Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 NL4-3 Research Articles

Residues T48 and A49 in HIV-1 NL4-3 Nef are responsible for the counteraction of autophagy initiation, which prevents the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of Gag through autophagosomes

BackgroundAutophagy plays an important role as a cellular defense mechanism against intracellular pathogens, like viruses. Specifically, autophagy orchestrates the recruitment of specialized cargo, including viral components needed for replication, for lysosomal degradation. In addition to this primary role, the cleavage of viral structures facilitates their association with pattern recognition receptors and MHC-I/II complexes, which assists in the modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses against these pathogens. Importantly, whereas autophagy restricts the replicative capacity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), this virus has evolved the gene nef to circumvent this process through the inhibition of early and late stages of the autophagy cascade. Despite recent advances, many details of the mutual antagonism between HIV-1 and autophagy still remain unknown. Here, we uncover the genetic determinants that drive the autophagy-mediated restriction of HIV-1 as well as the counteraction imposed by Nef. Additionally, we also examine the implications of autophagy antagonism in HIV-1 infectivity.ResultsWe found that sustained activation of autophagy potently inhibits HIV-1 replication through the degradation of HIV-1 Gag, and that this effect is more prominent for nef-deficient viruses. Gag re-localizes to autophagosomes where it interacts with the autophagosome markers LC3 and SQSTM1. Importantly, autophagy-mediated recognition and recruitment of Gag requires the myristoylation and ubiquitination of this virus protein, two post-translational modifications that are essential for Gag’s central role in virion assembly and budding. We also identified residues T48 and A49 in HIV-1 NL4-3 Nef as responsible for impairing the early stages of autophagy. Finally, a survey of pandemic HIV-1 transmitted/founder viruses revealed that these isolates are highly resistant to autophagy restriction.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that autophagy antagonism is important for virus replication and suggests that the ability of Nef to counteract autophagy may have played an important role in mucosal transmission. Hence, disabling Nef in combination with the pharmacological manipulation of autophagy represents a promising strategy to prevent HIV spread.

Ubiquitin E3 Ligase c-Cbl Is a Host Negative Regulator of Nef Protein of HIV-1.

Nef is an accessory protein encoded by human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) and plays important roles in regulating HIV-1 infection and viral replication. Interestingly, HIV-1 Nef can promote degradation of numerous host proteins to disrupt cellular antiviral immune response. However, how HIV-1 Nef is degraded by host factors remains largely unexplored. Here, we identified c-Cbl as a host ubiquitin E3 ligase of HIV-1 Nef. We found that c-Cbl interacts with Nef and reduces protein levels of HIV-1 Nef. Further studies demonstrated that c-Cbl promoted Lys48-linked polyubiquitination of HIV-1 Nef, thus attenuating protein stability of HIV-1 Nef. Importantly, cellular c-Cbl ubiquitinated and degraded Nef proteins produced by HIV-1 NL4-3 virions, and ultimately attenuated HIV-1 virulence for infection of THP1 cells. This study reveals a ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation mechanism of HIV-1 Nef protein, and could provide potential strategies for fighting against HIV-1.

The C-terminal sequence of IFITM1 regulates its anti-HIV-1 activity.

The interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) proteins inhibit a wide range of viruses. We previously reported the inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strain BH10 by human IFITM1, 2 and 3. It is unknown whether other HIV-1 strains are similarly inhibited by IFITMs and whether there exists viral countermeasure to overcome IFITM inhibition. We report here that the HIV-1 NL4-3 strain (HIV-1NL4-3) is not restricted by IFITM1 and its viral envelope glycoprotein is partly responsible for this insensitivity. However, HIV-1NL4-3 is profoundly inhibited by an IFITM1 mutant, known as Δ(117–125), which is deleted of 9 amino acids at the C-terminus. In contrast to the wild type IFITM1, which does not affect HIV-1 entry, the Δ(117–125) mutant diminishes HIV-1NL4-3 entry by 3-fold. This inhibition correlates with the predominant localization of Δ(117–125) to the plasma membrane where HIV-1 entry occurs. In spite of strong conservation of IFITM1 among most species, mouse IFITM1 is 19 amino acids shorter at its C-terminus as compared to human IFITM1 and, like the human IFITM1 mutant Δ(117–125), mouse IFITM1 also inhibits HIV-1 entry. This is the first report illustrating the role of viral envelope protein in overcoming IFITM1 restriction. The results also demonstrate the importance of the C-terminal region of IFITM1 in modulating the antiviral function through controlling protein subcellular localization.

Identification of Essential cis Element in 5'UTR of Nef mRNA for Nef Translation

Nef is one of the accessory proteins of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Nef is translated from multiple-spliced mRNAs transcribed from the viral genome, whose mRNAs have a relatively long 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Here, we identified a cis element in the 5'UTR of Nef mRNA essential for efficient Nef translation, which was named the Nef-translation essential region (NER). Mutants with a deleted NER in the 5'UTR of the HIV-1 NL4-3 strain showed an almost undetectable Nef expression owing to a low Nef translation efficiency. The NER of the NL4-3 strain was predicted to form putative stem loops. Although the 5'UTR showed significant but relatively low internal ribosome entry site (IRES) activity, the mechanism of 5'cap-dependent translation mainly contributed to the Nef translation from its Nef mRNA. Altogether, it was clarified that not only the 5' cap but also the NER in the 5'UTR is an essential cis element for efficient Nef translation, which is not a typical 5'-cap-dependent mechanism, and that there must be an as yet unknown mechanism using the NER for efficient Nef translation.

Natural Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the 3′ Region of the HIV-1 pol Gene Modulate Viral Replication Ability

We previously showed that prototype macaque-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) acquired nonsynonymous growth-enhancing mutations within a narrow genomic region during the adaptation process in macaque cells. These adaptive mutations were clustered in the 3' region of the pol gene, encoding a small portion of the C-terminal domain of integrase (IN). Mutations in HIV-1 IN have been reported to have pleiotropic effects on both the early and late phases in viral replication. cis-acting functions in the IN-coding sequence for viral gene expression have also been reported. We here demonstrated that the adaptive mutations promoted viral growth by increasing virion production with no positive effects on the early replication phase. Synonymous codon alterations in one of the adaptive mutations influenced virion production levels, which suggested nucleotide-dependent regulation. Indeed, when the single-nucleotide natural polymorphisms observed in the 3' regions of 196 HIV-1/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVcpz) pol genes (nucleotides [nt] 4895 to 4929 for HIV-1 NL4-3) were introduced into macaque- and human-tropic HIV-1 clones, more than half exhibited altered replication potentials. Moreover, single-nucleotide mutations caused parallel increases or decreases in the expression levels of viral late proteins and viral replication potentials. We also showed that the overall expression profiles of viral mRNAs were markedly changed by single-nucleotide mutations. These results demonstrate that the 3' region of the HIV-1 pol gene (nt 4895 to 4929) can alter viral replication potential by modulating the expression pattern of viral mRNAs in a nucleotide-dependent manner. Viruses have the plasticity to adapt themselves under various constraints. HIV-1 can mutate and evolve in growth-restrictive cells by acquiring adaptive changes in its genome. We have previously identified some growth-enhancing mutations in a narrow region of the IN-coding sequence, in which a number of cis-acting elements are located. We now focus on the virological significance of this pol gene region and the mechanistic basis underlying its effects on viral replication. We have found several naturally occurring synonymous mutations within this region that alter viral replication potentials. The effects caused by these natural single-nucleotide polymorphisms are linked to the definite expression patterns of viral mRNAs. We show here that the nucleotide sequence of the pol gene (nucleotides 4895 to 4929 for HIV-1 NL4-3) plays an important role in HIV-1 replication by modulating viral gene expression.

Cytokines regulate HIV-1 replication and lymphocyte apoptosis in vitro

Aim. To study the ability of cytokines - interleukin-2, interleukin-7 and tumor necrosis factor alpha to induce human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication and lymphocyte apoptosis in vitro. Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclears were separated by centrifugation on a ficoll paque solution specific density gradient. Lymphocytes were cultivated in RPMI 1640 medium with addition of L-glutamine, embryonal bovine serum, antibiotics and cytokines (interleukines-2, -4, -7, tumor necrosis factor alpha). To infect the lymphocytes, a laboratory strain of HIV-1 NL4-3 (NIH ResReag. Prog., USA) was used. HIV-1 replication was assessed by р24gag viral protein level in culture supernatants (ELISA) and its cytozolic level in lymphocytes (flow cytometry). Lymphocyte apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry using the following parameters: (1) decrease of transmembrane mitochondrial potential; (2) increase in phosphatidyl serine molecules expression. Lymphocyte activation was assessed by CD25 and HLA-DR molecules expression (flow cytometry). Results. Cytokines induce the HIV-1 replication in lymphocytes in vitro. HIV-1 replication was noted only if inactivated lymphocytes were present in the culture. At the same time, lymphocytes not expressing the classical activation markers (CD25 and HLA-DR) were present among the lymphocytes producing HIV-1 indicating the possible alternative mechanism of HIV-1 replication, not dependent on cell activation. This fact might also be an evidence of viral replication processes in the pool of latently-infected lymphocytes, not expressing the classic activation markers. The abovementioned cytokines promote apoptotic death of uninfected lymphocytes in vitro, backing up the infected cells viability and thus promoting HIV-1 replication. Conclusion. Cytokines (interleukines-2, -4, -7, tumor necrosis factor alpha) which are known as factors supporting the immune system homeostasis and immune response formation, might also play a negative role in HIV-1 pathogenesis - induce HIV-1 replication in lymphocytes and, probably, lead to reactivation of the pool of latently-infected lymphocytes, deepening the lymphopenia and leading to disease progression.

Replacement of the V3 Domain in the Surface Subunit of the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Glycoprotein with the Equivalent Region of a T Cell-Tropic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Results in a Chimeric Surface Protein That Efficiently Binds to CXCR4

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and the T cell-tropic strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) share the use of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 for cell entry. To study this process further we developed a cell surface binding assay based on the expression of a soluble version of the FIV SU C-terminally tagged with the influenza virus hemagglutinin epitope (HA). The specificity of the assay was demonstrated by the following evidence: (1) the SU-HA protein bound to HeLa cells that express CXCR4 but not to MDCK cells that lack this chemokine receptor; and (2) binding of the SU-HA to HeLa cells was blocked by incubation with the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 as well as with the anti-CXCR4 monoclonal antibody (MAb) 12G5. Deletion of the V3 region from the FIV SU glycoprotein abolished its ability to bind CXCR4-expressing cells. Remarkably, substitution of the V3 domain of the FIV SU by the equivalent region of the HIV-1 NL4-3 isolate resulted in efficient cell surface binding of the chimeric SU protein to CXCR4. Moreover, transfection of MDCK cells with a plasmid encoding human CXCR4 allowed the association of the chimeric SU-HA glycoprotein to the transfected cells. Interestingly, while cell binding of the chimeric FIV-HIV SU was inhibited by an anti-HIV-1 V3 MAb, its association with CXCR4 was found to be resistant to AMD3100. Of note, the chimeric FIV-HIV Env glycoprotein was capable of promoting CXCR4-dependent cell-to-cell fusion.

A Variant Macaque-Tropic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Is Resistant to Alpha Interferon-Induced Restriction in Pig-Tailed Macaque CD4+T Cells

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antagonizes innate restriction factors in order to infect and persistently replicate in a host. In a previous study, we demonstrated that HIV-1 NL4-3 with a simian immunodeficiency virus mne (SIVmne) vif gene substitution (HSIV-vif-NL4-3) could infect and replicate in pig-tailed macaques (PTM), indicating that APOBEC3 proteins are primary barriers to transmission. Because viral replication was persistent but low, we hypothesized that HSIV-vif-NL4-3 may be suppressed by type I interferons (IFN-I), which are known to upregulate the expression of innate restriction factors. Here, we demonstrate that IFN-α more potently suppresses HSIV-vif-NL4-3 in PTM CD4(+) T cells than it does pathogenic SIVmne027. Importantly, we identify a variant (HSIV-vif-Yu2) that is resistant to IFN-α, indicating that the IFN-α-induced barrier can be overcome by HSIV-vif chimeras in PTM CD4(+) T cells. Interestingly, HSIV-vif-Yu2 and HSIV-vif-NL4-3 are similarly restricted by PTM BST2/Tetherin, and neither virus downregulates it from the surface of infected PTM CD4(+) T cells. Resistance to IFN-α-induced restriction appears to be conferred by a determinant in HSIV-vif-Yu2 that includes env su. Finally, we show that the Yu-2 env su allele may overcome an IFN-α-induced barrier to entry. Together, our data demonstrate that the prototype macaque-tropic HIV-1 clones based on NL4-3 may not sufficiently antagonize innate restriction in PTM cells. However, variants with resistance to IFN-α-induced restriction factors in PTM CD4(+) T cells may enhance viral replication by overcoming a barrier early in the viral replication cycle.

A sensitive real-time PCR based assay to estimate the impact of amino acid substitutions on the competitive replication fitness of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in cell culture

Fixation of mutations in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), such as those conferring drug resistance and immune escape, can result in a change in replication fitness. To assess these changes, a real-time TaqMan PCR detection assay and statistical methods for data analysis were developed to estimate sensitively relative viral fitness in competitive viral replication experiments in cell culture. Chimeric viruses with the gene of interest in an HIV-1NL4-3 backbone were constructed in two forms, vifA (native vif gene in NL4-3) and vifB (vif gene with six synonymous nucleotide differences from vifA). Subsequently, mutations of interest were introduced into the chimeric viruses in NL4-3VifA backbones, and the mutants were competed against the chimera with the isogenic viral sequence in the NL4-3VifB backbone in cell culture. In order to assess subtle fitness differences, culture supernatants were sampled longitudinally, and the viruses differentially quantified using vifA- and vifB-specific primers in real-time PCR assays. Based on an exponential net growth model, the growth rate of each virus was determined and the fitness cost of the mutation(s) distinguishing the two viruses represented as the net growth rate difference between the mutant and the native variants. Using this assay, the fitness impact of eight amino acid substitutions was quantitated at highly conserved sites in HIV-1 Gag and Env.

Rhesus M1.3S Cells Suitable for Biological Evaluation of Macaque-Tropic HIV/SIV Clones

Rhesus M1.3S Cells Suitable for Biological Evaluation of Macaque-Tropic HIV/SIV Clones

HIV-1 Variants from a Perinatal Transmission Pair Demonstrate Similar Genetic and Replicative Properties in Tonsillar Tissues and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can be acquired through oropharyngeal tissues in breastfeeding infants. Efforts to better understand the determinants of breast milk transmission are hampered by the lack of a relevant oral human mucosa model and well-defined breast milk-derived viruses. This study used human ex vivo palatine tonsil tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to characterize the genetic, biological, and replicative properties of HIV-1 variants obtained from a perinatal transmission pair. Unique viral populations from maternal breast milk and infant blood were identified by gp120 V1-V2- and V3-specific heteroduplex tracking assays (HTAs). Full-length infectious recombinant viruses, containing a common HIV-1 NL4-3 genetic background, were generated with V1-V3 gp120 fragments from maternal and infant isolates representing the major viral populations identified in the HTAs. The resulting recombinant viruses used the CCR5 coreceptor, were nonsyncytium forming, and demonstrated replication properties similar to those of parental and control viruses in PBMCs and tonsillar explants. These findings indicate that viruses from breast milk cells and infant blood can infect PBMCs and tonsil tissues. The maternal and infant HIV-1 viruses detailed here will provide useful tools for defining the viral and host factors that contribute to HIV breastfeeding transmission.

Identification and Characterization of UK-201844, a Novel Inhibitor That Interferes with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gp160 Processing

More than 10(6) compounds were evaluated in a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) high-throughput antiviral screen, resulting in the identification of a novel HIV-1 inhibitor (UK-201844). UK-201844 exhibited antiviral activity against HIV-1 NL4-3 in MT-2 and PM1 cells, with 50% effective concentrations of 1.3 and 2.7 microM, respectively, but did not exhibit measurable antiviral activity against the closely related HIV-1 IIIB laboratory strain. UK-201844 specifically inhibited the production of infectious virions packaged with an HIV-1 envelope (Env), but not HIV virions packaged with a heterologous Env (i.e., the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein), suggesting that the compound targets HIV-1 Env late in infection. Subsequent antiviral assays using HIV-1 NL4-3/IIIB chimeric viruses showed that HIV-1 Env sequences were critical determinants of UK-201844 susceptibility. Consistent with this, in vitro resistant-virus studies revealed that amino acid substitutions in HIV-1 Env are sufficient to confer resistance to UK-201844. Western analysis of HIV Env proteins expressed in transfected cells or in isolated virions showed that UK-201844 inhibited HIV-1 gp160 processing, resulting in the production of virions with nonfunctional Env glycoproteins. Our results demonstrate that UK-201844 represents the prototype for a unique HIV-1 inhibitor class that directly or indirectly interferes with HIV-1 gp160 processing.

In vitro selection of mutations in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase that confer resistance to capravirine, a novel nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor

Capravirine (CPV; formerly AG1549 and S-1153) is a novel, nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) that has demonstrated potent in vitro antiviral activity against several HIV-1 laboratory strains and clinical isolates with EC 50 values ranging from 0.7 to 10.3 nM. In this study, we evaluated the resistance and cross-resistance profiles of CPV through selection of resistant HIV-1 variants from in vitro serial passage of HIV-1 NL4-3 and HIV-1 IIIB and by performing susceptibility assays on HIV-1 variants constructed to contain CPV-specific amino acid substitutions in reverse transcriptase (RT). Results demonstrate that HIV-1 variants selected at increasing CPV concentrations contained multiple substitutions in diverse patterns including L100I, Y181C, G190E and/or L234I in various combinations with K101R/E, K103T, V106A/I, V108I, E138K, T139K, A158T, V179D/I/G, Y188D, V189I, G190A, F227C, W229R, L234F, M230I/L and P236H/T. Interestingly, HIV-1 variants constructed to contain the T215Y zidovudine (AZT)-resistance associated substitution with CPV-resistance associated substitutions V106A, Y181C, F227C, F227L, L234I or V106A/F227L demonstrated 2.4–5.4-fold increased susceptibility to CPV. Results also demonstrate that the CPV-resistance associated substitutions Y181C, F227C, F227L and L234I reverse the phenotypic resistance to AZT conferred by the T215Y substitution.

Molecular Interactions of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with Primary Human Oral Keratinocytes

Infection of the oral mucosa of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals remains an under-evaluated and somewhat enigmatic process. Nonetheless, it is of profound importance in the ongoing AIDS pandemic, based on its potential as a site of person-to-person transmission of the virus as well as a location of HIV-1 pathogenesis and potential reservoir of disease in the setting of virally suppressive highly active antiretroviral therapy. We utilized molecular and virological techniques to analyze HIV-1 infection of primary human mucosal cells and also evaluated the proapoptotic potential of selected HIV-1 proteins in primary isolated human oral keratinocytes. Primary isolated human oral keratinocytes were plated on 0.4 microM polyethylenetetraphthalate cell culture inserts to form an in vitro oral mucosal layer. The strength of this layer in forming a barrier was determined by measuring trans-epithelial electrical current passage across the monolayer. The oral keratinocyte monolayers had trans-epithelial electrical resistance of approximately 176 to 208 omega. For viral infectivity assays, the macrophage-tropic (R5) HIV-1 strains, YU-2 and ADA, and T-cell-line-tropic (X4), NL4-3 virions, incubated with or without deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) and/or the polyamines spermine and spermidine, were used to infect oral keratinocytes. Of importance, polyamines and dNTPs have been shown to enhance natural endogenous reverse transcription (NERT), a step essential for early lentiviral infection, and are abundantly present in human semen. The infectivities of HIV-1 strains YU-2, ADA, and NL4-3 for these primary keratinocytes were dramatically increased by the addition of physiological concentrations of dNTPs, spermine, and spermidine. Binding and viral internalization assay studies showed no differences in these oral mucosal cells, with or without NERT-altering agents. It was also observed that the recombinant, cell-free HIV-1 proteins Nef, Tat, and gp120 (R5) induced apoptosis in primary oral keratinocytes compared with the results seen with nontreated cells or cells treated with glutathione S-transferase protein as a control under similar conditions. Microarray analyses suggested that HIV-1 gp120 and Tat induce apoptosis in primary human oral keratinocytes via the Fas/FasL apoptotic pathway, whereas induction of apoptosis by Nef occurs through both Fas/FasL and mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. Thus, these findings suggest molecular mechanisms by which semen in particular, as well as other bodily fluids such as cervicovaginal secretions, could increase oral transmission of HIV-1 via increasing infectivity in confluent and low-replicating oral keratinocytes. As well, the induction of apoptosis in human oral keratinocytes with relevant HIV-1-specific proteins suggests another potential complementary mechanism by which the oral mucosa barrier may be disrupted during HIV-1 infection in vivo.

Combination of a mutagenic agent with a reverse transcriptase inhibitor results in systematic inhibition of HIV-1 infection

Mutagenic treatments resulted in occasional, not systematic, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) extinction. To study the possibility that a combination of an antiretroviral inhibitor, to reduce the viral replicative load, and a mutagenic agent could be more effective in producing viral extinction than a mutagenic agent alone, we have compared the efficiency of extinction of HIV-1 by the mutagenic deoxyribonucleoside analogue 5-hydroxydeoxycytidine (5-OHdC) alone and in combination with the HIV-1 nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor AZT. Serial passages in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) or MT-4 cells of primary HIV-1 isolates or HIV-1 NL4-3 in the presence of a single drug (AZT 0.01μM or 5-OHdC 2 mM) failed to systematically extinguish high fitness HIV-1 replication after 16 serial transfers. However, systematic extinction of HIV-1 was observed when a combination of the mutagenic agent 5-OHdC and AZT was used. These results demonstrate that combinations of mutagenic agents and antiretroviral inhibitors have the potential to drive HIV-1 into extinction.

Genetic basis of hypersusceptibility to protease inhibitors and low replicative capacity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strains in primary infection.

The initial virus strains from as many as 12% of individuals with primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have a 50% inhibitory concentration </=0.4-fold that of HIV type 1(NL4-3) (HIV-1(NL4-3)) to ritonavir (hypersusceptibility [HS]). There is also substantial variation in replicative capacity (RC) or an in vitro assay of the contributions of protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase to viral fitness. In chronically infected antiretrovirally treated patients, amprenavir HS has been associated with the mutation N88S in PR, but this mutation is not seen in untreated patients. In this study, virus strains from 182 cases of primary HIV infection were analyzed, and a highly significant association between HS and low RC (</=10% that of HIV-1(NL4-3)) was observed (P < 10(-6)). Multivariate analysis was used to determine the genotypic basis of ritonavir HS, analyzing all polymorphic amino acid sites and insertions from p7gag through PR. Decision tree models developed on the entire Gag-plus-PR data set and on PR alone gave overall correct classifications of 73 and 72%, respectively, on cross-validation. They were also able to predict low RC, with sensitivities of 69 and 62% and specificities of 84 and 70%, respectively. The analysis shows that ritonavir HS in untreated primary HIV infection is not associated with single mutations but with combinations of amino acids at polymorphic sites and that the same genotypes which confer HS to PR inhibitors confer low RC. This supports the view that variation in PR function is directly responsible for variation in fitness among strains in primary infection.

Virion-bound ICAM-1 and activated LFA-1: a combination of factors conferring resistance to neutralization by sera from human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individuals independently of the disease status and phase

The role of the supplementary interaction between virion-bound host ICAM-1 and LFA-1 on target cells in sensitivity to neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is poorly studied. Serum samples from four long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs) and sequential sera from one progressor were used to assess neutralization sensitivity of isogenic ICAM-1-negative and ICAM-1-bearing HIV-1 NL4-3, a prototype of T-cell-line-adapted viruses. We found that virus neutralization sensitivity to the studied sera is not modified by the additional interaction between virally embedded ICAM-1 and LFA-1 under an inactive state. However, expression on the target cell surface of an activated LFA-1 form renders ICAM-1-bearing virus particles, but not viruses devoid of ICAM-1, more refractory to neutralization by sera from three out of four LTNPs and all sequential sera from the person who has experienced a progression of the HIV-1-associated disease. Although no conclusive correlation could be drawn between virus susceptibility to neutralization and the disease status or stages of HIV-1 infection, these findings demonstrate that other nonspecific virus–cell interactions mediated by virion-anchored host proteins and their normal cognate ligands on target cells represent factors that can affect the mechanism of HIV-1 neutralization.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef-mediated downregulation of CD4 correlates with Nef enhancement of viral pathogenesis.

The nef gene products encoded by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus type 1 (SIV-1) increase viral loads in infected hosts and accelerate clinical progression to AIDS. Nef exhibits a spectrum of biological activities, including the ability to downregulate surface expression of CD4 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens, to alter the state of T-cell activation, and to enhance the infectivity of viral particles. To determine which of these in vitro functions most closely correlates with the pathogenic effects of Nef in vivo, we constructed recombinant HIV-1 NL4-3 viruses carrying mutations within the nef gene that selectively impair these functions. These mutant viruses were evaluated for pathogenic potential in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice implanted with human fetal thymus and liver (SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice), in which virus-mediated depletion of thymocytes is known to be Nef dependent. Disruption of the polyproline type II helix (Pxx)4 within Nef (required for binding of Hck and p21-activated kinase-like kinases, downregulation of MHC class I, and enhancement of HIV-1 infectivity in vitro but dispensable for CD4 downregulation) did not impair thymocyte depletion in virus-infected Thy/Liv human thymus implants. Conversely, three separate point mutations in Nef that compromised its ability to downregulate CD4 attenuated thymocyte depletion while not diminishing viral replication. These findings indicate that the functional ability of Nef to downregulate CD4 and not MHC class I downregulation, Hck or PAK binding, or (Pxx)4-associated enhancement of infectivity most closely correlates with Nef-mediated enhancement of HIV-1 pathogenicity in vivo. Nef-mediated CD4 downregulation merits consideration as a new target for the development of small-molecule inhibitors.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 uses lipid raft-colocalized CD4 and chemokine receptors for productive entry into CD4(+) T cells.

In this report, we describe a crucial role of lipid raft-colocalized receptors in the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) into CD4(+) T cells. We show that biochemically isolated detergent-resistant fractions have characteristics of lipid rafts. Lipid raft integrity was required for productive HIV-1 entry as determined by (i) semiquantitative PCR analysis and (ii) single-cycle infectivity assay using HIV-1 expressing the luciferase reporter gene and pseudotyped with HIV-1 HXB2 envelope or vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein (VSV-G). Depletion of plasma membrane cholesterol with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD) relocalized raft-resident markers to a nonraft environment but did not significantly change the surface expression of HIV-1 receptors. MbetaCD treatment inhibited productive infection of HIV-1 by 95% as determined by luciferase activity in cells infected with HXB2 envelope-pseudotyped virus. In contrast, infection with VSV-G-pseudotyped virus, which enters the cells through an endocytic pathway, was not suppressed. Biochemical fractionation and confocal imaging of HIV-1 receptor distribution in live cells demonstrated that CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 colocalized with raft-resident markers, ganglioside GM1, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored CD48. While confocal microscopy analysis revealed that HIV-1 receptors localized most likely to the same lipid microdomains, sucrose gradient analysis of the receptor localization showed that, in contrast to CD4 and CCR5, CXCR4 was associated preferentially with the nonraft membrane fraction. The binding of HIV-1 envelope gp120 to lipid rafts in the presence, but not in the absence, of cholesterol strongly supports our hypothesis that raft-colocalized receptors are directly involved in virus entry. Dramatic changes in lipid raft and HIV-1 receptor redistribution were observed upon binding of HIV-1 NL4-3 to PM1 T cells. Colocalization of CCR5 with GM1 and gp120 upon engagement of CD4 and CXCR4 by HIV-1 further supports our observation that HIV-1 receptors localize to the same lipid rafts in PM1 T cells.

Different effects of a single amino acid substitution on three adjacent epitopes in the gp41 C-terminal tail of a neutralizing antibody escape mutant of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The envelope protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) comprises the outer gp 120 SU domain and the anchoring gp41 TM domain, and the conventional view is that it has a single transmembrane region with the following C-terminal sequence situated entirely within the virion. However, we have recently proposed that the gp41 C-terminal region comprises three transmembrane regions and an external loop structure. Part of this loop is the peptide 731PRGPDRPEGIEEEGGERDRDRS752 that carries three antibody epitopes, 734PDRPEG739, 740IEEE743, and 746ERDRD750. PDRPEG is not detected in virions but reacts with its cognate MAb (C8) in Western blots, IEEE is a linear and non-neutralizing epitope, and ERDRD is a conformational and neutralizing epitope. Here we show that escape mutants selected with neutralizing ERDRD-specific antibody had a single 732R-->G substitution, 14 residues upstream of the cognate epitope, and no longer bound the selecting antibody. The same amino acid substitution altered epitope PDRPEG in the virion so that it now reacted with MAb C8, but left epitope IEEE unaffected. Introduction of 732R-->G by site-specific mutagenesis into the gp41 of cloned HIV-1 NL4-3 virions allowed them to escape neutralization by ERDRD-specific IgG, and confirms that 732R makes a major contribution to the neutralizing conformation of the 731-752 region of the C-terminal tail of gp41.