Oligomerization within virions and subcellular localization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase

Characterization of Nuclear HIV-Induced Membraneless Organelles Through Fluorescence Microscopy

The postnuclear entry steps of HIV-1 involve reverse transcription, uncoating, and integration into the host genome. The differential regulation of these steps has a significant impact on HIV overall replication, including integration site selection and viral gene expression. Recently, another important phenomenon has been uncovered as part of HIV interplay with the nuclear environment, specifically involving the cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 6 (CPSF6) protein. This phenomenon is the formation of nuclear HIV-induced membraneless organelles (HIV-1 MLOs). In this article, we will describe the methods used to assess the composition and liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) properties of these organelles using fluorescence microscopy. The study of HIV-1 MLOs represents a new frontier that may reveal previously unknown key players in the fate of HIV-infected cells.

Clustering and reverse transcription of HIV-1 genomes in nuclear niches of macrophages

In order to replicate, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) reverse-transcribes its RNA genome into DNA, which subsequently integrates into host cell chromosomes. These two key events of the viral life cycle are commonly viewed as separate not only in time, but also in cellular space, since reverse transcription (RT) is thought to be completed in the cytoplasm before nuclear import and integration. However, the spatiotemporal organization of the early viral replication cycle in macrophages, the natural non-dividing target cells that constitute reservoirs of HIV-1 and an obstacle to curing AIDS, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that infected macrophages display large nuclear foci of viral DNA (vDNA) and viral RNA, in which multiple viral genomes cluster together. These clusters form in the absence of chromosomal integration, sequester the paraspeckle protein CPSF6, and localize to nuclear speckles. Surprisingly, these viral RNA clusters consist mostly of genomic, incoming RNA, both in cells where reverse transcription is pharmacologically suppressed and in untreated cells. We demonstrate that following temporary inhibition, reverse transcription can resume in the nucleus and lead to vDNA accumulation in these clusters. We further show that nuclear reverse transcription can result in transcription-competent viral DNA. These findings change our understanding of the early HIV-1 replication cycle and may have implications for addressing HIV-1 persistence.

Integrase-RNA interactions underscore the critical role of integrase in HIV-1 virion morphogenesis

A large number of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) alterations, referred to as class II substitutions, exhibit pleiotropic effects during virus replication. However, the underlying mechanism for the class II phenotype is not known. Here we demonstrate that all tested class II IN substitutions compromised IN-RNA binding in virions by one of the three distinct mechanisms: (i) markedly reducing IN levels thus precluding the formation of IN complexes with viral RNA; (ii) adversely affecting functional IN multimerization and consequently impairing IN binding to viral RNA; and (iii) directly compromising IN-RNA interactions without substantially affecting IN levels or functional IN multimerization. Inhibition of IN-RNA interactions resulted in the mislocalization of viral ribonucleoprotein complexes outside the capsid lattice, which led to premature degradation of the viral genome and IN in target cells. Collectively, our studies uncover causal mechanisms for the class II phenotype and highlight an essential role of IN-RNA interactions for accurate virion maturation.

Post-mitotic BET-induced reshaping of integrase quaternary structure supports wild-type MLV integration

The Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) is a prototype gammaretrovirus requiring nuclear disassembly before DNA integration. In the nucleus, integration site selection towards promoter/enhancer elements is mediated by the host factor bromo- and extraterminal domain (BET) proteins (bromodomain (Brd) proteins 2, 3 and 4). MLV-based retroviral vectors are used in gene therapy trials. In some trials leukemia occurred through integration of the MLV vector in close proximity to cellular oncogenes. BET-mediated integration is poorly understood and the nature of integrase oligomers heavily debated. Here, we created wild-type infectious MLV vectors natively incorporating fluorescent labeled IN and performed single-molecule intensity and Förster resonance energy transfer experiments. The nuclear localization of the MLV pre-integration complex neither altered the IN content, nor its quaternary structure. Instead, BET-mediated interaction of the MLV intasome with chromatin in the post-mitotic nucleus reshaped its quaternary structure.

Single Viruses on the Fluorescence Microscope: Imaging Molecular Mobility, Interactions and Structure Sheds New Light on Viral Replication

Viruses are simple agents exhibiting complex reproductive mechanisms. Decades of research have provided crucial basic insights, antiviral medication and moderately successful gene therapy trials. The most infectious viral particle is, however, not always the most abundant one in a population, questioning the utility of classic ensemble-averaging virology. Indeed, viral replication is often not particularly efficient, prone to errors or containing parallel routes. Here, we review different single-molecule sensitive fluorescence methods that we employ routinely to investigate viruses. We provide a brief overview of the microscopy hardware needed and discuss the different methods and their application. In particular, we review how we applied (i) single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to probe the subviral human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) integrase (IN) quaternary structure; (ii) single particle tracking to study interactions of the simian virus 40 with membranes; (iii) 3D confocal microscopy and smFRET to quantify the HIV-1 pre-integration complex content and quaternary structure; (iv) image correlation spectroscopy to quantify the cytosolic HIV-1 Gag assembly, and finally; (v) super-resolution microscopy to characterize the interaction of HIV-1 with tetherin during assembly. We hope this review is an incentive for setting up and applying similar single-virus imaging studies in daily virology practice.

Oligomerization of Retrovirus Integrases

Integration of the reverse-transcribed viral cDNA into the host's genome is a critical step in the lifecycle of all retroviruses. Retrovirus integration is carried out by integrase (IN), a virus-encoded enzyme that forms an oligomeric 'intasome' complex with both ends of the linear viral DNA to catalyze their concerted insertions into the backbones of the host's DNA. IN also forms a complex with host proteins, which guides the intasome to the host's chromosome. Recent structural studies have revealed remarkable diversity as well as conserved features among the architectures of the intasome assembly from different genera of retroviruses. This chapter will review how IN oligomerizes to achieve its function, with particular focus on alpharetrovirus including the avian retrovirus Rous sarcoma virus. Another chapter (Craigie) will focus on the structure and function of IN from HIV-1.

HIV-1 Infection of Primary CD4+ T Cells Regulates the Expression of Specific Human Endogenous Retrovirus HERV-K (HML-2) Elements

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) occupy extensive regions of the human genome. Although many of these retroviral elements have lost their ability to replicate, those whose insertion took place more recently, such as the HML-2 group of HERV-K elements, still retain intact open reading frames and the capacity to produce certain viral RNA and/or proteins. Transcription of these ERVs is, however, tightly regulated by dedicated epigenetic control mechanisms. Nonetheless, it has been reported that some pathological states, such as viral infections and certain cancers, coincide with ERV expression, suggesting that transcriptional reawakening is possible. HML-2 elements are reportedly induced during HIV-1 infection, but the conserved nature of these elements has, until recently, rendered their expression profiling problematic. Here, we provide comprehensive HERV-K HML-2 expression profiles specific for productively HIV-1-infected primary human CD4⁺ T cells. We combined enrichment of HIV-1 infected cells using a reporter virus expressing a surface reporter for gentle and efficient purification with long-read single-molecule real-time sequencing. We show that three HML-2 proviruses-6q25.1, 8q24.3, and 19q13.42-are upregulated on average between 3- and 5-fold in HIV-1-infected CD4⁺ T cells. One provirus, HML-2 12q24.33, in contrast, was repressed in the presence of active HIV replication. In conclusion, this report identifies the HERV-K HML-2 loci whose expression profiles differ upon HIV-1 infection in primary human CD4⁺ T cells. These data will help pave the way for further studies on the influence of endogenous retroviruses on HIV-1 replication.IMPORTANCE Endogenous retroviruses inhabit big portions of our genome. Moreover, although they are mainly inert, some of the evolutionarily younger members maintain the ability to express both RNA and proteins. We have developed an approach using long-read single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing that produces long reads that allow us to obtain detailed and accurate HERV-K HML-2 expression profiles. We applied this approach to study HERV-K expression in the presence or absence of productive HIV-1 infection of primary human CD4⁺ T cells. In addition to using SMRT sequencing, our strategy also includes the magnetic selection of the infected cells so that levels of background expression due to uninfected cells are kept at a minimum. The results presented here provide a blueprint for in-depth studies of the interactions of the authentic upregulated HERV-K HML-2 elements and HIV-1.

RNA-protein interactions govern antiviral specificity and encapsidation of broad spectrum anti-HIV reverse transcriptase aptamers

RNA aptamers that bind HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibit HIV-1 replication, but little is known about potential aptamer-specific viral resistance. During replication, RT interacts with diverse nucleic acids. Thus, the genetic threshold for eliciting resistance may be high for aptamers that make numerous contacts with RT. To evaluate the impact of RT–aptamer binding specificity on replication, we engineered proviral plasmids encoding diverse RTs within the backbone of HIV-1 strain NL4-3. Viruses inhibited by pseudoknot aptamers were rendered insensitive by a naturally occurring R277K variant, providing the first demonstration of aptamer-specific resistance in cell culture. Naturally occurring, pseudoknot-insensitive viruses were rendered sensitive by the inverse K277R mutation, establishing RT as the genetic locus for aptamer-mediated HIV-1 inhibition. Non-pseudoknot RNA aptamers exhibited broad-spectrum inhibition. Inhibition was observed only when virus was produced in aptamer-expressing cells, indicating that encapsidation is required. HIV-1 suppression magnitude correlated with the number of encapsidated aptamer transcripts per virion, with saturation occurring around 1:1 stoichiometry with packaged RT. Encapsidation specificity suggests that aptamers may encounter dimerized GagPol in the cytosol during viral assembly. This study provides new insights into HIV-1's capacity to escape aptamer-mediated inhibition, the potential utility of broad-spectrum aptamers to overcome resistance, and molecular interactions that occur during viral assembly.

Peptide fibrils as monomer storage of the covalent HIV-1 integrase inhibitor

We have recently reported the covalent inhibition of HIV-1 integrase by an N-terminal succinimide-modified lens epithelium-derived growth factor (361-370) peptide. We also showed that this peptide is proteolytically stable. Here, we show that this inhibitor is stored as fibrils that serve as a stock for the inhibitory monomers. The fibrils increase the local concentration of the peptide at the target protein. When the monomers bind integrase, the equilibrium between the fibrils and their monomers shifts towards the formation of peptide monomers. The combination of fibril formation and subsequent proteolytic stability of the peptide may bring to new strategy for developing therapeutic agents. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Covalent Inhibition of HIV-1 Integrase by N-Succinimidyl Peptides

We present a new approach for the covalent inhibition of HIV-1 integrase (IN) by an LEDGF/p75-derived peptide modified with an N-terminal succinimide group. The covalent inhibition is mediated by direct binding of the succinimide to the amine group of a lysine residue in IN. The peptide serves as a specific recognition sequence for the target protein, while the succinimide serves as the binding moiety. The combination of a readily synthesizable peptide precursor with easy and efficient binding to the target protein makes this approach a promising new strategy for designing lead compounds.

Allosteric inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus integrase: late block during viral replication and abnormal multimerization involving specific protein domains

HIV-1 replication in the presence of antiviral agents results in evolution of drug-resistant variants, motivating the search for additional drug classes. Here we report studies of GSK1264, which was identified as a compound that disrupts the interaction between HIV-1 integrase (IN) and the cellular factor lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/p75. GSK1264 displayed potent antiviral activity and was found to bind at the site occupied by LEDGF/p75 on IN by x-ray crystallography. Assays of HIV replication in the presence of GSK1264 showed only modest inhibition of the early infection steps and little effect on integration targeting, which is guided by the LEDGF/p75-IN interaction. In contrast, inhibition of late replication steps was more potent. Particle production was normal, but particles showed reduced infectivity. GSK1264 promoted aggregation of IN and preformed LEDGF/p75-IN complexes, suggesting a mechanism of inhibition. LEDGF/p75 was not displaced from IN during aggregation, indicating trapping of LEDGF/p75 in aggregates. Aggregation assays with truncated IN variants revealed that a construct with catalytic and C-terminal domains of IN only formed an open polymer associated with efficient drug-induced aggregation. These data suggest that the allosteric inhibitors of IN are promising antiviral agents and provide new information on their mechanism of action.

HIV virions as nanoscopic test tubes for probing oligomerization of the integrase enzyme

Employing viruses as nanoscopic lipid-enveloped test tubes allows the miniaturization of protein-protein interaction (PPI) assays while preserving the physiological environment necessary for particular biological processes. Applied to the study of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), viral biology and pathology can also be investigated in novel ways, both in vitro as well as in infected cells. In this work we report on an experimental strategy that makes use of engineered HIV-1 viral particles, to allow for probing PPIs of the HIV-1 integrase (IN) inside viruses with single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) using fluorescent proteins (FP). We show that infectious fluorescently labeled viruses can be obtained and that the quantity of labels can be accurately measured and controlled inside individual viral particles. We demonstrate, with proper control experiments, the formation of IN oligomers in single viral particles and inside viral complexes in infected cells. Finally, we show a clear effect on IN oligomerization of small molecule inhibitors of interactions of IN with its natural human cofactor LEDGF/p75, corroborating that IN oligomer enhancing drugs are active already at the level of the virus and strongly suggesting the presence of a dynamic, enhanceable equilibrium between the IN dimer and tetramer in viral particles. Although applied to the HIV-1 IN enzyme, our methodology for utilizing HIV virions as nanoscopic test tubes for probing PPIs is generic, i.e., other PPIs targeted into the HIV-1, or PPIs targeted into other viruses, can potentially be studied with a similar strategy.

TOX4 and NOVA1 proteins are partners of the LEDGF PWWP domain and affect HIV-1 replication

PWWP domains are involved in the chromatin attachment of several proteins. They bind to both DNA and proteins and their interaction with specific histone methylation marks define them as a new class of histone code readers. The lens epithelium derived growth factor (LEDGF/p75) contains an N-terminal PWWP domain necessary for its interaction with chromatin but also a C-terminal domain which interacts with several proteins, such as lentiviral integrases. These two domains confer a chromatin-tethering function to LEDGF/p75 and in the case of lentiviral integrases, this tethering participates in the efficiency and site selectivity of integration. Although proteins interacting with LEDGF/p75 C-terminal domain have been extensively studied, no data exist about partners of its PWWP domain regulating its interaction with chromatin. In this study, we report the identification by yeast-two-hybrid of thirteen potential partners of the LEDGF PWWP domain. Five of these interactions were confirmed in mammalian cells, using both a protein complementation assay and co-immunoprecipitation approaches. Three of these partners interact with full length LEDGF/p75, they are specific for PWWP domains of the HDGF family and they require PWWP amino acids essential for the interaction with chromatin. Among them, the transcription activator TOX4 and the splicing cofactor NOVA1 were selected for a more extensive study. These two proteins or their PWWP interacting regions (PIR) colocalize with LEDGF/p75 in Hela cells and interact in vitro in the presence of DNA. Finally, single round VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-1 but not MLV infection is inhibited in cells overexpressing these two PIRs. The observed inhibition of infection can be attributed to a defect in the integration step. Our data suggest that a regulation of LEDGF interaction with chromatin by cellular partners of its PWWP domain could be involved in several processes linked to LEDGF tethering properties, such as lentiviral integration, DNA repair or transcriptional regulation.

Allosteric integrase inhibitor potency is determined through the inhibition of HIV-1 particle maturation

Integration is essential for HIV-1 replication, and the viral integrase (IN) protein is an important therapeutic target. Allosteric IN inhibitors (ALLINIs) that engage the IN dimer interface at the binding site for the host protein lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/transcriptional coactivator p75 are an emerging class of small molecule antagonists. Consistent with the inhibition of a multivalent drug target, ALLINIs display steep antiviral dose-response curves ex vivo. ALLINIs multimerize IN protein and concordantly block its assembly with viral DNA in vitro, indicating that the disruption of two integration-associated functions, IN catalysis and the IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction, determines the multimode mechanism of ALLINI action. We now demonstrate that ALLINI potency is unexpectedly accounted for during the late phase of HIV-1 replication. The compounds promote virion IN multimerization and, reminiscent of class II IN mutations, block the formation of the electron-dense viral core and inhibit reverse transcription and integration in subsequently infected target cells. Mature virions are recalcitrant to ALLINI treatment, and compound potency during virus production is independent of the level of LEDGF/p75 expression. We conclude that cooperative multimerization of IN by ALLINIs together with the inability for LEDGF/p75 to effectively engage the virus during its egress from cells underscores the multimodal mechanism of ALLINI action. Our results highlight the versatile nature of allosteric inhibitors to primarily inhibit viral replication at a step that is distinct from the catalytic requirement for the target enzyme. The vulnerability of IN to small molecules during the late phase of HIV-1 replication unveils a pharmacological Achilles' heel for exploitation in clinical ALLINI development.

Identification of low molecular weight nuclear complexes containing integrase during the early stages of HIV-1 infection

Background

HIV-1 replication requires integration of its reverse transcribed viral cDNA into a host cell chromosome. The DNA cutting and joining reactions associated to this key step are catalyzed by the viral protein integrase (IN). In infected cells, IN binds the viral cDNA, together with viral and cellular proteins, to form large nucleoprotein complexes. However, the dynamics of IN complexes formation is still poorly understood.

Results

Here, we characterized IN complexes during the early stages of T-lymphocyte infection. We found that following viral entry into the host cell, IN was rapidly targeted to proteasome-mediated degradation. Interactions between IN and cellular cofactors LEDGF/p75 and TNPO3 were detected as early as 6 h post-infection. Size exclusion chromatography of infected cell extracts revealed distinct IN complexes in vivo. While at 2 h post-infection the majority of IN eluted within a high molecular weight complex competent for integration (IN complex I), IN was also detected in a low molecular weight complex devoid of full-length viral cDNA (IN complex II, ~440 KDa). At 6 h post-infection the relative proportion of IN complex II increased. Inhibition of reverse transcription or integration did not alter the elution profile of IN complex II in infected cells. However, in cells depleted for LEDGF/p75 IN complex II shifted to a lower molecular weight complex (IN complex III, ~150 KDa) containing multimers of IN. Notably, cell fractionation experiments indicated that both IN complex II and III were exclusively nuclear. Finally, IN complex II was not detected in cells infected with a virus harboring a mutated IN defective for LEDGF/p75 interaction and tetramerization.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that, shortly after viral entry, a significant portion of DNA–free IN that is distinct from active pre-integration complexes accumulates in the nucleus.

Correlation of recombinant integrase activity and functional preintegration complex formation during acute infection by replication-defective integrase mutant human immunodeficiency virus

Previous studies characterized two types of replication-defective human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase mutants: class I, which are specifically blocked at the integration step, and class II, which harbor additional virion production and/or reverse transcription defects. Class I mutant enzymes supported little if any metal ion-dependent 3'-processing and DNA strand transfer activities in vitro, whereas class II enzymes displayed partial or full catalytic function in studies with simplified assay designs, suggesting that defective interaction(s) with heterologous integrase binding proteins might underlie the class II mutant viral phenotype. To address this hypothesis, class I and II mutant enzymes were interrogated under expanded sets of in vitro conditions. The majority failed to catalyze the concerted integration of two viral DNA ends into target DNA, highlighting defective integrase function as the root cause of most class II in addition to all class I mutant virus infection defects. One mutant protein, K264E, in contrast, could support the wild-type level of concerted integration activity. After accounting for its inherent reverse transcription defect, HIV-1(K264E) moreover formed preintegration complexes that supported the efficient integration of endogenous viral DNA in vitro and normal levels and sequences of 2-long terminal repeat-containing circle junctions during acute infection. K264E integrase furthermore efficiently interacted in vitro with two heterologous binding partners, LEDGF/p75 and reverse transcriptase. Our results underscore the physiological relevance of concerted integration assays for tests of integrase mutant function and suggest that the K264E mutation disrupts an interaction with an intranuclear integrase binding partner that is important for HIV-1 integration.

Impairment of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 integrase SUMOylation correlates with an early replication defect

HIV-1 integrase (IN) orchestrates the integration of the reverse transcribed viral cDNA into the host cell genome and participates also in other steps of HIV-1 replication. Cellular and viral factors assist IN in performing its multiple functions, and post-translational modifications contribute to modulate its activities. Here, we show that HIV-1 IN is modified by SUMO proteins and that phylogenetically conserved SUMOylation consensus motifs represent major SUMO acceptor sites. Viruses harboring SUMOylation site IN mutants displayed a replication defect that was mapped during the early stages of infection, before integration but after reverse transcription. Because SUMOylation-defective IN mutants retained WT catalytic activity, we hypothesize that SUMOylation might regulate the affinity of IN for co-factors, contributing to efficient HIV-1 replication.

Innate sensing of HIV-infected cells

Cell-free HIV-1 virions are poor stimulators of type I interferon (IFN) production. We examined here how HIV-infected cells are recognized by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and by other cells. We show that infected lymphocytes are more potent inducers of IFN than virions. There are target cell-type differences in the recognition of infected lymphocytes. In primary pDCs and pDC-like cells, recognition occurs in large part through TLR7, as demonstrated by the use of inhibitors and by TLR7 silencing. Donor cells expressing replication-defective viruses, carrying mutated reverse transcriptase, integrase or nucleocapsid proteins induced IFN production by target cells as potently as wild-type virus. In contrast, Env-deleted or fusion defective HIV-1 mutants were less efficient, suggesting that in addition to TLR7, cytoplasmic cellular sensors may also mediate sensing of infected cells. Furthermore, in a model of TLR7-negative cells, we demonstrate that the IRF3 pathway, through a process requiring access of incoming viral material to the cytoplasm, allows sensing of HIV-infected lymphocytes. Therefore, detection of HIV-infected lymphocytes occurs through both endosomal and cytoplasmic pathways. Characterization of the mechanisms of innate recognition of HIV-infected cells allows a better understanding of the pathogenic and exacerbated immunologic events associated with HIV infection.

AIDS is characterized by a hyperactivation of the immune system. Innate and inflammatory responses, associated with an exacerbated production of cytokines like type I interferons (IFN) and of chemokines, deregulate the normal functioning of T lymphocytes and other cells. The events that trigger this inappropriate activation remain poorly understood. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) normally produce IFN when they encounter viruses. Here we examined how HIV-infected cells are recognized by pDCs, as well as by other immune and non-immune cells. We show that viruses transmitted via cell-to-cell contacts are more potent inducers of IFN than cell-free viral particles. In pDCs, recognition occurs in large part through TLR7, a cellular receptor detecting viral genetic materials after capture in intracellular vesicles. Donor cells expressing replication-defective viruses are also able to trigger IFN production by target cells. We further show that in TLR7-negative, non-hematopoietic cells an additional cytoplasmic pathway allows sensing of HIV-infected lymphocytes. Therefore, detection of HIV-infected lymphocytes occurs at different intracellular localizations, and does not require ongoing viral replication. Characterization of the mechanisms of innate HIV-1 recognition allows a better understanding of the pathology of HIV infection, and has consequences for the design of vaccine strategies.

Purification and characterization of HIV-human protein complexes

To fully understand how pathogens infect their host and hijack key biological processes, systematic mapping of intra-pathogenic and pathogen–host protein–protein interactions (PPIs) is crucial. Due to the relatively small size of viral genomes (usually around 10–100 proteins), generation of comprehensive host–virus PPI maps using different experimental platforms, including affinity tag purification-mass spectrometry (AP-MS) and yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) approaches, can be achieved. Global maps such as these provide unbiased insight into the molecular mechanisms of viral entry, replication and assembly. However, to date, only two-hybrid methodology has been used in a systematic fashion to characterize viral–host protein–protein interactions, although a deluge of data exists in databases that manually curate from the literature individual host–pathogen PPIs. We will summarize this work and also describe an AP-MS platform that can be used to characterize viral-human protein complexes and discuss its application for the HIV genome.

Changes in the accessibility of the HIV-1 Integrase C-terminus in the presence of cellular proteins

Background

Following entry, uncoating, and reverse transcription, a number of cellular proteins become associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) pre-integration complex (PIC). With the goal of obtaining reagents for the analysis of the HIV-1 PIC composition and localisation, we have constructed functional integrase (IN) and matrix (MA) proteins that can be biotinylated during virus production and captured using streptavidin-coated beads.

Results

Although the labelled C-terminus allows for the sensitive detection of virion-associated IN, it becomes inaccessible in the presence of cellular proteins. This masking is not dependent on the nature of the tag and does not occur with the tagged MA. It was not observed either with an IN mutant unable to interact with LEDGF/p75, or when LEDGF/p75 was depleted from cells.

Conclusion

Our observation suggests that a structural rearrangement or oligomerization of the IN protein occurs during the early steps of infection and that this process is related to the presence of LEDGF/p75.

Modeling, analysis, and validation of a novel HIV integrase structure provide insights into the binding modes of potent integrase inhibitors

It has been shown that L-731988, a potent integrase inhibitor, targets a conformation of the integrase enzyme formed when complexed to viral DNA, with the 3'-end dinucleotide already cleaved. It has also been shown that diketo acid inhibitors bind to the strand transfer complex of integrase and are competitive with the host target DNA. However, published X-ray structures of HIV integrase do not include the DNA; thus, there is a need to develop a model representing the strand transfer complex. In this study, we have constructed an active-site model of the HIV-1 integrase complexed with viral DNA using the crystal structure of DNA-bound transposase and have identified a binding mode for inhibitors. This proposed binding mechanism for integrase inhibitors involves interaction with a specific Mg(2+) in the active site, accentuated by a hydrophobic interaction in a cavity formed by a flexible loop upon DNA binding. We further validated the integrase active-site model by selectively mutating key residues predicted to play an important role in the binding of inhibitors. Thus, we have a binding model that is applicable to a wide range of potent integrase inhibitors and is consistent with the available resistant mutation data.

Integrase, LEDGF/p75 and HIV replication

HIV integrates a DNA copy of its genome into a host cell chromosome in each replication cycle. The essential DNA cleaving and joining chemistry of integration is known, but there is less understanding of the process as it occurs in a cell, where two complex and dynamic macromolecular entities are joined: the viral pre-integration complex and chromatin. Among implicated cellular factors, much recent attention has coalesced around LEDGF/p75, a nuclear protein that may act as a chromatin docking factor or receptor for lentiviral pre-integration complexes. LEDGF/p75 tethers HIV integrase to chromatin, protects it from degradation, and strongly influences the genome-wide pattern of HIV integration. Depleting the protein from cells and/or over-expressing its integrase-binding domain blocks viral replication. Current goals are to establish the underlying mechanisms and to determine whether this knowledge can be exploited for antiviral therapy or for targeting lentiviral vector integration in human gene therapy.

HIV-1 inactivation by 4-vinylpyridine is enhanced by dissociating Zn(2+) from nucleocapsid protein

Selective inactivation of critical cysteine residues in human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) was observed after treatment with 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP), with and without the membrane-permeable metal chelator N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine (TPEN). Chromatographic analysis showed that cysteines contained within nucleocapsid zinc fingers, in the context of whole virus or purified protein, were essentially unreactive, but became reactive when a chelator was included. Virus treated with 4-VP showed only a modest decrease in infectivity; after TPEN addition, nearly complete inactivation of HIV-1 occurred. Similarly, quantitation of viral DNA products from 4-VP-treated virus infections showed no significant effects on reverse transcription, but did show a 14-fold reduction in proviruses; when TPEN was added, a 10(5)-fold decrease in late reverse transcription products was observed and no proviruses were detected. Since 4-VP effectiveness was greatly enhanced by TPEN, this strongly suggests that modification of nucleocapsid zinc fingers is necessary and sufficient for HIV-1 inactivation by sulfhydryl reagents.

Host cell factors and HIV-1 integration

Retroviral replication hinges on the formation of the provirus, the integrated product of the linear DNA that is made during reverse transcription. Integration is catalyzed by the viral recombinase integrase, yet a number of studies indicate that other viral or cellular proteins play important cofactor roles during HIV-1 integration. Some of these factors bind directly to integrase, whereas others gain access to the integration machinery by binding to the DNA or other viral proteins. This article reviews recent advances on the roles of cellular proteins in HIV-1 integration. As a number of studies have highlighted a particularly important role for the integrase interactor lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF), much of the focus will be on its mechanism of action and the potential to develop inhibitors of this crucial virus–host interaction.

Virus evolution reveals an exclusive role for LEDGF/p75 in chromosomal tethering of HIV

Retroviruses by definition insert their viral genome into the host cell chromosome. Although the key player of retroviral integration is viral integrase, a role for cellular cofactors has been proposed. Lentiviral integrases use the cellular protein LEDGF/p75 to tether the preintegration complex to the chromosome, although the existence of alternative host proteins substituting for the function of LEDGF/p75 in integration has been proposed. Truncation mutants of LEDGF/p75 lacking the chromosome attachment site strongly inhibit HIV replication by competition for the interaction with integrase. In an attempt to select HIV strains that can overcome the inhibition, we now have used T-cell lines that stably express a C-terminal fragment of LEDGF/p75. Despite resistance development, the affinity of integrase for LEDGF/p75 is reduced and replication kinetics in human primary T cells is impaired. Detection of the integrase mutations A128T and E170G at key positions in the LEDGF/p75–integrase interface provides in vivo evidence for previously reported crystallographic data. Moreover, the complementary inhibition by LEDGF/p75 knockdown and mutagenesis at the integrase–LEDGF/p75 interface points to the incapability of HIV to circumvent LEDGF/p75 function during proviral integration. Altogether, the data provide a striking example of the power of viral molecular evolution. The results underline the importance of the LEDGF/p75 HIV-1 interplay as target for innovative antiviral therapy. Moreover, the role of LEDGF/p75 in targeting integration will stimulate research on strategies to direct gene therapy vectors into safe landing sites.

Viruses have a limited genome and therefore exploit the cellular machinery of infected host cells to complete the replication cycle. Today there is a growing interest to unravel these virus–host interactions. Lentiviral integrases use the cellular protein LEDGF/p75 to tether the preintegration complex to the chromosome, although the existence of alternative host proteins substituting for the function of LEDGF/p75 has been proposed. Here, we used virus evolution to investigate the role and importance of LEDGF/p75 in HIV integration and replication. We selected a virus that is resistant against overexpression of the integrase binding domain of LEDGF/p75. This virus displays a reduced affinity for its own cofactor but still depends on the cofactor for replication. We demonstrate the unique and essential role of LEDGF/p75 in HIV replication and support the LEDGF/p75 HIV-1 interplay as target for innovative antiviral therapy. Moreover, elucidation of the role of LEDGF/p75 in targeting integration will stimulate research on strategies to direct gene therapy vectors into safe landing sites.

The role of lysine 186 in HIV-1 integrase multimerization

HIV-1 integrase (IN) catalyzes biochemical reactions required for viral cDNA insertion into host cell chromosomal DNA, an essential step in the HIV-1 replication cycle. In one of these reactions, the two ends of the linear viral cDNA are believed to be simultaneously ligated to chromosomal DNA by a tetrameric form of IN. The structure of the full-length IN tetramer is not known but a model consisting of the N-terminal domain and the catalytic core revealed basic residues 186 to 188 at the interface between the two IN dimers. We found that alteration of these residues, in particular changing IN lysine residue 186 to glutamate (K186Q), impairs IN oligomerization in the yeast two-hybrid system and decreases oligomeric forms of IN within virions. When expressed independently of other viral proteins in human cells, IN-K186Q did not concentrate in the nucleus as did wild-type IN. Co-expression of wild-type IN restored the multimerization defects of IN-K186Q, in both the two-hybrid system and in virions, and also rescued the nuclear targeting defects. Virions bearing IN-K186Q were not infectious in a single cycle of replication but when mixed virions containing two different IN mutants were produced, IN-K186Q was capable of complementing the catalytically inactive mutant IN-D116A. Our biochemical and functional data support the crystallographic model in which IN residue K186 lies at the interface between IN dimers and suggest that tetramerization is important, not only for concerted integration, but also for IN nuclear targeting.

The road to chromatin - nuclear entry of retroviruses

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and other retroviruses synthesize a DNA copy of their genome after entry into the host cell. Integration of this DNA into the host cell's genome is an essential step in the viral replication cycle. The viral DNA is synthesized in the cytoplasm and is associated with viral and cellular proteins in a large nucleoprotein complex. Before integration into the host genome can occur, this complex must be transported to the nucleus and must cross the nuclear envelope. This Review summarizes our current knowledge of how this journey is accomplished.

Single amino acid substitution in HIV-1 integrase catalytic core causes a dramatic shift in inhibitor selectivity

HIV-1 integrase (IN) mediates the insertion of viral cDNA into the cell genome, a vital process for replication. This step is catalyzed by two separate DNA reaction events, termed 3'-processing and strand transfer. Here, we show that six inhibitors from five structurally different classes of compounds display a selectivity shift towards preferential strand transfer inhibition over the 3'-processing activity of IN when a single serine is substituted at position C130. Even though IN utilizes the same active site for both reactions, this finding suggests a distinct conformational dissimilarity in the mechanistic details of each IN catalytic event.

Posttranslational acetylation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase carboxyl-terminal domain is dispensable for viral replication

A recent report sought to demonstrate that acetylation of specific lysines within integrase (IN) by the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) p300 regulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration and is essential for viral replication (A. Cereseto, L. Manganaro, M. I. Gutierrez, M. Terreni, A. Fittipaldi, M. Lusic, A. Marcello, and M. Giacca, EMBO J. 24:3070-3081, 2005). We can corroborate the efficient and specific acetylation of the IN carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) (amino acids 212 to 288) by p300 using purified recombinant components. Although arginine substitution mutagenesis of the isolated CTD confirms that the majority of p300 acetylation occurs at lysine residues 264, 266, and 273, the pattern of acetylation is not uniform and a hierarchy of reactivity can be established. Several combinatorial mutations of the CTD lysines modified by p300 in vitro were reconstructed into an otherwise infectious proviral plasmid clone and examined for viral growth and frequency of productive chromosomal integration. In contrast to the findings of Cereseto and coworkers, who used epitope-tagged viruses for their experiments, we find that an untagged mutant virus, IN K(264/266/273)R, is fully replication competent. This discrepancy may be explained by the use of an acidic epitope tag placed at the extreme carboxyl terminus of integrase, near the target site for acetylation. Although the tagged, wild-type virus is viable, the combination of this epitope tag with the RRR substitution mutation results in a replication-defective phenotype. Although IN belongs to the very small set of nonhistone proteins modified by HAT-mediated activity, an obligate role for acetylation at the reactive CTD lysines in HIV-1 IN cannot be confirmed.

Identification of the LEDGF/p75 binding site in HIV-1 integrase

Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/p75 is an important cellular co-factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. We originally identified LEDGF/p75 as a binding partner of integrase (IN) in human cells. The interaction has been mapped to the integrase-binding domain (IBD) of LEDGF/p75 located in the C-terminal part. We have subsequently shown that IN carrying the Q168A mutation remains enzymatically active but is impaired for interaction with LEDGF/p75. To map the integrase/LEDGF interface in more detail, we have now identified and characterized two regions within the enzyme involved in the interaction with LEDGF/p75. The first region centers around residues W131 and W132 while the second extends from I161 up to E170. For the different IN mutants the interaction with LEDGF/p75 and the enzymatic activities were determined. IN(W131A), IN(I161A), IN(R166A), IN(Q168A) and IN(E170A) are impaired for interaction with LEDGF/p75, but retain 3' processing and strand transfer activities. Due to impaired integration, an HIV-1 strain containing the W131A mutation in IN displays reduced replication capacity, whereas virus carrying IN(Q168A) is replication defective. Comparison of the wild-type IN-LEDGF/p75 co-crystal structure with that of the modelled structure of the IN(Q168A) and IN(W131A) mutant integrases corroborated our experimental data.

Overexpression of the lens epithelium-derived growth factor/p75 integrase binding domain inhibits human immunodeficiency virus replication

We initially identified lens epithelium-derived growth factor/p75 (LEDGF/p75) as a binding partner of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase. To investigate the role of LEDGF/p75 in HIV replication and its potential as a new antiviral target, we stably overexpressed two different fragments containing the integrase binding domain (IBD) of LEDGF/p75 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP). HIV-1 replication was severely inhibited by overexpression of the eGFP-IBD fusion proteins, while no inhibition was observed in cell lines overexpressing the interaction-deficient D366A mutant. Quantitative PCR pinpointed the block to the integration step, whereas nuclear import was not affected. Competition of the IBD fusion proteins with endogenous LEDGF/p75 for binding to integrase led to a potent defect in HIV-1 replication in both HeLaP4- and MT-4-derived cell lines. A previously described diketo acid-resistant HIV-1 strain remained fully susceptible to inhibition, suggesting that this strategy will also work in patients who harbor strains resistant to the current experimental integrase inhibitors. These data support LEDGF/p75 as an important cofactor for HIV replication and provide proof of concept for the LEDGF/p75-integrase interaction as a novel target for treating HIV-1 infection.

Structure-based mutagenesis of the integrase-LEDGF/p75 interface uncouples a strict correlation between in vitro protein binding and HIV-1 fitness

LEDGF/p75 binding-defective IN mutant viruses were previously characterized as replication-defective, yet RNAi did not reveal an essential role for the host factor in HIV-1 replication. Correlative analyses of protein binding and viral fitness were expanded here by targeting 12 residues at the IN-LEDGF/p75 binding interface. Whereas many of the resultant viruses were defective, the majority of the INs displayed wild-type in vitro integration activities. Though an overall trend of parallel loss of LEDGF/p75 binding and HIV-1 infectivity was observed, a strict correlation was not. His-tagged IN(A128Q), derived from a phenotypically wild-type virus, failed to pull-down LEDGF/p75, but IN(A128Q) was effectively recovered in a reciprocal GST pull-down assay. Under these conditions, IN(H171A), also derived from a phenotypically wild-type virus, interacted less efficiently than a previously described interaction-defective mutant, IN(Q168A). Thus, the relative affinity of the in vitro IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction is not a universal predictor of IN mutant viral fitness.

Discovery of a small-molecule HIV-1 integrase inhibitor-binding site

Herein, we report the identification of a unique HIV-1 integrase (IN) inhibitor-binding site using photoaffinity labeling and mass spectrometric analysis. We chemically incorporated a photo-activatable benzophenone moiety into a series of coumarin-containing IN inhibitors. A representative of this series was covalently photo-crosslinked with the IN core domain and subjected to HPLC purification. Fractions were subsequently analyzed by using MALDI-MS and electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS to identify photo-crosslinked products. In this fashion, a single binding site for an inhibitor located within the tryptic peptide (128)AACWWAGIK(136) was identified. Site-directed mutagenesis followed by in vitro inhibition assays resulted in the identification of two specific amino acid residues, C130 and W132, in which substitutions resulted in a marked resistance to the IN inhibitors. Docking studies suggested a specific disruption in functional oligomeric IN complex formation. The combined approach of photo-affinity labeling/MS analysis with site-directed mutagenesis/molecular modeling is a powerful approach for elucidating inhibitor-binding sites of proteins at the atomic level. This approach is especially important for the study of proteins that are not amenable to traditional x-ray crystallography and NMR techniques. This type of structural information can help illuminate processes of inhibitor resistance and thereby facilitate the design of more potent second-generation inhibitors.

Transcriptional co-activator p75 binds and tethers the Myc-interacting protein JPO2 to chromatin

Transcriptional co-activator p75 is implicated in human cancer, autoimmunity and replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as a dominant integrase-interacting protein. Although characterized as chromatin associated, the normal biological role(s) of p75 remains fairly unclear. To gain insight into p75 function, we have characterized its cellular binding partners and report that JPO2, a recently identified Myc-binding protein, associates with p75 in vitro and in vivo. The pseudo HEAT repeat analogous topology (PHAT) domain of p75, which mediates its interaction with integrase, also mediates the interaction with JPO2, and recombinant integrase protein competes with JPO2 protein for binding to p75 in vitro. JPO2 binds p75 through a 61-residue (amino acids 58-119) region that is distinct from its Myc-interacting domain. In cells, JPO2 and p75 co-localize throughout the cell cycle, and both proteins concentrate on condensed chromosomes during mitosis. Strikingly, the association of JPO2 with chromatin strictly depends upon p75, similar to that of ectopically expressed integrase. Also similar to its effect on integrase, p75 stabilizes intracellular steady-state levels of JPO2 protein. Our results suggest a role for p75 in the Myc regulatory network, and indicate that p75 is a general adaptor protein tethering divergent factors to chromatin through its versatile integrase-binding domain.

Identification of amino acids in HIV-1 and avian sarcoma virus integrase subsites required for specific recognition of the long terminal repeat Ends

A tetramer model for HIV-1 integrase (IN) with DNA representing 20 bp of the U3 and U5 long terminal repeats (LTR) termini was assembled using structural and biochemical data and molecular dynamics simulations. It predicted amino acid residues on the enzyme surface that can interact with the LTR termini. A separate structural alignment of HIV-1, simian sarcoma virus (SIV), and avian sarcoma virus (ASV) INs predicted which of these residues were unique. To determine whether these residues were responsible for specific recognition of the LTR termini, the amino acids from ASV IN were substituted into the structurally equivalent positions of HIV-1 IN, and the ability of the chimeras to 3 ' process U5 HIV-1 or ASV duplex oligos was determined. This analysis demonstrated that there are multiple amino acid contacts with the LTRs and that substitution of ASV IN amino acids at many of the analogous positions in HIV-1 IN conferred partial ability to cleave ASV substrates with a concomitant loss in the ability to cleave the homologous HIV-1 substrate. HIV-1 IN residues that changed specificity include Val(72), Ser(153), Lys(160)-Ile(161), Gly(163)-Val(165), and His(171)-Leu(172). Because a chimera that combines several of these substitutions showed a specificity of cleavage of the U5 ASV substrate closer to wild type ASV IN compared with chimeras with individual amino acid substitutions, it appears that the sum of the IN interactions with the LTRs determines the specificity. Finally, residues Ser(153) and Val(72) in HIV-1 IN are among those that change in enzymes that develop resistance to naphthyridine carboxamide- and diketo acid-related inhibitors in cells. Thus, amino acid residues involved in recognition of the LTRs are among these positions that change in development of drug resistance.

Restriction of foamy viruses by APOBEC cytidine deaminases

Foamy viruses (FVs) are nonpathogenic retroviruses infecting many species of mammals, notably primates, cattle, and cats. We have examined whether members of the apolipoprotein B-editing catalytic polypeptide-like subunit (APOBEC) family of antiviral cytidine deaminases restrict replication of simian FV. We show that human APOBEC3G is a potent inhibitor of FV infectivity in cell culture experiments. This antiviral activity is associated with cytidine editing of the viral genome. Both molecular FV clones and primary uncloned viruses were susceptible to APOBEC3G, and viral infectivity was also inhibited by murine and simian APOBEC3G homologues, as well as by human APOBEC3F. Wild-type and bet-deleted viruses were similarly sensitive to this antiviral activity, suggesting that Bet does not significantly counteract APOBEC proteins. Moreover, we did not detect FV sequences that may have been targeted by APOBEC in naturally infected macaques, but we observed a few G-to-A substitutions in humans that have been accidentally contaminated by simian FV. In infected hosts, the persistence strategy employed by FV might be based on low levels of replication, as well as avoidance of cells expressing large amounts of active cytidine deaminases.

Structural basis for the recognition between HIV-1 integrase and transcriptional coactivator p75

Integrase (IN) is an essential retroviral enzyme, and human transcriptional coactivator p75, which is also referred to as lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF), is the dominant cellular binding partner of HIV-1 IN. Here, we report the crystal structure of the dimeric catalytic core domain of HIV-1 IN complexed to the IN-binding domain of LEDGF. Previously identified LEDGF hotspot residues anchor the protein to both monomers at the IN dimer interface. The principal structural features of IN that are recognized by the host factor are the backbone conformation of residues 168-171 from one monomer and a hydrophobic patch that is primarily comprised of alpha-helices 1 and 3 of the second IN monomer. Inspection of diverse retroviral primary and secondary sequence elements helps to explain the apparent lentiviral tropism of the LEDGF-IN interaction. Because the lethal phenotypes of HIV-1 mutant viruses unable to interact with LEDGF indicate that IN function is highly sensitive to perturbations of the structure around the LEDGF-binding site, we propose that small molecule inhibitors of the protein-protein interaction might similarly disrupt HIV-1 replication.

The cell cycle independence of HIV infections is not determined by known karyophilic viral elements

Human immunodeficiency virus and other lentiviruses infect cells independent of cell cycle progression, but gammaretroviruses, such as the murine leukemia virus (MLV) require passage of cells through mitosis. This property is thought to be important for the ability of HIV to infect resting CD4+ T cells and terminally differentiated macrophages. Multiple and independent redundant nuclear localization signals encoded by HIV have been hypothesized to facilitate migration of viral genomes into the nucleus. The integrase (IN) protein of HIV is one of the HIV elements that targets to the nucleus; however, its role in nuclear entry of virus genomes has been difficult to describe because mutations in IN are pleiotropic. To investigate the importance of the HIV IN protein for infection of non-dividing cells, and to investigate whether or not IN was redundant with other viral signals for cell cycle-independent nuclear entry, we constructed an HIV-based chimeric virus in which the entire IN protein of HIV was replaced by that of MLV. This chimeric virus with a heterologous IN was infectious at a low level, and was able to integrate in an IN-dependent manner. Furthermore, this virus infected non-dividing cells as well as it infected dividing cells. Moreover, we used the chimeric HIV with MLV IN to further eliminate all of the other described nuclear localization signals from an HIV genome—matrix, IN, Viral Protein R, and the central polypurine tract—and show that no combination of the virally encoded NLS is essential for the ability of HIV to infect non-dividing cells.

Human immunodeficiency virus can infect many cells irrespective of whether or not they are dividing, whereas some other retroviruses, such as the murine leukemia virus can only infect cells that are proliferating. This property is important for the ability of HIV to establish infections in critical cell types in infected people. Multiple and redundant signals encoded by HIV have been hypothesized to facilitate migration of viral genomes into the nucleus. However, here the authors eliminated all four described nuclear localizing signals from an HIV genome and show that no combination of these virally encoded signals is essential for the ability of HIV to infect non-dividing cells. They suggest that another step of the virus lifecycle, other than nuclear import, is the rate-limiting step that determines the cell cycle dependence/independence of retroviral infections.

Contribution of the C-terminal tri-lysine regions of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase for efficient reverse transcription and viral DNA nuclear import

Background

In addition to mediating the integration process, HIV-1 integrase (IN) has also been implicated in different steps during viral life cycle including reverse transcription and viral DNA nuclear import. Although the karyophilic property of HIV-1 IN has been well demonstrated using a variety of experimental approaches, the definition of domain(s) and/or motif(s) within the protein that mediate viral DNA nuclear import and its mechanism are still disputed and controversial. In this study, we performed mutagenic analyses to investigate the contribution of different regions in the C-terminal domain of HIV-1 IN to protein nuclear localization as well as their effects on virus infection.

Results

Our analysis showed that replacing lysine residues in two highly conserved tri-lysine regions, which are located within previously described Region C (²³⁵WKGPAKLLWKGEGAVV) and sequence Q (²¹¹KELQKQITK) in the C-terminal domain of HIV-1 IN, impaired protein nuclear accumulation, while mutations for RK_263,4 had no significant effect. Analysis of their effects on viral infection in a VSV-G pseudotyped RT/IN trans-complemented HIV-1 single cycle replication system revealed that all three C-terminal mutant viruses (KK215,9AA, KK240,4AE and RK263,4AA) exhibited more severe defect of induction of β-Gal positive cells and luciferase activity than an IN class 1 mutant D64E in HeLa-CD4-CCR5-β-Gal cells, and in dividing as well as non-dividing C8166 T cells, suggesting that some viral defects are occurring prior to viral integration. Furthermore, by analyzing viral DNA synthesis and the nucleus-associated viral DNA level, the results clearly showed that, although all three C-terminal mutants inhibited viral reverse transcription to different extents, the KK240,4AE mutant exhibited most profound effect on this step, whereas KK215,9AA significantly impaired viral DNA nuclear import. In addition, our analysis could not detect viral DNA integration in each C-terminal mutant infection, even though they displayed various low levels of nucleus-associated viral DNA, suggesting that these C-terminal mutants also impaired viral DNA integration ability.

Conclusion

All of these results indicate that, in addition to being involved in HIV-1 reverse transcription and integration, the C-terminal tri-lysine regions of IN also contribute to efficient viral DNA nuclear import during the early stage of HIV-1 replication.

Acetylation of HIV-1 integrase by p300 regulates viral integration

Integration of HIV-1 into the human genome, which is catalyzed by the viral protein integrase (IN), preferentially occurs near transcriptionally active genes. Here we show that p300, a cellular acetyltransferase that regulates chromatin conformation through the acetylation of histones, also acetylates IN and controls its activity. We have found that p300 directly binds IN both in vitro and in the cells, as also specifically demonstrated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer technique analysis. This interaction results in the acetylation of three specific lysines (K264, K266, K273) in the carboxy-terminus of IN, a region that is required for DNA binding. Acetylation increases IN affinity to DNA, and promotes the DNA strand transfer activity of the protein. In the context of the viral replication cycle, point mutations in the IN acetylation sites abolish virus replication by specifically impairing its integration capacity. This is the first demonstration that HIV-1 IN activity is specifically regulated by post-translational modification.

Genetic analyses of conserved residues in the carboxyl-terminal domain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase

Results of in vitro assays identified residues in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) important for IN-IN and IN-DNA interactions, but the potential roles of these residues in virus replication were mostly unknown. Sixteen CTD residues were targeted here, generating 24 mutant viruses. Replication-defective mutants were typed as class I (blocked at integration) or class II (additional reverse transcription and/or assembly defects). Most defective viruses (15 of 17) displayed reverse transcription defects. In contrast, replication-defective HIV-1(E246K) synthesized near-normal cDNA levels but processing of Pr55(gag) was largely inhibited in virus-producing cells. Because single-round HIV-1(E246K.Luc(R-)) transduced cells at approximately 8% of the wild-type level, we concluded that the late-stage processing defect contributed significantly to the overall replication defect of HIV-1(E246K). Results of complementation assays revealed that the CTD could function in trans to the catalytic core domain (CCD) in in vitro assays, and we since determined that certain class I and class II mutants defined a novel genetic complementation group that functioned in cells independently of IN domain boundaries. Seven of eight novel Vpr-IN mutant proteins efficiently trans-complemented class I active-site mutant virus, demonstrating catalytically active CTD mutant proteins during infection. Because most of these mutants inefficiently complemented a class II CCD mutant virus, the majority of CTD mutants were likely more defective for interactions with cellular and/or viral components that affected reverse transcription and/or preintegration trafficking than the catalytic activity of the IN enzyme.

Integrase mutants defective for interaction with LEDGF/p75 are impaired in chromosome tethering and HIV-1 replication

The insertion of a DNA copy of its RNA genome into a chromosome of the host cell is mediated by the viral integrase with the help of mostly uncharacterized cellular cofactors. We have recently described that the transcriptional co-activator LEDGF/p75 strongly interacts with HIV-1 integrase. Here we show that interaction of HIV-1 integrase with LEDGF/p75 is important for viral replication. Using multiple approaches including two-hybrid interaction studies, random and directed mutagenesis, we could demonstrate that HIV-1 virus harboring a single mutation that disrupts integrase-LEDGF/p75 interaction, resulted in defective HIV-1 replication. Furthermore, we found that LEDGF/p75 tethers HIV-1 integrase to chromosomes and that this interaction may be important for the integration process and the replication of HIV-1.

Class II integrase mutants with changes in putative nuclear localization signals are primarily blocked at a postnuclear entry step of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication

Integrase has been implicated in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nuclear import. Integrase analyses, however, can be complicated by the pleiotropic nature of mutations: whereas class I mutants are integration defective, class II mutants display additional assembly and/or reverse transcription defects. We previously determined that HIV-1(V165A), originally reported as defective for nuclear import, was a class II mutant. Here we analyzed mutants containing changes in other putative nuclear localization signals, including (186)KRK(188)/(211)KELQKQITK(219) and Cys-130. Previous work established HIV-1(K186Q), HIV-1(Q214L/Q216L), and HIV-1(C130G) as replication defective, but phenotypic classification was unclear and nuclear import in nondividing cells was not addressed. Consistent with previous reports, most of the bipartite mutants studied here were replication defective. These mutants as well as HIV-1(V165A) synthesized reduced cDNA levels, but a normal fraction of mutant cDNA localized to dividing and nondividing cell nuclei. Somewhat surprisingly, recombinant class II mutant proteins were catalytically active, and class II Vpr-integrase fusion proteins efficiently complemented class I mutant virus. Since a class I Vpr-integrase mutant efficiently complemented class II mutant viruses under conditions in which class II Vpr-integrases failed to function, we conclude that classes I and II define two distinct complementation groups and suggest that class II mutants are primarily defective at a postnuclear entry step of HIV-1 replication. HIV-1(C130G) was also defective for reverse transcription, but Vpr-integrase(C130G) did not efficiently complement class I mutant HIV-1. Since HIV-1(C130A) grew like the wild type, we conclude that Cys-130 is not essential for replication and speculate that perturbation of integrase structure contributed to the pleiotropic HIV-1(C130G) phenotype.

Requirement for integrase during reverse transcription of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and the effect of cysteine mutations of integrase on its interactions with reverse transcriptase

Retroviral integrase catalyzes the essential step of integrating a double-stranded DNA copy of the viral genome into a host cell chromosome. Mutational studies have revealed that integrase is involved in additional steps of viral replication, but the mechanism for the pleiotropic effect is not well characterized. Since Cys residues generally play crucial roles in protein structure and function, we introduced Cys-to-Ser substitutions at positions 56, 65, and 130 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase to determine their effects on integration activity and viral replication. None of the substitutions significantly affected the enzymatic activities in vitro. When introduced into the NL4-3 molecular clone of HIV-1, mutant viruses encoding Cys mutations at positions 56 and 65 of integrase replicated similarly to the wild-type virus in CD4(+)-T-cell lines, whereas the C130S-containing virus was noninfectious. The entry and postintegration steps of the viral life cycle for all mutant viruses were normal, and all had particle-associated reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. However, early reverse-transcribed DNA products were absent in the lysate of cells infected with the C130S mutant virus, indicating that the mutation abolished the ability of the virus to initiate endogenous reverse transcription. Coimmunoprecipitation using purified integrase and RT showed that the C-terminal domain of wild-type HIV-1 integrase interacted with RT. The interaction between integrase and RT was not affected in the presence of a reducing or alkylating agent, suggesting that the interaction did not involve a disulfide linkage. The C130S substitution within the core region may disrupt the protein recognition interface of the C-terminal domain and abolish its ability to interact with RT. Our results indicate that integrase plays an important role during the reverse-transcription step of the viral life cycle, possibly through physical interactions with RT.

The effects of HIV-1 Nef on CD4 surface expression and viral infectivity in lymphoid cells are independent of rafts

The HIV-1 Nef protein is a critical virulence factor that exerts multiple effects during viral replication. Nef modulates surface expression of various cellular proteins including CD4 and MHC-I, enhances viral infectivity, and affects signal transduction pathways. Nef has been shown to partially associate with rafts, where it can prime T cells for activation. The contribution of rafts during Nef-induced CD4 down-regulation and enhancement of viral replication remains poorly understood. We show here that Nef does not modify the palmitoylation state of CD4 or its partition within rafts. Moreover, CD4 mutants lacking palmitoylation or unable to associate with rafts are efficiently down-regulated by Nef. In HIV-infected cells, viral assembly and budding occurs from rafts, and Nef has been suggested to increase this process. However, using T cells acutely infected with wild-type or nef-deleted HIV, we did not observe any impact of Nef on raft segregation of viral structural proteins. We have also designed a palmitoylated mutant of Nef (NefG3C), which significantly accumulates in rafts. Interestingly, the efficiency of NefG3C to down-regulate CD4 and MHC-I, and to promote viral replication was not increased when compared with the wild-type protein. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that rafts are not a key element involved in the effects of Nef on trafficking of cellular proteins and on viral replication.

The human polycomb group EED protein interacts with the integrase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

Human EED, a member of the superfamily of WD-40 repeat proteins and of the Polycomb group proteins, has been identified as a cellular partner of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) matrix (MA) protein (R. Peytavi et al., J. Biol. Chem. 274:1635-1645, 1999). In the present study, EED was found to interact with HIV-1 integrase (IN) both in vitro and in vivo in yeast. In vitro, data from mutagenesis studies, pull-down assays, and phage biopanning suggested that EED-binding site(s) are located in the C-terminal domain of IN, between residues 212 and 264. In EED, two putative discrete IN-binding sites were mapped to its N-terminal moiety, at a distance from the MA-binding site, but EED-IN interaction also required the integrity of the EED last two WD repeats. EED showed an apparent positive effect on IN-mediated DNA integration reaction in vitro, in a dose-dependent manner. In situ analysis by immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) of cellular distribution of IN and EED in HIV-1-infected cells (HeLa CD4(+) cells or MT4 lymphoid cells) showed that IN and EED colocalized in the nucleus and near nuclear pores, with maximum colocalization events occurring at 6 h postinfection (p.i.). Triple colocalizations of IN, EED, and MA were also observed in the nucleoplasm of infected cells at 6 h p.i., suggesting the ocurrence of multiprotein complexes involving these three proteins at early steps of the HIV-1 virus life cycle. Such IEM patterns were not observed with a noninfectious, envelope deletion mutant of HIV-1.

Intracellular transport of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase protein has karyophilic properties; that is, it localizes to the cell nucleus according to a range of assays. As an essential component of the preintegration complex, it has been suggested that the karyophilic properties of integrase might facilitate transport of the preintegration complex through the nuclear pore complexes of nondividing cells. However, no experiments have satisfactorily identified a nuclear localization signal within integrase. In this work, we investigated the karyophilic properties of integrase in intact cells with hopes of identifying a genuine transferable nuclear localization signal. Our results confirm that integrase tightly binds chromosomal DNA in vivo. However, our analysis determined that large integrase fusion proteins are unable to access the nucleus, indicating that integrase might lack a transferable nuclear localization signal. In addition, we present several lines of evidence to indicate that DNA binding might facilitate integrase nuclear accumulation. Furthermore, our data indicate integrase is degraded in the cytoplasm by a proteasome-dependent process, an event that probably contributes to the apparent nuclear accumulation of integrase. These results provide new insight into human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase intracellular dynamics.

LEDGF/p75 is essential for nuclear and chromosomal targeting of HIV-1 integrase in human cells

We have reported that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) forms a specific nuclear complex with human lens epithelium-derived growth factor/transcription co-activator p75 (LEDGF/p75) protein. We now studied the IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction and nuclear import of IN in living cells using fusions of IN and LEDGF/p75 with enhanced green fluorescent protein and far-red fluorescent protein HcRed1. We show that both the N-terminal zinc binding domain and the central core domains of IN are involved in the interaction with LEDGF/p75. Both domains are essential for nuclear localization of IN as well as for the association of IN with condensed chromosomes during mitosis. However, upon overexpression of LEDGF/p75, the core domain fragment of IN was recruited to the nuclei and mitotic chromosomes with a distribution pattern characteristic of the full-length protein, indicating that it harbors the main determinant for interaction with LEDGF/p75. Although the C-terminal domain of IN was dispensable for nuclear/chromosomal localization, a fusion of the C-terminal IN fragment with enhanced green fluorescent protein was found exclusively in the nucleus, with a diffuse nuclear/nucleolar distribution, suggesting that the C-terminal domain may also play a role in the nuclear import of IN. In contrast to LEDGF/p75, its alternative splice variant, p52, did not interact with HIV-1 IN in vitro and in living cells. Finally, RNA interference-mediated knock-down of endogenous LEDGF/p75 expression abolished nuclear/chromosomal localization of IN. We conclude, therefore, that the interaction with LEDGF/p75 accounts for the karyophilic properties and chromosomal targeting of HIV-1 IN.

Structural analyses of purified human immunodeficiency virus type 1 intracellular reverse transcription complexes

Retroviruses copy their RNA genome into a DNA molecule, but little is known of the structure of the complex mediating reverse transcription in vivo. We used confocal and electron microscopy to study the structure of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) intracellular reverse transcription complexes (RTCs). Cytoplasmic extracts were prepared 3, 4, and 16 h after acute infection by Dounce homogenization in hypotonic buffer. RTCs were purified by velocity sedimentation, followed by density fractionation in linear sucrose gradients and dialysis in a large pore cellulose membrane. RTCs had a sedimentation velocity of approximately 350 S and a density of 1.34 g/ml and were active in an endogenous reverse transcription assay. Double labeling of nucleic acids and viral proteins allowed specific visualization of RTCs by confocal microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed that RTCs are large nucleoprotein structures of variable shape consisting of packed filaments ca. 6 nm thick. Integrase and Vpr are associated with discrete regions of the 6-nm filaments. The nucleic acids within the RTC are coated by small proteins distinct from nucleocapsid and are partially protected from nuclease digestion.

HIV-1 integrase forms stable tetramers and associates with LEDGF/p75 protein in human cells

We studied human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) complexes derived from nuclei of human cells stably expressing the viral protein from a synthetic gene. We show that in the nuclear extracts IN exists as part of a large distinct complex with an apparent Stokes radius of 61 A, which dissociates upon dilution yielding a core molecule of 41 A. We isolated the IN complexes from cells expressing FLAG-tagged IN and demonstrated that the 41 A core is a tetramer of IN, whereas 61 A molecules are composed of IN tetramers associated with a cellular protein with an apparent molecular mass of 76 kDa. This novel integrase interacting protein was found to be identical to lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF/p75), a protein implicated in regulation of gene expression and cellular stress response. HIV-1 IN and LEDGF co-localized in the nuclei of human cells stably expressing IN. Furthermore, recombinant LEDGF robustly enhanced strand transfer activity of HIV-1 IN in vitro. Our findings indicate that the minimal IN molecule in human cells is a homotetramer, suggesting that at least an octamer of IN is required to accomplish coordinated integration of both retroviral long terminal repeats and that LEDGF is a cellular factor involved in this process.