Vanessa B. Soros

Cellular APOBEC3G restricts HIV-1 infection in resting CD4+ T cells

In contrast to activated CD4+ T cells, resting human CD4+ T cells circulating in blood are highly resistant to infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Whether the inability of HIV to infect these resting CD4+ T cells is due to the lack of a key factor, or alternatively reflects the presence of an efficient mechanism for defence against HIV, is not clear. Here we show that the anti-retroviral deoxycytidine deaminase APOBEC3G strongly protects unstimulated peripheral blood CD4+ T cells against HIV-1 infection. In activated CD4+ T cells, cytoplasmic APOBEC3G resides in an enzymatically inactive, high-molecular-mass (HMM) ribonucleoprotein complex that converts to an enzymatically active low-molecular-mass (LMM) form after treatment with RNase. In contrast, LMM APOBEC3G predominates in unstimulated CD4+ T cells, where HIV-1 replication is blocked and reverse transcription is impaired. Mitogen activation induces the recruitment of LMM APOBEC3G into the HMM complex, and this correlates with a sharp increase in permissivity for HIV infection in these stimulated cells. Notably, when APOBEC3G-specific small interfering RNAs are introduced into unstimulated CD4+ T cells, the early replication block encountered by HIV-1 is greatly relieved. Thus, LMM APOBEC3G functions as a potent post-entry restriction factor for HIV-1 in unstimulated CD4+ T cells. Surprisingly, sequencing of the reverse transcripts slowly formed in unstimulated CD4+ T cells reveals only low levels of dG → dA hypermutation, raising the possibility that the APOBEC3G-restricting activity may not be strictly dependent on deoxycytidine deamination.

High-molecular-mass APOBEC3G complexes restrict Alu retrotransposition

APOBEC3G (A3G) and related deoxycytidine deaminases are potent intrinsic antiretroviral factors. A3G is expressed either as an enzymatically active low-molecular-mass (LMM) form or as an enzymatically inactive high-molecular-mass (HMM) ribonucleoprotein complex. Resting CD4 T cells exclusively express LMM A3G, where it functions as a powerful postentry restriction factor for HIV-1. Activation of CD4 T cells promotes the recruitment of LMM A3G into 5- to 15-MDa HMM complexes whose function is unknown. Using tandem affinity purification techniques coupled with MS, we identified Staufen-containing RNA-transporting granules and Ro ribonucleoprotein complexes as specific components of HMM A3G complexes. Analysis of RNAs in these complexes revealed Alu and small Y RNAs, two of the most prominent nonautonomous mobile genetic elements in human cells. These retroelement RNAs are recruited into Staufen-containing RNA-transporting granules in the presence of A3G. Retrotransposition of Alu and hY RNAs depends on the reverse transcriptase machinery provided by long interspersed nucleotide elements 1 (L1). We now show that A3G greatly inhibits L1-dependent retrotransposition of marked Alu retroelements not by inhibiting L1 function but by sequestering Alu RNAs in cytoplasmic HMM A3G complexes away from the nuclear L1 enzymatic machinery. These findings identify nonautonomous Alu and hY retroelements as natural cellular targets of A3G and highlight how different forms of A3G uniquely protect cells from the threats posed by exogenous retroviruses (LMM A3G) and endogenous retroelements (HMM A3G).

Compensatory Link between Fusion and Endocytosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Human CD4 T Lymphocytes

ABSTRACT Virions of the type 1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) can enter target cells by fusion or endocytosis, with sharply different functional consequences. Fusion promotes productive infection of the target cell, while endocytosis generally leads to virion inactivation in acidified endosomes or degradation in lysosomes. Virion fusion and endocytosis occur equally in T cells, but these pathways have been regarded as independent because endocytosis of HIV virions requires neither CD4 nor CCR5/CXCR4 engagement in HeLa-CD4 cells. Using flow cytometric techniques to assess the binding and entry of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Vpr-labeled HIV virions into primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells, we have found that HIV fusion and endocytosis are restricted to the CD4-expressing subset of cells and that both pathways commonly require the initial binding of HIV virions to surface CD4 receptors. Blockade of CXCR4-tropic HIV virion fusion with AMD3100, a CXCR4-specific entry inhibitor, increased virion entry via the endocytic pathway. Similarly, inhibition of endosome acidification with bafilomycin A1, concanamycin A, or NH4Cl enhanced entry via the fusion pathway. Although fusion remained dependent on CD4 and chemokine receptor binding, the endosome inhibitors did not alter surface expression of CD4 and CXCR4. These results suggest that fusion in the presence of the endosome inhibitors likely occurs within nonacidified endosomes. However, the ability of these inhibitors to impair vesicle trafficking from early to late endosomes in some cells could also increase the recycling of these virion-containing endosomes to the cell surface, where fusion occurs. In summary, our results reveal an unexpected, CD4-mediated reciprocal relationship between the pathways governing HIV virion fusion and endocytosis.

Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Rev Function by a Dominant-Negative Mutant of Sam68 through Sequestration of Unspliced RNA at Perinuclear Bundles

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 encodes an essential protein, Rev, which functions to transport unspliced and singly spliced viral transcripts from the nucleus to the cytoplasm to allow expression of the viral structural proteins. It has previously been reported that Sam68 synergistically stimulates Rev activity (T. Reddy et al., Nat. Med. 5:635–642, 1999). Here we report that the Sam68-like mammalian proteins SLM1 and SLM2 also stimulate Rev activity. Their stimulation ability cannot be attributed to a shuttling property, since Sam68, SLM1, and SLM2 do not display significant shuttling activity alone or in the presence of Rev. In addition, Sam68, SLM1, and SLM2 do not affect the equilibrium between unspliced and completely spliced HIV RNA. The C-terminally truncated Sam68 mutant (Sam68ΔC) previously observed to inhibit the Sam68-mediated stimulation of Rev activity (Reddy et al., 1999) also inhibits SLM1- and SLM2-mediated stimulation of Rev activity. This suggests that the mechanism by which Sam68, SLM1, and SLM2 stimulate Rev activity may be common. Sam68ΔC does not inhibit Rev activity by inhibiting Rev from shuttling between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Inhibition by Sam68ΔC is a consequence of its mislocalization to the cytoplasm, as evidenced by the fact that addition of an exogenous nuclear localization signal to Sam68ΔC restores nuclear localization and stimulation of Rev activity. We demonstrate that Sam68ΔC causes perinuclear accumulation of unspliced HIV env RNA and propose that Sam68ΔC inhibits Rev activity by sequestering Rev-responsive RNA away from the translation apparatus.

Differential Transmission of HIV Traversing Fetal Oral/Intestinal Epithelia and Adult Oral Epithelia

ABSTRACT While human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission through the adult oral route is rare, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) through the neonatal/infant oral and/or gastrointestinal route is common. To study the mechanisms of cell-free and cell-associated HIV transmission across adult oral and neonatal/infant oral/intestinal epithelia, we established ex vivo organ tissue model systems of adult and fetal origin. Given the similarity of neonatal and fetal oral epithelia with respect to epithelial stratification and density of HIV-susceptible immune cells, we used fetal oral the epithelium as a model for neonatal/infant oral epithelium. We found that cell-free HIV traversed fetal oral and intestinal epithelia and infected HIV-susceptible CD4+ T lymphocytes, Langerhans/dendritic cells, and macrophages. To study the penetration of cell-associated virus into fetal oral and intestinal epithelia, HIV-infected macrophages and lymphocytes were added to the surfaces of fetal oral and intestinal epithelia. HIV-infected macrophages, but not lymphocytes, transmigrated across fetal oral epithelia. HIV-infected macrophages and, to a lesser extent, lymphocytes transmigrated across fetal intestinal epithelia. In contrast to the fetal oral/intestinal epithelia, cell-free HIV transmigration through adult oral epithelia was inefficient and virions did not infect intraepithelial and subepithelial HIV-susceptible cells. In addition, HIV-infected macrophages and lymphocytes did not transmigrate through intact adult oral epithelia. Transmigration of cell-free and cell-associated HIV across the fetal oral/intestinal mucosal epithelium may serve as an initial mechanism for HIV MTCT.

HIV is inactivated after transepithelial migration via adult oral epithelial cells but not fetal epithelial cells.

Oral transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in adult populations is rare. However, HIV spread across fetal/neonatal oropharyngeal epithelia could be important in mother-to-child transmission. Analysis of HIV transmission across polarized adult and fetal oral epithelial cells revealed that HIV transmigrates through both adult and fetal cells. However, only virions that passed through the fetal cells - and not those that passed through the adult cells - remained infectious. Analysis of expression of anti-HIV innate proteins beta-defensins 2 and 3, and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor in adult, fetal, and infant oral epithelia showed that their expression is predominantly in the adult oral epithelium. Retention of HIV infectivity after transmigration correlated inversely with the expression of these innate proteins. Inactivation of innate proteins in adult oral keratinocytes restored HIV infectivity. These data suggest that high-level innate protein expression may contribute to the resistance of the adult oral epithelium to HIV transmission.

Retraction Note to: Cellular APOBEC3G restricts HIV-1 infection in resting CD4+ T cells

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature03493

Regulation of Cellular and Virion APOBEC3G (A3G) Complexes

A3G is detectable in both high molecular mass (HMM) and low molecular mass (LMM) complexes in different cells. Enzymatically active LMM A3G complexes are present in resting CD4 T-cells and blood derived monocytes. These cells are not permissive for HIV infection because LMM A3G functions as a potent post-entry restriction factor for HIV and possibly other retroviruses (Chiu et al. Nature 435:108–114, 2005). The antiviral activity of LMM A3G is exerted at the level of reverse transcription but does not appear to involve extensive cytidine deamination of nacent minus strand HIV DNA. When T-cells are activated by mitogens or naive T cells enter lymphatic tissues where IL-2 and IL-15 are produced, LMM A3G is recruited into an enzymatically inactive HMM ribonucleoprotein complex. This change in A3G complex size is associated with the acquisition of permissiveness to HIV infection. Interestingly, HIV DVif virions incorporate the HMM form of A3G assembled with HIV genomic RNA. Accordingly, a mechanism for activation of this latent A3G complex must come into play. Recently, we have assembled preliminary evidence supporting a key role for Rnase H in the activation of the latent HMM A3G complex. Thus, Rnase H not only prepares the substrate for mutagenesis, but also activates the enzyme. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005