut sites (MA-CA, TF-PR, and PR-RT) as well as gel-based analyses of processing of purified Gag. The cutting activity of at least one site was perturbed relative to WT protease for all variants, consistent with cutting activity being a primary determinant of fitness effects. We examined the correlation of fitness defects with cutting activity of different sites. MA-CA showed the weakest correlation (R2 = 0.02) with fitness, suggesting relatively weak coupling with viral replication. In contrast, cutting of the TF-PR site showed the strongest correlation with fitness (R2 = 0.53). Cutting at the TF-PR site creates a new PR protein with a free N-terminus that is critical for activity. Our findings indicate that increasing the pool of active PR is rate limiting for viral replication, making this an ideal step to target with inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gily Schneider-Nachum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Julia Flynn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - David Mavor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Celia A Schiffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Daniel N A Bolon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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14
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Imamichi T, Bernbaum JG, Laverdure S, Yang J, Chen Q, Highbarger H, Hao M, Sui H, Dewar R, Chang W, Lane HC. Natural Occurring Polymorphisms in HIV-1 Integrase and RNase H Regulate Viral Release and Autoprocessing. J Virol 2021; 95:e0132321. [PMID: 34523971 PMCID: PMC8577372 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01323-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, a genome-wide association study using plasma HIV RNA from antiretroviral therapy-naive patients reported that 14 naturally occurring nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HIV derived from antiretrovirus drug-naive patients were associated with virus load (VL). Those SNPs were detected in reverse transcriptase, RNase H, integrase, envelope, and Nef. However, the impact of each mutation on viral fitness was not investigated. Here, we constructed a series of HIV variants encoding each SNP and examined their replicative abilities. An HIV variant containing a Met-to-Ile change at codon 50 in integrase [HIV(IN:M50I)] was found as an impaired virus. Despite the mutation being in integrase, the virus release was significantly suppressed (P < 0.001). Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that abnormal bud accumulation on the plasma membrane and the released virus particles retained immature forms. Western blot analysis demonstrated a defect in autoprocessing of GagPol and Gag polyproteins' autoprocessing in the HIV(IN:M50I) particles, although Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay displayed that GagPol containing IN:M50I forms a homodimer with a similar efficiency with GagPol (wild type). The impaired maturation and replication were rescued by two other VL-associated SNPs, Ser-to-Asn change at codon 17 of integrase and Asn-to-Ser change at codon 79 of RNase H. These data demonstrate that Gag and GagPol assembly, virus release, and autoprocessing are regulated by not only integrase but also RNase H. IMPORTANCE Nascent HIV-1 is a noninfectious viral particle. Cleaving Gag and GagPol polyproteins in the particle by mature HIV protease (PR), the nascent virus becomes an infectious virus. PR is initially translated as an inactive embedded enzyme in a GagPol polyprotein. The embedded PR in homodimerized GagPol polyproteins catalyzes a proteolytic reaction to release the mature PR. This excision step by self-cleavage is called autoprocessing. Here, during the evaluation of the roles of naturally emerging nonsynonymous SNPs in HIV RNA, we found that autoprocessing is inhibited by Met-to-Ile change at codon 50 in integrase GagPol. Other coexisting SNPs, Ser-to-Asn change at codon 17 in integrase or Asn-to-Ser mutation at codon 79 in RNase H, recovered this defect, suggesting that autoprocessing is regulated by not only integrase but also RNase H in GagPol polyprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomozumi Imamichi
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - John G. Bernbaum
- Integrated Research Facility, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Sylvain Laverdure
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Jun Yang
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Qian Chen
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Helene Highbarger
- Virus Isolation and Serology Laboratory, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Ming Hao
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Hongyan Sui
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Robin Dewar
- Virus Isolation and Serology Laboratory, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Weizhong Chang
- Laboratory of Human Retrovirology and Immunoinformatics, Applied and Developmental Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - H. Clifford Lane
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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15
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Stephan Oroszlan and the Proteolytic Processing of Retroviral Proteins: Following A Pro. Viruses 2021; 13:v13112218. [PMID: 34835024 PMCID: PMC8621278 DOI: 10.3390/v13112218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Steve Oroszlan determined the sequences at the ends of virion proteins for a number of different retroviruses. This work led to the insight that the amino-terminal amino acid of the mature viral CA protein is always proline. In this remembrance, we review Steve’s work that led to this insight and show how that insight was a necessary precursor to the work we have done in the subsequent years exploring the cleavage rate determinants of viral protease processing sites and the multiple roles the amino-terminal proline of CA plays after protease cleavage liberates it from its position in a protease processing site.
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16
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Structural determinants of virion assembly and release in the C-terminus of the M-PMV capsid protein. J Virol 2021; 95:e0061521. [PMID: 34287037 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00615-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from an immature to a fully infectious mature retrovirus particle is associated with molecular switches that trigger dramatic conformational changes in the structure of the Gag proteins. A dominant maturation switch that stabilizes the immature capsid lattice is located downstream of the capsid (CA) protein in many retroviral Gags. The HIV-1 Gag contains a stretch of five amino acid residues termed the 'clasp motif', important for the organization of the hexameric subunits that provide stability to the overall immature HIV-1 shell. Sequence alignment of the CA C-terminal domains (CTDs) of the HIV-1 and Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus (M-PMV) highlighted a spacer-like domain in M-PMV that may provide comparable function. The importance of the sequences spanning the CA-NC cleavage has been demonstrated by mutagenesis, but the specific requirements for the clasp motif in several steps of M-PMV particle assembly and maturation have not been determined in detail. In the present study we report an examination of the role of the clasp motif in the M-PMV life cycle. We generated a series of M-PMV Gag mutants and assayed for assembly of the recombinant protein in vitro, and for the assembly, maturation, release, genomic RNA packaging, and infectivity of the mutant virus in vivo. The mutants revealed major defects in virion assembly and release in 293T and HeLa cells, and even larger defects in infectivity. Our data identifies the clasp motif as a fundamental contributor to CA-CTD interactions necessary for efficient viral infection. Importance The C-terminal domain of the capsid protein of many retroviruses has been shown to be critical for virion assembly and maturation, but the functions of this region of M-PMV are uncertain. We show that a short 'clasp' motif in the capsid domain of the M-PMV Gag protein plays a key role in M-PMV virion assembly, genome packaging, and infectivity.
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17
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Mendonça L, Sun D, Ning J, Liu J, Kotecha A, Olek M, Frosio T, Fu X, Himes BA, Kleinpeter AB, Freed EO, Zhou J, Aiken C, Zhang P. CryoET structures of immature HIV Gag reveal six-helix bundle. Commun Biol 2021; 4:481. [PMID: 33863979 PMCID: PMC8052356 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01999-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Gag is the HIV structural precursor protein which is cleaved by viral protease to produce mature infectious viruses. Gag is a polyprotein composed of MA (matrix), CA (capsid), SP1, NC (nucleocapsid), SP2 and p6 domains. SP1, together with the last eight residues of CA, have been hypothesized to form a six-helix bundle responsible for the higher-order multimerization of Gag necessary for HIV particle assembly. However, the structure of the complete six-helix bundle has been elusive. Here, we determined the structures of both Gag in vitro assemblies and Gag viral-like particles (VLPs) to 4.2 Å and 4.5 Å resolutions using cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging by emClarity. A single amino acid mutation (T8I) in SP1 stabilizes the six-helix bundle, allowing to discern the entire CA-SP1 helix connecting to the NC domain. These structures provide a blueprint for future development of small molecule inhibitors that can lock SP1 in a stable helical conformation, interfere with virus maturation, and thus block HIV-1 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiza Mendonça
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Dapeng Sun
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jiying Ning
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jiwei Liu
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Abhay Kotecha
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Mateusz Olek
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, UK
| | - Thomas Frosio
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK
| | - Xiaofeng Fu
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin A Himes
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alex B Kleinpeter
- Virus-Cell Interaction Section, HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Eric O Freed
- Virus-Cell Interaction Section, HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christopher Aiken
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK.
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18
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Daniel M, Liang B, Luo M. Assessment of the population coverage of an HIV-1 vaccine targeting sequences surrounding the viral protease cleavage sites in Gag, Pol, or all 12 protease cleavage sites. Vaccine 2021; 39:2676-2683. [PMID: 33863573 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine has been a great challenge faced by the research community. Recently a novel strategy targeting the viral protease cleavage sites (PCSs) has been tested and shown promising results. This T cell-based vaccine strategy depends on individuals expressing certain HLA class I molecules and since each population has unique distributions of HLA class I alleles, population coverage analysis is required to assess feasibility. Utilizing the validated CD8 T cell epitope data from previous studies we conducted coverage analysis of an HIV-1 vaccine targeting the sequences surrounding all 12-PCSs, Gag-PCSs, and Pol-PCSs. The population coverage, average epitope hit, and minimum number of epitopes recognized by 90% of the population (PC90) was compiled for 66 countries and 16 geographical regions using the web tool provided by "Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource". Our analysis shows that the coverage for an HIV-1 vaccine targeting sequences surrounding all 12 PCSs, 5 PCSs in Gag or 6 PCSs in Pol can cover ~ 70% to ~ 100% of the populations analyzed. There was no statistical difference in population coverages for the majority of populations examined when comparing the CD8 T cell epitope sets (12-PCSs, Gag-PCSs, and Pol-PCSs). As expected, vaccines targeting more sequences will have more CD8 T cell epitopes, as the mean average epitope hit for the 12-PCSs, Gag-PCSs, and Pol-PCSs across all countries studied was 9.45, 4.76, and 4.74, respectively, and across all geographical regions was 9.76, 4.99, and 4.92, respectively. The average PC90 for the 12-PCSs, Gag-PCSs, and Pol-PCSs across all countries studied was 2.53, 1.31, and 1.41, respectively, and across all geographical regions was 2.24, 1.23, and 1.29, respectively. Thus, vaccines targeting sequences surrounding the HIV-1 PCSs can cover broad populations; however, whether targeting a subset of the PCSs is sufficient to prevent acquisition requires further preclinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew Daniel
- Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Binhua Liang
- Biochemistry & Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ma Luo
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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19
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Toccafondi E, Lener D, Negroni M. HIV-1 Capsid Core: A Bullet to the Heart of the Target Cell. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:652486. [PMID: 33868211 PMCID: PMC8046902 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.652486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The first step of the intracellular phase of retroviral infection is the release of the viral capsid core in the cytoplasm. This structure contains the viral genetic material that will be reverse transcribed and integrated into the genome of infected cells. Up to recent times, the role of the capsid core was considered essentially to protect this genetic material during the earlier phases of this process. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that the permanence inside the cell of the capsid as an intact, or almost intact, structure is longer than thought. This suggests its involvement in more aspects of the infectious cycle than previously foreseen, particularly in the steps of viral genomic material translocation into the nucleus and in the phases preceding integration. During the trip across the infected cell, many host factors are brought to interact with the capsid, some possessing antiviral properties, others, serving as viral cofactors. All these interactions rely on the properties of the unique component of the capsid core, the capsid protein CA. Likely, the drawback of ensuring these multiple functions is the extreme genetic fragility that has been shown to characterize this protein. Here, we recapitulate the busy agenda of an HIV-1 capsid in the infectious process, in particular in the light of the most recent findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Lener
- CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, UPR 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Matteo Negroni
- CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, UPR 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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20
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Li H, Omange RW, Liang B, Toledo N, Hai Y, Liu LR, Schalk D, Crecente-Campo J, Dacoba TG, Lambe AB, Lim SY, Li L, Kashem MA, Wan Y, Correia-Pinto JF, Seaman MS, Liu XQ, Balshaw RF, Li Q, Schultz-Darken N, Alonso MJ, Plummer FA, Whitney JB, Luo M. Vaccine targeting SIVmac251 protease cleavage sites protects macaques against vaginal infection. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:6429-6442. [PMID: 32853182 DOI: 10.1172/jci138728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
After over 3 decades of research, an effective anti-HIV vaccine remains elusive. The recently halted HVTN702 clinical trial not only further stresses the challenge to develop an effective HIV vaccine but also emphasizes that unconventional and novel vaccine strategies are urgently needed. Here, we report that a vaccine focusing the immune response on the sequences surrounding the 12 viral protease cleavage sites (PCSs) provided greater than 80% protection to Mauritian cynomolgus macaques against repeated intravaginal SIVmac251 challenges. The PCS-specific T cell responses correlated with vaccine efficacy. The PCS vaccine did not induce immune activation or inflammation known to be associated with increased susceptibility to HIV infection. Machine learning analyses revealed that the immune microenvironment generated by the PCS vaccine was predictive of vaccine efficacy. Our study demonstrates, for the first time to our knowledge, that a vaccine which targets only viral maturation, but lacks full-length Env and Gag immunogens, can prevent intravaginal infection in a stringent macaque/SIV challenge model. Targeting HIV maturation thus offers a potentially novel approach to developing an effective HIV vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhao Li
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Robert W Omange
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Binhua Liang
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Nikki Toledo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Yan Hai
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Lewis R Liu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Dane Schalk
- Scientific Protocol Implementation Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jose Crecente-Campo
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Tamara G Dacoba
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - So-Yon Lim
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lin Li
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Mohammad Abul Kashem
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Yanmin Wan
- Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jorge F Correia-Pinto
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Michael S Seaman
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiao Qing Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Robert F Balshaw
- Centre for Healthcare Innovation, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Qingsheng Li
- Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Nancy Schultz-Darken
- Scientific Protocol Implementation Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Maria J Alonso
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Francis A Plummer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - James B Whitney
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ma Luo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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21
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Smith SJ, Zhao XZ, Passos DO, Lyumkis D, Burke TR, Hughes SH. Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors Are Effective Anti-HIV Drugs. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020205. [PMID: 33572956 PMCID: PMC7912079 DOI: 10.3390/v13020205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are currently recommended for the first line treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) infection. The first-generation INSTIs are effective but can select for resistant viruses. Recent advances have led to several potent second-generation INSTIs that are effective against both wild-type (WT) HIV-1 integrase and many of the first-generation INSTI-resistant mutants. The emergence of resistance to these new second-generation INSTIs has been minimal, which has resulted in alternative treatment strategies for HIV-1 patients. Moreover, because of their high antiviral potencies and, in some cases, their bioavailability profiles, INSTIs will probably have prominent roles in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Herein, we review the current state of the clinically relevant INSTIs and discuss the future outlook for this class of antiretrovirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Smith
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA;
| | - Xue Zhi Zhao
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (X.Z.Z.); (T.R.B.J.)
| | - Dario Oliveira Passos
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (D.O.P.); (D.L.)
| | - Dmitry Lyumkis
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (D.O.P.); (D.L.)
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Terrence R. Burke
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (X.Z.Z.); (T.R.B.J.)
| | - Stephen H. Hughes
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA;
- Correspondence:
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22
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Samsudin F, Gan SKE, Bond PJ. The impact of Gag non-cleavage site mutations on HIV-1 viral fitness from integrative modelling and simulations. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 19:330-342. [PMID: 33425260 PMCID: PMC7779841 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The high mutation rate in retroviruses is one of the leading causes of drug resistance. In human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), synergistic mutations in its protease and the protease substrate - the Group-specific antigen (Gag) polyprotein - work together to confer drug resistance against protease inhibitors and compensate the mutations affecting viral fitness. Some Gag mutations can restore Gag-protease binding, yet most Gag-protease correlated mutations occur outside of the Gag cleavage site. To investigate the molecular basis for this, we now report multiscale modelling approaches to investigate various sequentially cleaved Gag products in the context of clinically relevant mutations that occur outside of the cleavage sites, including simulations of the largest Gag proteolytic product in its viral membrane-bound state. We found that some mutations, such as G123E and H219Q, involve direct interaction with cleavage site residues to influence their local environment, while certain mutations in the matrix domain lead to the enrichment of lipids important for Gag targeting and assembly. Collectively, our results reveal why non-cleavage site mutations have far-reaching implications outside of Gag proteolysis, with important consequences for drugging Gag maturation intermediates and tackling protease inhibitor resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Firdaus Samsudin
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Samuel Ken-En Gan
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Antibody & Product Development Lab – Large Molecule Innovation, Experimental Drug Development Centre (A*STAR), 138670 Singapore, Singapore
- p53 Laboratory (A*STAR), 138648 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peter J. Bond
- Bioinformatics Institute (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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23
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Yu FH, Huang KJ, Wang CT. Conditional activation of an HIV-1 protease attenuated mutant by a leucine zipper dimerization motif. Virus Res 2020; 295:198258. [PMID: 33316353 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198258] [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] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Mature HIV-1 protease (PR) functions as a dimer. Changes in HIV-1 PR activation can block virus assembly via premature or enhanced Gag cleavage. HIV-1 PR precursor contains N terminal-linked p6*, a possible modulating factor in PR activation. We found that p6* replacement with a leucine zipper (LZ) dimerization motif (creating a DWzPR construct) or an LZ insertion at the PR C-terminus significantly reduced virus yields due to enhanced Gag cleavage, suggesting that an LZ insertion promotes PR activation by facilitating PR dimer formation. However, introducing T26S (a PR activity-attenuated mutation) into DWzPR strongly impaired Gag cleavage, except when the native C-terminal p6* tetrapeptide remained at the LZ/PR junction. LZ insertion at the PR C-terminus still strongly enhanced PR T26S Gag cleavage. Our data suggest that in addition to p6* mutations, a single amino acid substitution within PR can impair PR activation, likely due to conformational changes triggered by the PR precursor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Hsien Yu
- Department of Medical Research, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan; Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Jung Huang
- Department of Medical Research, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Tien Wang
- Department of Medical Research, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan; Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan.
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24
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Bonar MM, Tabler CO, Haqqani AA, Lapointe LE, Galiatsos JA, Joussef-Piña S, Quiñones-Mateu ME, Tilton JC. Nanoscale flow cytometry reveals interpatient variability in HIV protease activity that correlates with viral infectivity and identifies drug-resistant viruses. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18101. [PMID: 33093566 PMCID: PMC7583244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75118-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV encodes an aspartyl protease that is activated during, or shortly after, budding of viral particles from the surface of infected cells. Protease-mediated cleavage of viral polyproteins is essential to generating infectious viruses, a process known as ‘maturation’ that is the target of FDA-approved antiretroviral drugs. Most assays to monitor protease activity rely on bulk analysis of millions of viruses and obscure potential heterogeneity of protease activation within individual particles. In this study we used nanoscale flow cytometry in conjunction with an engineered FRET reporter called VIral ProteasE Reporter (VIPER) to investigate heterogeneity of protease activation in individual, patient-derived viruses. We demonstrate previously unappreciated interpatient variation in HIV protease processing efficiency that impacts viral infectivity. Additionally, monitoring of protease activity in individual virions distinguishes between drug sensitivity or resistance to protease inhibitors in patient-derived samples. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of monitoring enzymatic processes using nanoscale flow cytometry and highlight the potential of this technology for translational clinical discovery, not only for viruses but also other submicron particles including exosomes, microvesicles, and bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał M Bonar
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Caroline O Tabler
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Aiman A Haqqani
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Lauren E Lapointe
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jake A Galiatsos
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Samira Joussef-Piña
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Miguel E Quiñones-Mateu
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
| | - John C Tilton
- Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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25
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Castain L, Perrier M, Charpentier C, Palich R, Desire N, Wirden M, Descamps D, Sayon S, Landman R, Valantin MA, Joly V, Peytavin G, Yazdanpanah Y, Katlama C, Calvez V, Marcelin AG, Todesco E. New mechanisms of resistance in virological failure to protease inhibitors: selection of non-described protease, Gag and Gp41 mutations. J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 74:2019-2023. [PMID: 31050739 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkz151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To further characterize HIV-1 viruses of patients experiencing unexplained virological failure (VF) on PI-containing regimens, ultradeep sequencing was performed on protease, gag and gp41 genes in patients failing a first-line treatment. METHODS All naive patients initiating an antiretroviral treatment based on boosted darunavir, atazanavir or lopinavir and experiencing VF without any transmitted drug resistance mutation detected by Sanger sequencing on protease and reverse transcriptase genes were selected. Ultradeep sequencing (IlluminaTM Nextera®) was performed on protease, gag and gp41 genes in plasma before initiation of treatment and at VF to identify emergent mutations. RESULTS Among the 32 patients included in the study, emergent and previously undescribed mutations in the viral protease gene were identified in five patients at VF: 64M (1 CRF02_AG), 64M/70R with mutation 15V (2 CRF02_AG), 79A (1 CRF06_cpx) and 79A with mutation 15V (1 CRF02_AG). Two patients showed the emergence of R286K in the gag region, outside of cleavage sites (2 CRF02_AG). In the gp41 region, the V321I mutation emerged inside the cytoplasmic tail (1 subtype A and 1 subtype B). All these patients were treated with a darunavir/ritonavir-based regimen. CONCLUSIONS In some cases of VF to PIs, we observed the emergence of protease, Gag or Gp41 mutations that had not previously been associated with VF or PI resistance. These mutations should be further studied, in particular the 15V/64M/70R pattern in the protease gene identified among CRF02_AG viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Castain
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Marine Perrier
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Charpentier
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Romain Palich
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Desire
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Marc Wirden
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Diane Descamps
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Sayon
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Roland Landman
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Marc-Antoine Valantin
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, Paris, France
| | - Véronique Joly
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Gilles Peytavin
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Département de Pharmaco-Toxicologie, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France
| | - Yazdan Yazdanpanah
- IAME, UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Bichat, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Christine Katlama
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Calvez
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Anne-Geneviève Marcelin
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
| | - Eve Todesco
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Laboratoire de virologie, Paris, France
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Occupation of a thermoresistant-scaffold (αRep) at SP1-NC cleavage site disturbs the function of HIV-1 protease. Biosci Rep 2020; 40:225239. [PMID: 32519747 PMCID: PMC7313444 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20201131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) becomes an attractive target for the development of novel anti-HIV-1 agents. Discovering of non-antibody scaffolds that disrupt the function of NC will be a potential aspect for disturbing viral maturation process. Correspondingly, we explored the specific binding site of the thermoresistant-scaffold protein, αRep9A8 which formerly demonstrated the inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication. The portion of Gag, CA21-SP1-NC has been used as a template for designing nine overlapping peptides (P4–P12). The P9 peptide showed the strongest binding activity followed by P8 and P12 respectively. The amino acid sequences on those peptides resemble the N-terminal domain of the NC proximity to the SP1-NC initial cleavage site and across the conserved CCHC zinc finger 1 (ZF1) of NC. The interaction KD between αRep9A8 with its target was 224.9 ± 57.4 nM. Consequently, αRep9A8 demonstrated the interference of the HIV-1 protease function by hindering a protease cleavage site. The released NC product from CA21-SP1-NC was diminished. The present study provided an additional information of αRep9A8 function in interfering of viral maturation processes resulting in the decremental efficiency of viral infectivity.
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27
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Himmel DM, Arnold E. Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Join Forces with Integrase Inhibitors to Combat HIV. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2020; 13:ph13060122. [PMID: 32545407 PMCID: PMC7345359 DOI: 10.3390/ph13060122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the diarylpyrimidine (DAPY) analogs etravirine (ETR) and rilpivirine (RPV) have been widely effective against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) variants that are resistant to other non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). With non-inferior or improved efficacy, better safety profiles, and lower doses or pill burdens than other NNRTIs in the clinic, combination therapies including either of these two drugs have led to higher adherence than other NNRTI-containing treatments. In a separate development, HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) have shown efficacy in treating AIDS, including raltegravir (RAL), elvitegravir (EVG), cabotegravir (CAB), bictegravir (BIC), and dolutegravir (DTG). Of these, DTG and BIC perform better against a wide range of resistance mutations than other INSTIs. Nevertheless, drug-resistant combinations of mutations have begun to emerge against all DAPYs and INSTIs, attributable in part to non-adherence. New dual therapies that may promote better adherence combine ETR or RPV with an INSTI and have been safer and non-inferior to more traditional triple-drug treatments. Long-acting dual- and triple-therapies combining ETR or RPV with INSTIs are under study and may further improve adherence. Here, highly resistant emergent mutations and efficacy data on these novel treatments are reviewed. Overall, ETR or RPV, in combination with INSTIs, may be treatments of choice as long-term maintenance therapies that optimize efficacy, adherence, and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M. Himmel
- Himmel Sci Med Com, L.L.C., Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-848-391-5973
| | - Eddy Arnold
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA;
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28
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Effects of an HIV-1 maturation inhibitor on the structure and dynamics of CA-SP1 junction helices in virus-like particles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:10286-10293. [PMID: 32341150 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917755117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 maturation involves conversion of the immature Gag polyprotein lattice, which lines the inner surface of the viral membrane, to the mature capsid protein (CA) lattice, which encloses the viral RNA. Maturation inhibitors such as bevirimat (BVM) bind within six-helix bundles, formed by a segment that spans the junction between the CA and spacer peptide 1 (SP1) subunits of Gag, and interfere with cleavage between CA and SP1 catalyzed by the HIV-1 protease (PR). We report solid-state NMR (ssNMR) measurements on spherical virus-like particles (VLPs), facilitated by segmental isotopic labeling, that provide information about effects of BVM on the structure and dynamics of CA-SP1 junction helices in the immature lattice. Although BVM strongly blocks PR-catalyzed CA-SP1 cleavage in VLPs and blocks conversion of VLPs to tubular CA assemblies, 15N and 13C ssNMR chemical shifts of segmentally labeled VLPs with and without BVM are very similar, indicating that interaction with BVM does not alter the six-helix bundle structure appreciably. Only the 15N chemical shift of A280 (the first residue of SP1) changes significantly, consistent with BVM binding to an internal ring of hydrophobic side chains of L279 residues. Measurements of transverse 15N spin relaxation rates reveal a reduction in the amplitudes and/or timescales of backbone N-H bond motions, corresponding to a rigidification of the six-helix bundles. Overall, our data show that inhibition of HIV-1 maturation by BVM involves changes in structure and dynamics that are surprisingly subtle, but still sufficient to produce a large effect on CA-SP1 cleavage.
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29
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Biochemical Reconstitution of HIV-1 Assembly and Maturation. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.01844-19. [PMID: 31801870 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01844-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly of an orthoretrovirus such as HIV-1 requires the coordinated functioning of multiple biochemical activities of the viral Gag protein. These activities include membrane targeting, lattice formation, packaging of the RNA genome, and recruitment of cellular cofactors that modulate assembly. In most previous studies, these Gag activities have been investigated individually, which provided somewhat limited insight into how they functionally integrate during the assembly process. Here, we report the development of a biochemical reconstitution system that allowed us to investigate how Gag lattice formation, RNA binding, and the assembly cofactor inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) synergize to generate immature virus particles in vitro The results identify an important rate-limiting step in assembly and reveal new insights into how RNA and IP6 promote immature Gag lattice formation. The immature virus-like particles can be converted into mature capsid-like particles by the simple addition of viral protease, suggesting that it is possible in principle to fully biochemically reconstitute the sequential processes of HIV-1 assembly and maturation from purified components.IMPORTANCE Assembly and maturation are essential steps in the replication of orthoretroviruses such as HIV-1 and are proven therapeutic targets. These processes require the coordinated functioning of the viral Gag protein's multiple biochemical activities. We describe here the development of an experimental system that allows an integrative analysis of how Gag's multiple functionalities cooperate to generate a retrovirus particle. Our current studies help to illuminate how Gag synergizes the formation of the virus compartment with RNA binding and how these activities are modulated by the small molecule IP6. Further development and use of this system should lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 assembly and maturation and may provide new insights for the development of antiretroviral drugs.
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30
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Meng B, Ip NCY, Abbink TEM, Kenyon JC, Lever AML. ESCRT-II functions by linking to ESCRT-I in human immunodeficiency virus-1 budding. Cell Microbiol 2020; 22:e13161. [PMID: 31922351 PMCID: PMC7187348 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) protein pathway to bud from infected cells. Despite the roles of ESCRT-I and -III in HIV budding being firmly established, participation of ESCRT-II in this process has been controversial. EAP45 is a critical component of ESCRT-II. Previously, we utilised a CRISPR-Cas9 EAP45 knockout cell line to assess the involvement of ESCRT-II in HIV replication. We demonstrated that the absence of ESCRT-II impairs HIV budding. Here, we show that virus spread is also defective in physiologically relevant CRISPR/Cas9 EAP45 knockout T cells. We further show reappearance of efficient budding by re-introduction of EAP45 expression into EAP45 knockout cells. Using expression of selected mutants of EAP45, we dissect the domain requirement responsible for this function. Our data show at the steady state that rescue of budding is only observed in the context of a Gag/Pol, but not a Gag expressor, indicating that the size of cargo determines the usage of ESCRT-II. EAP45 acts through the YPXL-ALIX pathway as partial rescue is achieved in a PTAP but not a YPXL mutant virus. Our study clarifies the role of ESCRT-II in the late stages of HIV replication and reinforces the notion that ESCRT-II plays an integral part during this process as it does in sorting ubiquitinated cargos and in cytokinesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Meng
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Natasha C Y Ip
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Truus E M Abbink
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julia C Kenyon
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Homerton College, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew M L Lever
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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31
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Anderson-Daniels J, Singh PK, Sowd GA, Li W, Engelman AN, Aiken C. Dominant Negative MA-CA Fusion Protein Is Incorporated into HIV-1 Cores and Inhibits Nuclear Entry of Viral Preintegration Complexes. J Virol 2019; 93:e01118-19. [PMID: 31413124 PMCID: PMC6803256 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01118-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Particle maturation is a critical step in the HIV-1 replication cycle that requires proteolytic cleavage of the Gag polyprotein into its constitutive proteins: the matrix (MA), capsid (CA), nucleocapsid (NC), and p6 proteins. The accurate and efficient cleavage of Gag is essential for virion infectivity; inhibitors of the viral protease are potent antivirals, and substitutions in Gag that prevent its cleavage result in reduced HIV-1 infectivity. In a previous study, a mutation inhibiting cleavage at the MA-CA junction was observed to potently inhibit virus infection: incorporation of small amounts of uncleaved MA-CA protein into HIV-1 particles inhibited infectivity by ∼95%, and the resulting viral particles exhibited aberrant capsids. Here we report a detailed mechanistic analysis of HIV-1 particles bearing uncleaved MA-CA protein. We show that the particles contain stable cores and can efficiently saturate host restriction by TRIMCyp in target cells. We further show that MA-CA associates with CA in particles without detectably affecting the formation of intermolecular CA interfaces. Incorporation of MA-CA did not markedly affect reverse transcription in infected cells, but nuclear entry was impaired and integration targeting was altered. Additionally, results from mutational analysis of Gag revealed that membrane-binding elements of MA contribute to the antiviral activity of uncleaved MA-CA protein. Our results suggest that small amounts of partially processed Gag subunits coassemble with CA during virion maturation, resulting in impaired capsid functions.IMPORTANCE To become infectious, newly formed HIV-1 particles undergo a process of maturation in which the viral polyproteins are cleaved into smaller components. A previous study demonstrated that inclusion of even small quantities of an uncleavable mutant Gag polyprotein results in a strong reduction in virus infectivity. Here we show that the mechanism of transdominant inhibition by uncleavable Gag involves inhibition of nuclear entry and alteration of viral integration sites. Additionally, the results of mutational analysis suggest that the membrane-binding activity of Gag is a major requirement for the antiviral activity. These results further define the antiviral mechanism of uncleavable Gag, which may be useful for exploiting this effect to develop new antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Anderson-Daniels
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Parmit K Singh
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gregory A Sowd
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Wen Li
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alan N Engelman
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christopher Aiken
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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32
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Su CTT, Koh DWS, Gan SKE. Reviewing HIV-1 Gag Mutations in Protease Inhibitors Resistance: Insights for Possible Novel Gag Inhibitor Designs. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24183243. [PMID: 31489889 PMCID: PMC6767625 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24183243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV protease inhibitors against the viral protease are often hampered by drug resistance mutations in protease and in the viral substrate Gag. To overcome this drug resistance and inhibit viral maturation, targeting Gag alongside protease rather than targeting protease alone may be more efficient. In order to successfully inhibit Gag, understanding of its drug resistance mutations and the elicited structural changes on protease binding needs to be investigated. While mutations on Gag have already been mapped to protease inhibitor resistance, there remain many mutations, particularly the non-cleavage mutations, that are not characterized. Through structural studies to unravel how Gag mutations contributes to protease drug resistance synergistically, it is thus possible to glean insights to design novel Gag inhibitors. In this review, we discuss the structural role of both novel and previously reported Gag mutations in PI resistance, and how new Gag inhibitors can be designed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinh Tran-To Su
- Antibody & Product Development Lab, Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Darius Wen-Shuo Koh
- Antibody & Product Development Lab, Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Samuel Ken-En Gan
- Antibody & Product Development Lab, Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore 138671, Singapore.
- p53 Laboratory, A*STAR, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
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Cervera L, Gòdia F, Tarrés-Freixas F, Aguilar-Gurrieri C, Carrillo J, Blanco J, Gutiérrez-Granados S. Production of HIV-1-based virus-like particles for vaccination: achievements and limits. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:7367-7384. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10038-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Insight into the mechanism of action of EP-39, a bevirimat derivative that inhibits HIV-1 maturation. Antiviral Res 2019; 164:162-175. [PMID: 30825471 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Maturation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles is a key step for viral infectivity. This process can be blocked using maturation inhibitors (MIs) that affect the cleavage of the capsid-spacer peptide 1 (CA-SP1) junction. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the activity of EP-39, a bevirimat (BVM) derivative with better hydrosolubility. To this aim, we selected in vitro EP-39- and BVM-resistant mutants. We found that EP-39-resistant viruses have four mutations within the CA domain (CA-A194T, CA-T200N, CA-V230I, and CA-V230A) and one in the first residue of SP1 (SP1-A1V). We also identified six mutations that confer BVM resistance (CA-A194T, CA-L231F, CA-L231M, SP1-A1V, SP1-S5N and SP1-V7A). To characterize the EP-39 and BVM-resistant mutants, we studied EP-39 effects on mutant virus replication and performed a biochemical analysis with both MIs. We observed common and distinct characteristics, suggesting that, although EP-39 and BVM share the same chemical skeleton, they could interact in a different way with the Gag polyprotein precursor (Pr55Gag). Using an in silico approach, we observed that EP-39 and BVM present different predicted positions on the hexameric crystal structure of the CACTD-SP1 Gag fragment. To clearly understand the relationship between assembly and maturation, we investigated the impact of all identified mutations on virus assembly by expressing Pr55Gag mutants. Finally, using NMR, we have shown that the interaction of EP-39 with a peptide carrying the SP1-A1V mutation (CA-SP1(A1V)-NC) is almost suppressed in comparison with the wild type peptide. These results suggest that EP-39 and BVM could interact differently with the Pr55Gag lattice and that the mutation of the first SP1 residue induces a loss of interaction between Pr55Gag and EP-39.
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MicroED structures of HIV-1 Gag CTD-SP1 reveal binding interactions with the maturation inhibitor bevirimat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:13258-13263. [PMID: 30530702 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806806115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (PR) cleavage of the Gag polyprotein triggers the assembly of mature, infectious particles. Final cleavage of Gag occurs at the junction helix between the capsid protein CA and the SP1 spacer peptide. Here we used MicroED to delineate the binding interactions of the maturation inhibitor bevirimat (BVM) using very thin frozen-hydrated, 3D microcrystals of a CTD-SP1 Gag construct with and without bound BVM. The 2.9-Å MicroED structure revealed that a single BVM molecule stabilizes the six-helix bundle via both electrostatic interactions with the dimethylsuccinyl moiety and hydrophobic interactions with the pentacyclic triterpenoid ring. These results provide insight into the mechanism of action of BVM and related maturation inhibitors that will inform further drug discovery efforts. This study also demonstrates the capabilities of MicroED for structure-based drug design.
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Potempa M, Lee SK, Kurt Yilmaz N, Nalivaika EA, Rogers A, Spielvogel E, Carter CW, Schiffer CA, Swanstrom R. HIV-1 Protease Uses Bi-Specific S2/S2' Subsites to Optimize Cleavage of Two Classes of Target Sites. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:5182-5195. [PMID: 30414407 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Retroviral proteases (PRs) have a unique specificity that allows cleavage of sites with or without a P1' proline. A P1' proline is required at the MA/CA cleavage site due to its role in a post-cleavage conformational change in the capsid protein. However, the HIV-1 PR prefers to have large hydrophobic amino acids flanking the scissile bond, suggesting that PR recognizes two different classes of substrate sequences. We analyzed the cleavage rate of over 150 combinations of six different HIV-1 cleavage sites to explore rate determinants of cleavage. We found that cleavage rates are strongly influenced by the two amino acids flanking the amino acids at the scissile bond (P2-P1/P1'-P2'), with two complementary sets of rules. When P1' is proline, the P2 side chain interacts with a polar region in the S2 subsite of the PR, while the P2' amino acid interacts with a hydrophobic region of the S2' subsite. When P1' is not proline, the orientations of the P2 and P2' side chains with respect to the scissile bond are reversed; P2 residues interact with a hydrophobic face of the S2 subsite, while the P2' amino acid usually engages hydrophilic amino acids in the S2' subsite. These results reveal that the HIV-1 PR has evolved bi-functional S2 and S2' subsites to accommodate the steric effects imposed by a P1' proline on the orientation of P2 and P2' substrate side chains. These results also suggest a new strategy for inhibitor design to engage the multiple specificities in these subsites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Potempa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sook-Kyung Lee
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Nese Kurt Yilmaz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ellen A Nalivaika
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Amy Rogers
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ean Spielvogel
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Charles W Carter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Celia A Schiffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ronald Swanstrom
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Li H, Hai Y, Lim SY, Toledo N, Crecente-Campo J, Schalk D, Li L, Omange RW, Dacoba TG, Liu LR, Kashem MA, Wan Y, Liang B, Li Q, Rakasz E, Schultz-Darken N, Alonso MJ, Plummer FA, Whitney JB, Luo M. Mucosal antibody responses to vaccines targeting SIV protease cleavage sites or full-length Gag and Env proteins in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202997. [PMID: 30153293 PMCID: PMC6112674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV mutates rapidly and infects CD4+ T cells, especially when they are activated. A vaccine targeting conserved, essential viral elements while limiting CD4+ T cell activation could be effective. Learning from natural immunity observed in a group of highly HIV-1 exposed seronegative Kenyan female sex workers, we are testing a novel candidate HIV vaccine targeting the 12 viral protease cleavage sites (PCSs) (the PCS vaccine), in comparison with a vaccine targeting full-length Gag and Env (the Gag/Env vaccine) in a Mauritian cynomolgus macaque/SIV model. In this study we evaluated these vaccines for induction of mucosal antibodies to SIV immunogens at the female genital tract. Bio-Plex and Western blot analyses of cervicovaginal lavage samples showed that both the PCS and Gag/Env vaccines can elicit mucosal IgG antibody responses to SIV immunogens. Significantly higher increase of anti-PCS antibodies was induced by the PCS vaccine than by the Gag/Env vaccine (p<0.0001). The effect of the mucosal antibody responses in protection from repeated low dose pathogenic SIVmac251 challenges is being evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhao Li
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Yan Hai
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - So-Yon Lim
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Nikki Toledo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jose Crecente-Campo
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Dane Schalk
- Scientific Protocol Implementation Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Lin Li
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Robert W Omange
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Tamara G Dacoba
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Lewis R Liu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Mohammad Abul Kashem
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Yanmin Wan
- Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States of America
| | - Binhua Liang
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Qingsheng Li
- Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States of America
| | - Eva Rakasz
- Immunology Services Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Nancy Schultz-Darken
- Scientific Protocol Implementation Unit, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Maria J Alonso
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Campus Vida, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Francis A Plummer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - James B Whitney
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ma Luo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Yu FH, Wang CT. HIV-1 protease with leucine zipper fused at N-terminus exhibits enhanced linker amino acid-dependent activity. Retrovirology 2018; 15:32. [PMID: 29655366 PMCID: PMC5899837 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-018-0413-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background HIV-1 protease (PR) activation is triggered by Gag-Pol dimerization. Premature PR activation results in reduced virion yields due to enhanced Gag cleavage. A p6* transframe peptide located directly upstream of protease is believed to play a modulating role in PR activation. Previous reports indicate that the C-terminal p6* tetra-peptide prevents premature PR activation triggered by a leucine zipper (LZ) dimerization motif inserted in the deleted p6* region. To clarify the involvement of C-terminal p6* residues in mitigating enhanced LZ-incurred Gag processing, we engineered constructs containing C-terminal p6* residue substitutions with and without a mutation blocking the p6*/PR cleavage site, and created other Gag or p6* domain-removing constructs. The capabilities of these constructs to mediate virus maturation were assessed by Western blotting and single-cycle infection assays. Results p6*-PR cleavage blocking did not significantly reduce the LZ enhancement effect on Gag cleavage when only four amino acid residues were present between the p6* and PR. This suggests that the potent LZ dimerization motif may enhance PR activation by facilitating PR dimer formation, and that PR precursors may trigger sufficient enzymatic activity without breaking off from the PR N-terminus. Enhanced LZ-induced activation of PR embedded in Gag-Pol was found to be independent of the Gag assembly domain. In contrast, the LZ enhancement effect was markedly reduced when six amino acids were present at the p6*-PR junction, in part due to impaired PR maturation by substitution mutations. We also observed that a proline substitution at the P3 position eliminated the ability of p6*-deleted Gag-Pol to mediate virus maturation, thus emphasizing the importance of C-terminal p6* residues to modulating PR activation. Conclusions The ability of HIV-1 C-terminal p6* amino acid residues to modulate PR activation contributes, at least in part, to their ability to counteract enhanced Gag cleavage induced by a leucine zipper substituted for a deleted p6*. Changes in C-terminal p6* residues between LZ and PR may affect PR-mediated virus maturation, thus providing a possible method for assessing HIV-1 protease precursor activation in the context of virus assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Hsien Yu
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Tien Wang
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan.
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Mak J, de Marco A. Recent advances in retroviruses via cryo-electron microscopy. Retrovirology 2018; 15:23. [PMID: 29471854 PMCID: PMC5824478 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-018-0405-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryo-electron microscopy has undergone a revolution in recent years and it has contributed significantly to a number of different areas in biological research. In this manuscript, we will describe some of the recent advancements in cryo-electron microscopy focussing on the advantages that this technique can bring rather than on the technology. We will then conclude discussing how the field of retrovirology has benefited from cryo-electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnson Mak
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University Gold Coast, Southport, QLD, Australia
| | - Alex de Marco
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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40
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Su CTT, Kwoh CK, Verma CS, Gan SKE. Modeling the full length HIV-1 Gag polyprotein reveals the role of its p6 subunit in viral maturation and the effect of non-cleavage site mutations in protease drug resistance. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2017; 36:4366-4377. [PMID: 29237328 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2017.1417160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
HIV polyprotein Gag is increasingly found to contribute to protease inhibitor resistance. Despite its role in viral maturation and in developing drug resistance, there remain gaps in the knowledge of the role of certain Gag subunits (e.g. p6), and that of non-cleavage mutations in drug resistance. As p6 is flexible, it poses a problem for structural experiments, and is hence often omitted in experimental Gag structural studies. Nonetheless, as p6 is an indispensable component for viral assembly and maturation, we have modeled the full length Gag structure based on several experimentally determined constraints and studied its structural dynamics. Our findings suggest that p6 can mechanistically modulate Gag conformations. In addition, the full length Gag model reveals that allosteric communication between the non-cleavage site mutations and the first Gag cleavage site could possibly result in protease drug resistance, particularly in the absence of mutations in Gag cleavage sites. Our study provides a mechanistic understanding to the structural dynamics of HIV-1 Gag, and also proposes p6 as a possible drug target in anti-HIV therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinh Tran-To Su
- a Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) , Singapore 138671 , Singapore
| | - Chee-Keong Kwoh
- b School of Computer Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Chandra Shekhar Verma
- a Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) , Singapore 138671 , Singapore
| | - Samuel Ken-En Gan
- a Bioinformatics Institute , Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) , Singapore 138671 , Singapore.,c p53 Laboratory , Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) , Singapore 138648 , Singapore
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41
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Penno C, Kumari R, Baranov PV, van Sinderen D, Atkins JF. Specific reverse transcriptase slippage at the HIV ribosomal frameshift sequence: potential implications for modulation of GagPol synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:10156-10167. [PMID: 28973470 PMCID: PMC5737442 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthesis of HIV GagPol involves a proportion of ribosomes translating a U6A shift site at the distal end of the gag gene performing a programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift event to enter the overlapping pol gene. In vitro studies here show that at the same shift motif HIV reverse transcriptase generates -1 and +1 indels with their ratio being sensitive to the relative concentration ratio of dNTPs specified by the RNA template slippage-prone sequence and its 5' adjacent base. The GGG sequence 3' adjacent to the U6A shift/slippage site, which is important for ribosomal frameshifting, is shown here to limit reverse transcriptase base substitution and indel 'errors' in the run of A's in the product. The indels characterized here have either 1 more or less A, than the corresponding number of template U's. cDNA with 5 A's may yield novel Gag product(s), while cDNA with an extra base, 7 A's, may only be a minor contributor to GagPol polyprotein. Synthesis of a proportion of non-ribosomal frameshift derived GagPol would be relevant in efforts to identify therapeutically useful compounds that perturb the ratio of GagPol to Gag, and pertinent to the extent in which specific polymerase slippage is utilized in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Penno
- School of Biochemistry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Romika Kumari
- School of Biochemistry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Pavel V Baranov
- School of Biochemistry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - John F Atkins
- School of Biochemistry, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5330, USA
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Wapling J, Srivastava S, Shehu-Xhilaga M, Tachedjian G. Targeting Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Assembly, Maturation and Budding. Drug Target Insights 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/117739280700200020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Wapling
- Molecular Interactions Group, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Seema Srivastava
- Molecular Interactions Group, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Miranda Shehu-Xhilaga
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
| | - Gilda Tachedjian
- Molecular Interactions Group, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
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Binding kinetics and substrate selectivity in HIV-1 protease-Gag interactions probed at atomic resolution by chemical exchange NMR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E9855-E9862. [PMID: 29087351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1716098114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The conversion of immature noninfectious HIV-1 particles to infectious virions is dependent upon the sequential cleavage of the precursor group-specific antigen (Gag) polyprotein by HIV-1 protease. The precise mechanism whereby protease recognizes distinct Gag cleavage sites, located in the intrinsically disordered linkers connecting the globular domains of Gag, remains unclear. Here, we probe the dynamics of the interaction of large fragments of Gag and various variants of protease (including a drug resistant construct) using Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill relaxation dispersion and chemical exchange saturation transfer NMR experiments. We show that the conformational dynamics within the flaps of HIV-1 protease that form the lid over the catalytic cleft play a significant role in substrate specificity and ordered Gag processing. Rapid interconversion between closed and open protease flap conformations facilitates the formation of a transient, sparsely populated productive complex between protease and Gag substrates. Flap closure traps the Gag cleavage sites within the catalytic cleft of protease. Modulation of flap opening through protease-Gag interactions fine-tunes the lifetime of the productive complex and hence the likelihood of Gag proteolysis. A productive complex can also be formed in the presence of a noncognate substrate but is short-lived owing to lack of optimal complementarity between the active site cleft of protease and the substrate, resulting in rapid flap opening and substrate release, thereby allowing protease to differentiate between cognate and noncognate substrates.
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Allosteric HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors Lead to Premature Degradation of the Viral RNA Genome and Integrase in Target Cells. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.00821-17. [PMID: 28615207 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00821-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that inhibition of HIV-1 integrase (IN) binding to the viral RNA genome by allosteric integrase inhibitors (ALLINIs) or through mutations within IN yields aberrant particles in which the viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) are eccentrically localized outside the capsid lattice. These particles are noninfectious and are blocked at an early reverse transcription stage in target cells. However, the basis of this reverse transcription defect is unknown. Here, we show that the viral RNA genome and IN from ALLINI-treated virions are prematurely degraded in target cells, whereas reverse transcriptase remains active and stably associated with the capsid lattice. The aberrantly shaped cores in ALLINI-treated particles can efficiently saturate and be degraded by a restricting TRIM5 protein, indicating that they are still composed of capsid proteins arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Notably, the fates of viral core components follow a similar pattern in cells infected with eccentric particles generated by mutations within IN that inhibit its binding to the viral RNA genome. We propose that IN-RNA interactions allow packaging of both the viral RNA genome and IN within the protective capsid lattice to ensure subsequent reverse transcription and productive infection in target cells. Conversely, disruption of these interactions by ALLINIs or mutations in IN leads to premature degradation of both the viral RNA genome and IN, as well as the spatial separation of reverse transcriptase from the viral genome during early steps of infection.IMPORTANCE Recent evidence indicates that HIV-1 integrase (IN) plays a key role during particle maturation by binding to the viral RNA genome. Inhibition of IN-RNA interactions yields aberrant particles with the viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) eccentrically localized outside the conical capsid lattice. Although these particles contain all of the components necessary for reverse transcription, they are blocked at an early reverse transcription stage in target cells. To explain the basis of this defect, we tracked the fates of multiple viral components in infected cells. Here, we show that the viral RNA genome and IN in eccentric particles are prematurely degraded, whereas reverse transcriptase remains active and stably associated within the capsid lattice. We propose that IN-RNA interactions ensure the packaging of both vRNPs and IN within the protective capsid cores to facilitate subsequent reverse transcription and productive infection in target cells.
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45
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Appadurai R, Senapati S. How Mutations Can Resist Drug Binding yet Keep HIV-1 Protease Functional. Biochemistry 2017; 56:2907-2920. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rajeswari Appadurai
- Department of Biotechnology,
Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Sanjib Senapati
- Department of Biotechnology,
Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
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46
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C-Terminal HIV-1 Transframe p6* Tetrapeptide Blocks Enhanced Gag Cleavage Incurred by Leucine Zipper Replacement of a Deleted p6* Domain. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.00103-17. [PMID: 28250114 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00103-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (PR) functions as a homodimer mediating virus maturation following virus budding. Gag-Pol dimerization is believed to trigger embedded PR activation by promoting PR dimer formation. Early PR activation can lead to markedly reduced virus yields due to premature Gag cleavage. The p6* peptide, located between Gag and PR, is believed to ensure virus production by preventing early PR maturation. Studies aimed at finding supporting evidence for this proposal are limited due to a reading frame overlap between p6* and the p6gag budding domain. To determine if p6* affects virus production via the modulation of PR activation, we engineered multiple constructs derived from Dp6*PR (an assembly- and processing-competent construct with Pol fused at the inactivated PR C terminus). The data indicated that a p6* deletion adjacent to active PR significantly impaired virus processing. We also observed that the insertion of a leucine zipper (LZ) dimerization motif in the deleted region eliminated virus production in a PR activity-dependent manner, suggesting that the LZ insertion triggered premature PR activation by facilitating PR dimer formation. As few as four C-terminal p6* residues remaining at the p6*/PR junction were sufficient to restore virus yields, with a Gag processing profile similar to that of the wild type. Our study provides supporting evidence in a virus assembly context that the C-terminal p6* tetrapeptide plays a role in preventing premature PR maturation.IMPORTANCE Supporting evidence for the assumption that p6* retards PR maturation in the context of virus assembly is lacking. We found that replacing p6* with a leucine zipper peptide abolished virus assembly due to the significant enhancement of Gag cleavage. However, as few as four C-terminal p6* residues remaining in the deleted region were sufficient for significant PR release, as well as for counteracting leucine zipper-incurred premature Gag cleavage. Our data provide evidence that (i) p6* ensures virus assembly by preventing early PR activation and (ii) four C-terminal p6* residues are critical for modulating PR activation. Current PR inhibitor development efforts are aimed largely at mature PR, but there is a tendency for HIV-1 variants that are resistant to multiple protease inhibitors to emerge. Our data support the idea of modulating PR activation by targeting PR precursors as an alternative approach to controlling HIV-1/AIDS.
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Conserved Interaction of Lentiviral Vif Molecules with HIV-1 Gag and Differential Effects of Species-Specific Vif on Virus Production. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.00064-17. [PMID: 28122978 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00064-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The virion infectivity factor (Vif) open reading frame is conserved among most lentiviruses. Vif molecules contribute to viral replication by inactivating host antiviral factors, the APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases. However, various species of lentiviral Vif proteins have evolved different strategies for overcoming host APOBEC3. Whether different species of lentiviral Vif proteins still preserve certain common features has not been reported. Here, we show for the first time that diverse lentiviral Vif molecules maintain the ability to interact with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag precursor (Pr55Gag) polyprotein. Surprisingly, bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) Vif, but not HIV-1 Vif, interfered with HIV-1 production and viral infectivity even in the absence of APOBEC3. Further analysis revealed that BIV Vif demonstrated an enhanced interaction with Pr55Gag compared to that of HIV-1 Vif, and BIV Vif defective for the Pr55Gag interaction lost its ability to inhibit HIV-1. The C-terminal region of capsid (CA) and the p2 region of Pr55Gag, which are important for virus assembly and maturation, were involved in the interaction. Transduction of CD4+ T cells with BIV Vif blocked HIV-1 replication. Thus, the conserved Vif-Pr55Gag interaction provides a potential target for the future development of antiviral strategies.IMPORTANCE The conserved Vif accessory proteins of primate lentiviruses HIV-1, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and BIV all form ubiquitin ligase complexes to target host antiviral APOBEC3 proteins for degradation, with different cellular requirements and using different molecular mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that BIV Vif can interfere with HIV-1 Gag maturation and suppress HIV-1 replication through interaction with the precursor of the Gag (Pr55Gag) of HIV-1 in virus-producing cells. Moreover, the HIV-1 and SIV Vif proteins are conserved in terms of their interactions with HIV-1 Pr55Gag although HIV-1 Vif proteins bind Pr55Gag less efficiently than those of BIV Vif. Our research not only sheds new light on this feature of these conserved lentiviral Vif proteins but also provides a formerly unrecognized target for the development of antiviral strategies. Since increasing the Vif-Pr55Gag interaction could potentially suppress virus proliferation, this approach could offer a new strategy for the development of HIV inhibitors.
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Ning J, Erdemci-Tandogan G, Yufenyuy EL, Wagner J, Himes BA, Zhao G, Aiken C, Zandi R, Zhang P. In vitro protease cleavage and computer simulations reveal the HIV-1 capsid maturation pathway. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13689. [PMID: 27958264 PMCID: PMC5159922 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 virions assemble as immature particles containing Gag polyproteins that are processed by the viral protease into individual components, resulting in the formation of mature infectious particles. There are two competing models for the process of forming the mature HIV-1 core: the disassembly and de novo reassembly model and the non-diffusional displacive model. To study the maturation pathway, we simulate HIV-1 maturation in vitro by digesting immature particles and assembled virus-like particles with recombinant HIV-1 protease and monitor the process with biochemical assays and cryoEM structural analysis in parallel. Processing of Gag in vitro is accurate and efficient and results in both soluble capsid protein and conical or tubular capsid assemblies, seemingly converted from immature Gag particles. Computer simulations further reveal probable assembly pathways of HIV-1 capsid formation. Combining the experimental data and computer simulations, our results suggest a sequential combination of both displacive and disassembly/reassembly processes for HIV-1 maturation. Two competing models—disassembly/reassembly and displacive—have been proposed for how immature spherical HIV virions transform into mature particles with conical cores. Here the authors provide evidence that both disassembly/reassembly and displacive processes occur sequentially during the maturation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiying Ning
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Gonca Erdemci-Tandogan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Ernest L Yufenyuy
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Jef Wagner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Benjamin A Himes
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Gongpu Zhao
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Christopher Aiken
- Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Roya Zandi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,Division of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.,Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Sources, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
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49
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Castro E, Martinez ZS, Seong CS, Cabrera-Espinoza A, Ruiz M, Hernandez Garcia A, Valdez F, Llano M, Echegoyen L. Characterization of New Cationic N,N-Dimethyl[70]fulleropyrrolidinium Iodide Derivatives as Potent HIV-1 Maturation Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2016; 59:10963-10973. [PMID: 28002960 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 maturation can be impaired by altering protease (PR) activity, the structure of the Gag-Pol substrate, or the molecular interactions of viral structural proteins. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of new cationic N,N-dimethyl[70]fulleropyrrolidinium iodide derivatives that inhibit more than 99% of HIV-1 infectivity at low micromolar concentrations. Analysis of the HIV-1 life cycle indicated that these compounds inhibit viral maturation by impairing Gag and Gag-Pol processing. Importantly, fullerene derivatives 2a-c did not inhibit in vitro PR activity and strongly interacted with HIV immature capsid protein in pull-down experiments. Furthermore, these compounds potently blocked infectivity of viruses harboring mutant PR that are resistant to multiple PR inhibitors or mutant Gag proteins that confer resistance to the maturation inhibitor Bevirimat. Collectively, our studies indicate fullerene derivatives 2a-c as potent and novel HIV-1 maturation inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edison Castro
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, CCSB #3.0302, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Zachary S Martinez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Chang-Soo Seong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Andrea Cabrera-Espinoza
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, CCSB #3.0302, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Mauro Ruiz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, CCSB #3.0302, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Andrea Hernandez Garcia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, CCSB #3.0302, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Federico Valdez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Manuel Llano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Luis Echegoyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso , 500 West University Avenue, CCSB #3.0302, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
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50
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Lin Z, Cantone J, Lu H, Nowicka-Sans B, Protack T, Yuan T, Yang H, Liu Z, Drexler D, Regueiro-Ren A, Meanwell NA, Cockett M, Krystal M, Lataillade M, Dicker IB. Mechanistic Studies and Modeling Reveal the Origin of Differential Inhibition of Gag Polymorphic Viruses by HIV-1 Maturation Inhibitors. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005990. [PMID: 27893830 PMCID: PMC5125710 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 maturation inhibitors (MIs) disrupt the final step in the HIV-1 protease-mediated cleavage of the Gag polyprotein between capsid p24 capsid (CA) and spacer peptide 1 (SP1), leading to the production of infectious virus. BMS-955176 is a second generation MI with improved antiviral activity toward polymorphic Gag variants compared to a first generation MI bevirimat (BVM). The underlying mechanistic reasons for the differences in polymorphic coverage were studied using antiviral assays, an LC/MS assay that quantitatively characterizes CA/SP1 cleavage kinetics of virus like particles (VLPs) and a radiolabel binding assay to determine VLP/MI affinities and dissociation kinetics. Antiviral assay data indicates that BVM does not achieve 100% inhibition of certain polymorphs, even at saturating concentrations. This results in the breakthrough of infectious virus (partial antagonism) regardless of BVM concentration. Reduced maximal percent inhibition (MPI) values for BVM correlated with elevated EC50 values, while rates of HIV-1 protease cleavage at CA/SP1 correlated inversely with the ability of BVM to inhibit HIV-1 Gag polymorphic viruses: genotypes with more rapid CA/SP1 cleavage kinetics were less sensitive to BVM. In vitro inhibition of wild type VLP CA/SP1 cleavage by BVM was not maintained at longer cleavage times. BMS-955176 exhibited greatly improved MPI against polymorphic Gag viruses, binds to Gag polymorphs with higher affinity/longer dissociation half-lives and exhibits greater time-independent inhibition of CA/SP1 cleavage compared to BVM. Virological (MPI) and biochemical (CA/SP1 cleavage rates, MI-specific Gag affinities) data were used to create an integrated semi-quantitative model that quantifies CA/SP1 cleavage rates as a function of both MI and Gag polymorph. The model outputs are in accord with in vitro antiviral observations and correlate with observed in vivo MI efficacies. Overall, these findings may be useful to further understand antiviral profiles and clinical responses of MIs at a basic level, potentially facilitating further improvements to MI potency and coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Lin
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Joseph Cantone
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Hao Lu
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Beata Nowicka-Sans
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Tricia Protack
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Tian Yuan
- Discovery Chemistry Platforms, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Hong Yang
- Discovery Chemistry Platforms, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Zheng Liu
- Discovery Chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Dieter Drexler
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Alicia Regueiro-Ren
- Discovery Chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nicholas A. Meanwell
- Discovery Chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Mark Cockett
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Mark Krystal
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Max Lataillade
- Global Clinical Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Ira B. Dicker
- Departments of Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail: ,
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