scholarly journals The A-nucleotide preference of HIV-1 in the context of its structured RNA genome

RNA Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Formijn J. van Hemert ◽  
Antoinette C. van der Kuyl ◽  
Ben Berkhout
Keyword(s):  
2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (15) ◽  
pp. 5253-5261 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ooms ◽  
T. E. M. Abbink ◽  
C. Pham ◽  
B. Berkhout
Keyword(s):  

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Elliott ◽  
Sebla B. Kutluay

The HIV-1 integrase enzyme (IN) plays a critical role in the viral life cycle by integrating the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host chromosome. This function of IN has been well studied, and the knowledge gained has informed the design of small molecule inhibitors that now form key components of antiretroviral therapy regimens. Recent discoveries unveiled that IN has an under-studied yet equally vital second function in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. This involves IN binding to the viral RNA genome in virions, which is necessary for proper virion maturation and morphogenesis. Inhibition of IN binding to the viral RNA genome results in mislocalization of the viral genome inside the virus particle, and its premature exposure and degradation in target cells. The roles of IN in integration and virion morphogenesis share a number of common elements, including interaction with viral nucleic acids and assembly of higher-order IN multimers. Herein we describe these two functions of IN within the context of the HIV-1 life cycle, how IN binding to the viral genome is coordinated by the major structural protein, Gag, and discuss the value of targeting the second role of IN in virion morphogenesis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (19) ◽  
pp. 9739-9747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Mattei ◽  
Annica Flemming ◽  
Maria Anders-Össwein ◽  
Hans-Georg Kräusslich ◽  
John A. G. Briggs ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHuman immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is released from infected cells in an immature, noninfectious form in which the structural polyprotein Gag is arranged in a hexameric lattice, forming an incomplete spherical shell. Maturation to the infectious form is mediated by the viral protease, which cleaves Gag at five sites, releasing the CA (capsid) protein, which forms a conical capsid encasing the condensed RNA genome. The pathway of this structural rearrangement is currently not understood, and it is unclear how cone assembly is initiated. RNA represents an integral structural component of retroviruses, and the viral nucleoprotein core has previously been proposed to nucleate mature capsid assembly. We addressed this hypothesis by replacing the RNA-binding NC (nucleocapsid) domain of HIV-1 Gag and the adjacent spacer peptide 2 (SP2) by a leucine zipper (LZ) protein-protein interaction domain [Gag(LZ)] in the viral context. We found that Gag(LZ)-carrying virus [HIV(LZ)] was efficiently released and viral polyproteins were proteolytically processed, though with reduced efficiency. Cryo-electron tomography revealed that the particles lacked a condensed nucleoprotein and contained an increased proportion of aberrant core morphologies caused either by the absence of RNA or by altered Gag processing. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of HIV(LZ) particles contained mature capsids with the wild-type morphology. These results clearly demonstrate that the nucleoprotein complex is dispensable as a nucleator for mature HIV-1 capsid assembly in the viral context.IMPORTANCEFormation of a closed conical capsid encasing the viral RNA genome is essential for HIV-1 infectivity. It is currently unclear what viral components initiate and regulate the formation of the capsid during virus morphogenesis, but it has been proposed that the ribonucleoprotein complex plays a role. To test this, we prepared virus-like particles lacking the viral nucleocapsid protein and RNA and analyzed their three-dimensional structure by cryo-electron tomography. While most virions displayed an abnormal morphology under these conditions, some particles showed a normal mature morphology with closed conical capsids. These data demonstrate that the presence of RNA and the nucleocapsid protein is not required for the formation of a mature, cone-shaped HIV-1 capsid.


Cell ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 166 (5) ◽  
pp. 1257-1268.e12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques J. Kessl ◽  
Sebla B. Kutluay ◽  
Dana Townsend ◽  
Stephanie Rebensburg ◽  
Alison Slaughter ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e103552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki van Bel ◽  
Yme van der Velden ◽  
Damien Bonnard ◽  
Erwann Le Rouzic ◽  
Atze T. Das ◽  
...  

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (5) ◽  
pp. C1135-C1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Morrow ◽  
J. Park ◽  
J. K. Wakefield

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic represents a modern-day plague that has not only resulted in a tragic loss of people from a wide spectrum of society but has reshaped our viewpoints regarding health care, the treatment of infectious diseases, and social issues regarding sexual behavior. There is little doubt now that the cause of the disease AIDS is a virus known as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The HIV virus is a member of a large family of viruses termed retroviruses, which have as a hallmark the capacity to convert their RNA genome into a DNA form that then undergoes a process of integration into the host cell chromosome, followed by the expression of the viral genome and translation of viral proteins in the infected cell. This review describes the organization of the HIV-1 viral genome, the expression of viral proteins, as well as the functions of the accessory viral proteins in HIV replication. The replication of the viral genome is divided into two phases, the early phase and the late phase. The early phase consists of the interaction of the virus with the cell surface receptor (CD4 molecule in most cases), the uncoating and conversion of the viral RNA genome into a DNA form, and the integration into the host cell chromosome. The late phase consists of the expression of the viral proteins from the integrated viral genome, the translation of viral proteins, and the assembly and release of the virus. Points in the HIV-1 life cycle that are targets for therapeutic intervention are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Jianbo Chen ◽  
Olga A. Nikolaitchik ◽  
Kari A. Dilley ◽  
Wei-Shau Hu
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga A. Nikolaitchik ◽  
Xayathed Somoulay ◽  
Jonathan M. O. Rawson ◽  
Jennifer A. Yoo ◽  
Vinay K. Pathak ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The viral protein Gag selects full-length HIV-1 RNA from a large pool of mRNAs as virion genome during virus assembly. Currently, the precise mechanism that mediates the genome selection is not understood. Previous studies have identified several sites in the 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) of HIV-1 RNA that are bound by nucleocapsid (NC) protein, which is derived from Gag during virus maturation. However, whether these NC binding sites direct HIV-1 RNA genome packaging has not been fully investigated. In this report, we examined the roles of single-stranded exposed guanosines at NC binding sites in RNA genome packaging using stable cell lines expressing competing wild-type and mutant HIV-1 RNAs. Mutant RNA packaging efficiencies were determined by comparing their prevalences in cytoplasmic RNA and in virion RNA. We observed that multiple NC binding sites affected RNA packaging; of the sites tested, those located within stem-loop 1 of the 5′ UTR had the most significant effects. These sites were previously reported as the primary NC binding sites by using a chemical probe reverse-footprinting assay and as the major Gag binding sites by using an in vitro assay. Of the mutants tested in this report, substituting 3 to 4 guanosines resulted in <2-fold defects in packaging. However, when mutations at different NC binding sites were combined, severe defects were observed. Furthermore, combining the mutations resulted in synergistic defects in RNA packaging, suggesting redundancy in Gag-RNA interactions and a requirement for multiple Gag binding on viral RNA during HIV-1 genome encapsidation. IMPORTANCE HIV-1 must package its RNA genome during virus assembly to generate infectious viruses. To better understand how HIV-1 packages its RNA genome, we examined the roles of RNA elements identified as binding sites for NC, a Gag-derived RNA-binding protein. Our results demonstrate that binding sites within stem-loop 1 of the 5′ untranslated region play important roles in genome packaging. Although mutating one or two NC-binding sites caused only mild defects in packaging, mutating multiple sites resulted in severe defects in genome encapsidation, indicating that unpaired guanosines act synergistically to promote packaging. Our results suggest that Gag-RNA interactions occur at multiple RNA sites during genome packaging; furthermore, there are functionally redundant binding sites in viral RNA.


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