scholarly journals Identification of Combinations of Protein Kinase C Activators and Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors that Potently Reactivate Latent HIV

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 609
Author(s):  
Francesca Curreli ◽  
Shahad Ahmed ◽  
Sofia M. Benedict Victor ◽  
Asim K. Debnath

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is successful in maintaining undetectable levels of HIV in the blood; however, the persistence of latent HIV reservoirs has become the major barrier for a HIV cure. Substantial efforts are underway in finding the best latency-reversing agents (LRAs) to purge the latent viruses from the reservoirs. We hypothesize that identifying the right combination of LRAs will be the key to accomplishing that goal. In this study, we evaluated the effect of combinations of three protein kinase C activators (prostratin, (-)-indolactam V, and TPPB) with four histone deacetylase inhibitors (AR-42, PCI-24781, givinostat, and belinostat) on reversing HIV latency in different cell lines including in a primary CD4+ T-cell model. Combinations including indolactam and TPPB with AR-42 and PCI produced a strong synergistic effect in reactivating latent virus as indicated by higher p24 production and envelope gp120 expression. Furthermore, treatment with TPPB and indolactam greatly downregulated the cellular receptor CD4. Indolactam/AR-42 combination emerged from this study as the best combination that showed a strong synergistic effect in reactivating latent virus. Although AR-42 alone did not downregulate CD4 expression, indolactam/AR-42 showed the most efficient downregulation. Our results suggest that indolactam/AR-42 is the most effective combination, showing a strong synergistic effect in reversing HIV latency combined with the most efficient CD4 downregulation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Mbonye ◽  
Konstantin Leskov ◽  
Meenakshi Shukla ◽  
Saba Valadkhan ◽  
Jonathan Karn

The switch between HIV latency and productive transcription is regulated by an auto-feedback mechanism initiated by the viral trans-activator Tat, which functions to recruit the host transcription elongation factor P-TEFb to proviral HIV. A heterodimeric complex of CDK9 and one of three cyclin T subunits, P-TEFb is expressed at vanishingly low levels in resting memory CD4 + T cells and cellular mechanisms controlling its availability are central to regulation of the emergence of HIV from latency. Using a well-characterized primary T-cell model of HIV latency alongside healthy donor memory CD4 + T cells, we characterized specific T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways that regulate the generation of transcriptionally active P-TEFb, defined as the coordinate expression of cyclin T1 and phospho-Ser175 CDK9. Protein kinase C (PKC) agonists, such as ingenol and prostratin, stimulated active P-TEFb expression and reactivated latent HIV with minimal cytotoxicity, even in the absence of intracellular calcium mobilization with an ionophore. Unexpectedly, inhibition-based experiments demonstrated that PKC agonists and TCR-mobilized diacylglycerol signal through MAP kinases ERK1/2 rather than through PKC to effect the reactivation of both P-TEFb and latent HIV. Single-cell and bulk RNA-seq analyses revealed that of the four known isoforms of the Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor RasGRP, RasGRP1 is by far the predominantly expressed diacylglycerol-dependent isoform in CD4 + T cells. RasGRP1 should therefore mediate the activation of ERK1/2 via Ras-Raf signaling upon TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge. Combined inhibition of the PI3K-mTORC2-AKT-mTORC1 pathway and the ERK1/2 activator MEK prior to TCR co-stimulation abrogated active P-TEFb expression and substantially suppressed latent HIV reactivation. Therefore, contrary to prevailing models, the coordinate reactivation of P-TEFb and latent HIV in primary T cells following either TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge is independent of PKC but rather involves two complementary signaling arms of the TCR cascade, namely, RasGRP1-Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 and PI3K-mTORC2-AKT-mTORC1.


2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1877-1885 ◽  
Author(s):  
María D. Castro-Galache ◽  
Maria P. Menéndez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Estefania Carrasco Garcia ◽  
Pilar Garcia-Morales ◽  
Isabel Martinez-Lacaci ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. e1009581
Author(s):  
Uri Mbonye ◽  
Konstantin Leskov ◽  
Meenakshi Shukla ◽  
Saba Valadkhan ◽  
Jonathan Karn

The switch between HIV latency and productive transcription is regulated by an auto-feedback mechanism initiated by the viral trans-activator Tat, which functions to recruit the host transcription elongation factor P-TEFb to proviral HIV. A heterodimeric complex of CDK9 and one of three cyclin T subunits, P-TEFb is expressed at vanishingly low levels in resting memory CD4+ T cells and cellular mechanisms controlling its availability are central to regulation of the emergence of HIV from latency. Using a well-characterized primary T-cell model of HIV latency alongside healthy donor memory CD4+ T cells, we characterized specific T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways that regulate the generation of transcriptionally active P-TEFb, defined as the coordinate expression of cyclin T1 and phospho-Ser175 CDK9. Protein kinase C (PKC) agonists, such as ingenol and prostratin, stimulated active P-TEFb expression and reactivated latent HIV with minimal cytotoxicity, even in the absence of intracellular calcium mobilization with an ionophore. Unexpectedly, inhibition-based experiments demonstrated that PKC agonists and TCR-mobilized diacylglycerol signal through MAP kinases ERK1/2 rather than through PKC to effect the reactivation of both P-TEFb and latent HIV. Single-cell and bulk RNA-seq analyses revealed that of the four known isoforms of the Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor RasGRP, RasGRP1 is by far the predominantly expressed diacylglycerol-dependent isoform in CD4+ T cells. RasGRP1 should therefore mediate the activation of ERK1/2 via Ras-Raf signaling upon TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge. Combined inhibition of the PI3K-mTORC2-AKT-mTORC1 pathway and the ERK1/2 activator MEK prior to TCR co-stimulation abrogated active P-TEFb expression and substantially suppressed latent HIV reactivation. Therefore, contrary to prevailing models, the coordinate reactivation of P-TEFb and latent HIV in primary T cells following either TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge is independent of PKC but rather involves two complementary signaling arms of the TCR cascade, namely, RasGRP1-Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 and PI3K-mTORC2-AKT-mTORC1.


2009 ◽  
Vol 342 (12) ◽  
pp. 689-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Kun Sun ◽  
Daniel L. Alkon

1994 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 690-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mian-Shin Tan ◽  
Jer-Chia Tsai ◽  
Yau-Jiunn Lee ◽  
Hung-Chun Chen ◽  
Shyi-Jang Shin ◽  
...  

1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Ware ◽  
M Smith ◽  
E W Salzman

Platelet aggregation and secretion induced by phorbol ester (PMA) or diacylglycerol (DAG) are preceded by an increase in [Ca++] that is detected byaequorin, but not by quin2, fura-2, or indo-1, suggesting that these indicatorsreflect different aspects of Ca++ homeostasis, possibly different functional Ca++ pools. Addition of two conventional agonists in subthreold concentrations synergistically enhances the [Ca++] rise and aggregation.However, if PMA or DAG is the first agonist the subsequent quin2-indicated [Ca++] rise after thrombin is reduced.Whether aequorin-indicated [Ca++] is similarly affected is unknown. We studied gel-filtered platelets loaded with aequorin or a fluorophore and added PMA, DAG, thrombin or ADP, alone or in combination. Either PMA or DAG alone caused a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca++] detectable with aequorin but not with the fluorophores; simultaneous addition of thrombin or ADP with DAG or PMA produced a larger [Ca++] rise than either alone. However, addition of DAG or PMA as a first agonist reduced subsequent aequorin-indicated [Ca++] rises following thrombin or ADP in a concentration and time-dependent manner. Inhibition of ADP or thrombin-induced [Ca++] rise was not always accompanied by inhibition of aggregation or secretion. Combination of subthreshold concentrations of ADP and thrombin produced an enhanced [Ca++] rise and aggregation. However, this synergistic effect was inhibited by preincubation with DAG or PMA. Neither this effect nor DAG-induced [Ca++] rise was inhibited by the protein kinase C inhibitor H-7. In genera^ preincubation of platelets with an agonist enhances Ca rise and aggregation in response to a second agonist; in contrasl protein kinase C activators, which themselves elevate [Ca++] as shown by aequorin, inhibit aequorin-indicated Ca rises after ADP or thrombin, and limit synergism between these two agonists.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document