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Galvez NMS, Sheehan ML, Lin AZ, Cao Y, Lam EC, Jackson AM, Balazs AB. QuickFit: A High-Throughput RT-qPCR-Based Assay to Quantify Viral Growth and Fitness In Vitro. Viruses 2024; 16:1320. [PMID: 39205294 PMCID: PMC11360610 DOI: 10.3390/v16081320] [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: 07/22/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Quantifying viral growth rates is key to understanding evolutionary dynamics and the potential for mutants to escape antiviral drugs. Defining evolutionary escape paths and their impact on viral fitness allows for the development of drugs that are resistant to escape. In the case of HIV, combination antiretroviral therapy can successfully prevent or treat infection, but it relies on strict adherence to prevent escape. Here, we present a method termed QuickFit that enables the quantification of viral fitness by employing large numbers of parallel viral cultures to measure growth rates accurately. QuickFit consistently recapitulated HIV growth measurements obtained by traditional approaches, but with significantly higher throughput and lower rates of error. This method represents a promising tool for rapid and consistent evaluation of viral fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Alejandro B. Balazs
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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2
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Molina MA, Vink M, Berkhout B, Herrera-Carrillo E. In-house ELISA protocols for capsid p24 detection of diverse HIV isolates. Virol J 2023; 20:269. [PMID: 37978551 PMCID: PMC10656996 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02242-5] [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: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The capsid p24 (CA-p24) antigen is a component of the viral capsid of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that has been commonly used for clinical diagnosis and monitoring of HIV infections in Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs). Commercial CA-p24 ELISAs are widely used in research settings, but these kits are costly and have limited breadth for detecting diverse HIV isolates. METHODS Commercial CA-p24 antibodies were used as capture and detection antibodies. Specific CA-p24 ELISAs were established with these antibodies and tested for the detection of HIV-1 isolates with the aim of developing in-house protocols to recognize HIV-1 infections in vitro for research purposes. RESULTS Here we present four protocols for in-house ELISAs to detect HIV CA-p24 using commercial antibodies. The assays were able to detect the CA-p24 antigen of different HIV-1 isolates tested. Comparison between the protocols showed that these in-house ELISAs exhibit high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility for CA-p24 quantitation but their reactivity varied per HIV-1 isolate and subtype. CONCLUSIONS These optimized ELISA protocols represent valuable tools to investigate HIV-1 infections in research facilities at a lower price than commercial CA-p24 kits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano A Molina
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC Location, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Vink
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC Location, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ben Berkhout
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC Location, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Herrera-Carrillo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Amsterdam UMC, AMC Location, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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3
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Chopra A, Bauman JD, Ruiz FX, Arnold E. Halo Library, a Tool for Rapid Identification of Ligand Binding Sites on Proteins Using Crystallographic Fragment Screening. J Med Chem 2023; 66:6013-6024. [PMID: 37115705 PMCID: PMC10184123 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
X-ray crystallographic fragment screening (XCFS) uses fragment-sized molecules (∼60 to 300 Da) to access binding sites on proteins that may be inaccessible to larger drug-like molecules (>300 Da). Previous studies have shown that fragments containing halogen atoms bind more often to proteins than non-halogenated fragments. Here, we designed the Halo Library containing 46 halogenated fragments (including the "universal fragment" 4-bromopyrazole), a majority of which have been reported to bind to or inhibit one or more targets. The library was screened against the crystals of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with the drug rilpivirine, yielding an overall hit rate of 26%. Two new binding sites were discovered, and several hot spots were identified. This small library may thus provide a convenient tool for rapidly assessing the feasibility of a target for XCFS, mapping hot spots and cryptic sites, as well as finding fragment binders that can be useful for developing drug leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashima Chopra
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Joseph D Bauman
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Francesc X Ruiz
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Eddy Arnold
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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Troyano-Hernáez P, Reinosa R, Holguín Á. HIV Capsid Protein Genetic Diversity Across HIV-1 Variants and Impact on New Capsid-Inhibitor Lenacapavir. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:854974. [PMID: 35495642 PMCID: PMC9039614 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.854974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV p24 capsid protein has an essential, structural, and functional role in the viral replication cycle, being an interesting target for vaccine design, diagnostic tests, and new antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). The HIV-1 variability poses a challenge for the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostic and treatment tools. This study analyzes p24 diversity among HIV-1 variants and within its secondary structure in HIV-1 M, O, P, and N groups. All available HIV-1 p24 nucleotide sequences were downloaded from the Los Alamos HIV Sequence Database, selecting 23,671 sequences belonging to groups O, N, P, and M (9 subtypes, 7 sub-sub types, and 109 circulating recombinant forms or CRFs). Using a bioinformatics tool developed in our laboratory (EpiMolBio program), we analyzed the amino acid conservation compared to the HXB2 subtype B reference sequence and the V-markers, or amino acid changes that were specific for each variant with at least 10 available sequences. We inferred the p24 consensus sequence for HIV-1 and for each group to analyze the overall conservation in p24 main structural regions, reporting the percentage of substitutions per variant affecting the capsid assembly and molecule-binding, including those associated with resistance to the new capsid-inhibitor lenacapavir, and the key residues involved in lenacapavir-p24 interaction, according to the bibliography. Although the overall structure of p24 was highly conserved, the conservation in the secondary structure varied between HIV-1 variants and the type of secondary structure. All HIV-1 variants presented >80% amino acid conservation vs. HXB2 reference sequence, except for group M sub-subtype F1 (69.27%). Mutants affecting the capsid assembly or lenacapavir capsid-binding were found in <1% of the p24 consensus sequence. Our study reports the HIV-1 variants carrying 14 unique single V-markers in 9/38 group M variants and the level of p24 conservation in each secondary structure region among the 4 HIV-1 groups and group M variants, revealing no natural resistance to lenacapavir in any HIV-1 variant. We present a thorough analysis of p24 variability among all HIV-1 variants circulating to date. Since p24 genetic variability can impact the viral replication cycle and the efficacy of new p24-based diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccine strategies, conservation studies must consider all HIV-1 variants circulating worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Troyano-Hernáez
- HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Red en Investigación Translacional en Infecciones Pediátricas (RITIP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Reinosa
- HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Red en Investigación Translacional en Infecciones Pediátricas (RITIP), Madrid, Spain
| | - África Holguín
- HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Red en Investigación Translacional en Infecciones Pediátricas (RITIP), Madrid, Spain
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Ekpenyong ME, Adegoke AA, Edoho ME, Inyang UG, Udo IJ, Ekaidem IS, Osang F, Uto NP, Geoffery JI. Collaborative Mining of Whole Genome Sequences for Intelligent HIV-1 Sub-Strain(s) Discovery. Curr HIV Res 2022; 20:163-183. [PMID: 35142269 DOI: 10.2174/1570162x20666220210142209] [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: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective global antiretroviral vaccines and therapeutic strategies depend on the diversity, evolution, and epidemiology of their various strains as well as their transmission and pathogenesis. Most viral disease-causing particles are clustered into a taxonomy of subtypes to suggest pointers toward nucleotide-specific vaccines or therapeutic applications of clinical significance sufficient for sequence-specific diagnosis and homologous viral studies. These are very useful to formulate predictors to induce cross-resistance to some retroviral control drugs being used across study areas. OBJECTIVE This research proposed a collaborative framework of hybridized (Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing) techniques to discover hidden genome patterns and feature predictors, for HIV-1 genome sequences mining. METHOD 630 human HIV-1 genome sequences above 8500 bps were excavated from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) for 21 countries across different continents, Antarctica exempt. These sequences were transformed and learned using a self-organizing map (SOM). To discriminate emerging/new sub-strain(s), the HIV-1 reference genome was included as part of the input isolates/samples during the training. After training the SOM, component planes defining pattern clusters of the input datasets were generated, for cognitive knowledge mining and subsequent labelling of the datasets. Additional genome features including dinucleotide transmission recurrences, codon recurrences, and mutation recurrences, were finally extracted from the raw genomes to construct output classification targets for supervised learning. RESULTS SOM training explains the inherent pattern diversity of HIV-1 genomes as well as inter- and intra-country transmissions in which mobility might play an active role, as corroborated by literature. Nine sub-strains were discovered after disassembling the SOM correlation hunting matrix space attributed to disparate clusters. Cognitive knowledge mining separated similar pattern clusters bounded by a certain degree of correlation range, discovered by the SOM. A Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test showed statistically significant variations in dinucleotide, codon, and mutation patterns. CONCLUSION Results of the discovered sub-strains and response clusters visualizations corroborate existing literature, with significant haplotype variations. The proposed framework would assist in the development of decision support systems for easy contact tracing, infectious disease surveillance, and studying the progressive evolution of the reference HIV-1 genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses E Ekpenyong
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- Centre for Research and Development, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Anthony A Adegoke
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Mercy E Edoho
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Udoinyang G Inyang
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Ifiok J Udo
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Itemobong S Ekaidem
- Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Francis Osang
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, National Open University, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Nseobong P Uto
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph I Geoffery
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
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Computational Design of Epitope-Enriched HIV-1 Gag Antigens with Preserved Structure and Function for Induction of Broad CD8 + T Cell Responses. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11264. [PMID: 30050069 PMCID: PMC6062507 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29435-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The partially protective phenotype observed in HIV-infected long-term-non-progressors is often associated with certain HLA alleles, thus indicating that cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses play a crucial role in combating virus replication. However, both the vast variability of HIV and the HLA diversity impose a challenge on elicitation of broad and effective CTL responses. Therefore, we conceived an algorithm for the enrichment of CD8+ T cell epitopes in HIV’s Gag protein, respecting functional preservation to enable cross-presentation. Experimentally identified epitopes were compared to a Gag reference sequence. Amino-acid-substitutions (AAS) were assessed for their impact on Gag’s budding-function using a trained classifier that considers structural models and sequence conservation. Experimental assessment of Gag-variants harboring selected AAS demonstrated an apparent classifier-precision of 100%. Compatible epitopes were assigned an immunological score that incorporates features such as conservation or HLA-association in a user-defined weighted manner. Using a genetic algorithm, the epitopes were incorporated in an iterative manner into novel T-cell-epitope-enriched Gag sequences (TeeGag). Computational evaluation showed that these antigen candidates harbor a higher fraction of epitopes with higher score as compared to natural Gag isolates and other artificial antigen designs. Thus, these designer sequences qualify as next-generation antigen candidates for induction of broader CTL responses.
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Bes M, Piron M, Casamitjana N, Gregori J, Esteban JI, Ribera E, Quer J, Puig L, Sauleda S. Epidemiological trends of HIV-1 infection in blood donors from Catalonia, Spain (2005-2014). Transfusion 2017; 57:2164-2173. [PMID: 28681400 DOI: 10.1111/trf.14195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) subtype B is predominant in Spain. However, the recent arrival of immigrant populations has increased the prevalence of non-B subtypes and circulating recombinant forms. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV-1 subtypes and transmitted drug-resistance mutations in blood donors from the Catalonian region (northeastern Spain). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS HIV-1-positive blood donors identified in Catalonia from 2005 to 2014 were included. Demographic variables and risk factors for HIV-1 acquisition were recorded. HIV-1 subtyping was carried out by HIV-1 DNA polymerase region sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses were performed using the neighbor-joining method. RESULTS During the study period, 2.8 million blood donations were screened, and 214 HIV-1-positive donors were identified, yielding an overall prevalence of 7.7 per 100,000 donations (89% men; mean age, 34 ± 10 years). Most HIV-1-positive donors were native to Spain (81%), and 61% were regular blood donors. When risk factors were known, 62% reportedly were men who had sex with men. HIV-1 subtyping was possible in 176 HIV-1-positive individuals: 143 (81%) had HIV-1 subtype B, and 33 (19%) had non-B subtypes. Most HIV-1 non-B subtypes were circulating recombinant forms (n = 20; 61%). Factors associated with HIV-1 subtype B were male sex (p = 0.007) and men who had sex with men (p < 0.001). The overall prevalence of transmitted drug-resistance mutations was 14%. CONCLUSION Non-B subtypes, circulating recombinant forms, and transmitted drug-resistance mutation sequences circulate among HIV-1-positive blood donors in Catalonia. Continuous local epidemiological surveillance is required to implement optimal prevention strategies for controlling transfusion-transmitted HIV and to improve health policies regarding HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Bes
- Transfusion Safety Laboratory, Banc de Sang i Teixits, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Piron
- Transfusion Safety Laboratory, Banc de Sang i Teixits, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain
| | - Natàlia Casamitjana
- Transfusion Safety Laboratory, Banc de Sang i Teixits, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Gregori
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain.,Liver Unit, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Malalties Hepàtiques, Vall d'Hebron Institut Recerca Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (VHIR-HUVH), Barcelona, Spain.,Roche Diagnostics, Sant Cugat, Spain
| | - Juan Ignacio Esteban
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain.,Liver Unit, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Malalties Hepàtiques, Vall d'Hebron Institut Recerca Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (VHIR-HUVH), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
| | - Esteban Ribera
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.,Infectious Disease Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Quer
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain.,Liver Unit, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Malalties Hepàtiques, Vall d'Hebron Institut Recerca Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (VHIR-HUVH), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lluís Puig
- Transfusion Safety Laboratory, Banc de Sang i Teixits, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sílvia Sauleda
- Transfusion Safety Laboratory, Banc de Sang i Teixits, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain
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