Abstract
The antiviral factor tripartite interaction motif 5α (Trim5α) restricts a broad range of retroviruses in a species-specific manner. Although human Trim5α is unable to block HIV-1 infection in human cells, a modest inhibition of HIV-1 replication has been reported. Recently two polymorphisms in the Trim5 gene (H43Y and R136Q) were shown to affect the antiviral activity of Trim5α in vitro. In this study, participants of the Amsterdam Cohort studies were screened for polymorphisms at amino acid residue 43 and 136 of the Trim5 gene, and the potential effects of these polymorphisms on the clinical course of HIV-1 infection were analyzed. In agreement with the reported decreased antiviral activity of Trim5α that contains a Y at amino acid residue 43 in vitro, an accelerated disease progression was observed for individuals who were homozygous for the 43Y genotype as compared to individuals who were heterozygous or homozygous for the 43H genotype. A protective effect of the 136Q genotype was observed but only after the emergence of CXCR4-using (X4) HIV-1 variants and when a viral load of 104.5 copies per ml plasma was used as an endpoint in survival analysis. Interestingly, naive CD4 T cells, which are selectively targeted by X4 HIV-1, revealed a significantly higher expression of Trim5α than memory CD4 T cells. In addition, we observed that the 136Q allele in combination with the −2GG genotype in the 5′UTR was associated with an accelerated disease progression. Thus, polymorphisms in the Trim5 gene may influence the clinical course of HIV-1 infection also underscoring the antiviral effect of Trim5α on HIV-1 in vivo.
Highlights
The susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and subsequent disease progression is highly variable between individuals
The clinical course of HIV-1 infection is highly variable between individuals, and host genetic variations may at least account for part of these differences
We analyzed the effect of these polymorphisms on the clinical course of HIV-1 infection in participants of the Amsterdam Cohort studies
Summary
The susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and subsequent disease progression is highly variable between individuals. Variations in genes involved in innate immunity may contribute to the differential susceptibility of humans to HIV-1 infection and the highly variable outcome of the disease. Human Trim5a efficiently blocks N-tropic MLV and equine infectious anaemia virus, but is much less efficient in restricting HIV-1 replication. This indicates that HIV-1 has at least partially adapted to the human variant of this restriction factor. The emergence of the escape variants was preceded by a prolonged asymptomatic phase, indicating that Trim5a mediated suppression of viral replication plays a role in HIV-1 pathogenesis
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