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Berzal-Herranz A, Romero-López C, Berzal-Herranz B, Ramos-Lorente S. Potential of the Other Genetic Information Coded by the Viral RNA Genomes as Antiviral Target. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2019; 12:ph12010038. [PMID: 30871174 PMCID: PMC6469156 DOI: 10.3390/ph12010038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to the protein coding information, viral RNA genomes code functional information in structurally conserved units termed functional RNA domains. These RNA domains play essential roles in the viral cycle (e.g., replication and translation). Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind their function is essential to understanding the viral infective cycle. Further, interfering with the function of the genomic RNA domains offers a potential means of developing antiviral strategies. Aptamers are good candidates for targeting structural RNA domains. Besides its potential as therapeutics, aptamers also provide an excellent tool for investigating the functionality of RNA domains in viral genomes. This review briefly summarizes the work carried out in our laboratory aimed at the structural and functional characterization of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genomic RNA domains. It also describes the efforts we carried out for the development of antiviral aptamers targeting specific genomic domains of the HCV and the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Berzal-Herranz
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, (IPBLN-CSIC); Av. del Conocimiento 17, PTS Granada, Armilla, 18016 Granada, Spain.
| | - Cristina Romero-López
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, (IPBLN-CSIC); Av. del Conocimiento 17, PTS Granada, Armilla, 18016 Granada, Spain.
| | - Beatriz Berzal-Herranz
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, (IPBLN-CSIC); Av. del Conocimiento 17, PTS Granada, Armilla, 18016 Granada, Spain.
| | - Sara Ramos-Lorente
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, (IPBLN-CSIC); Av. del Conocimiento 17, PTS Granada, Armilla, 18016 Granada, Spain.
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Sánchez-Luque FJ, Stich M, Manrubia S, Briones C, Berzal-Herranz A. Efficient HIV-1 inhibition by a 16 nt-long RNA aptamer designed by combining in vitro selection and in silico optimisation strategies. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6242. [PMID: 25175101 PMCID: PMC4150108 DOI: 10.1038/srep06242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) genome contains multiple, highly conserved structural RNA domains that play key roles in essential viral processes. Interference with the function of these RNA domains either by disrupting their structures or by blocking their interaction with viral or cellular factors may seriously compromise HIV-1 viability. RNA aptamers are amongst the most promising synthetic molecules able to interact with structural domains of viral genomes. However, aptamer shortening up to their minimal active domain is usually necessary for scaling up production, what requires very time-consuming, trial-and-error approaches. Here we report on the in vitro selection of 64 nt-long specific aptamers against the complete 5′-untranslated region of HIV-1 genome, which inhibit more than 75% of HIV-1 production in a human cell line. The analysis of the selected sequences and structures allowed for the identification of a highly conserved 16 nt-long stem-loop motif containing a common 8 nt-long apical loop. Based on this result, an in silico designed 16 nt-long RNA aptamer, termed RNApt16, was synthesized, with sequence 5′-CCCCGGCAAGGAGGGG-3′. The HIV-1 inhibition efficiency of such an aptamer was close to 85%, thus constituting the shortest RNA molecule so far described that efficiently interferes with HIV-1 replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Sánchez-Luque
- 1] Department of Molecular Biology. Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada. Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Armilla (Granada 18016, Spain) [2]
| | - Michael Stich
- 1] Department of Molecular Evolution. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB-CSIC/INTA). Carretera Torrejón a Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid 28850, Spain) [2]
| | - Susanna Manrubia
- Department of Molecular Evolution. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB-CSIC/INTA). Carretera Torrejón a Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid 28850, Spain)
| | - Carlos Briones
- 1] Department of Molecular Evolution. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB-CSIC/INTA). Carretera Torrejón a Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid 28850, Spain) [2] Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de enfermedades hepáticas y digestivas (CIBERehd), Spain
| | - Alfredo Berzal-Herranz
- Department of Molecular Biology. Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada. Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Armilla (Granada 18016, Spain)
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Scarborough RJ, Lévesque MV, Perreault JP, Gatignol A. Design and evaluation of clinically relevant SOFA-HDV ribozymes targeting HIV RNA. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1103:31-43. [PMID: 24318884 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-730-3_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid therapies targeting HIV replication have the potential to be used in conjunction with or in place of the standard small-molecule therapies. Among the different classes of nucleic acid therapies, several ribozymes (Rzs, RNA enzymes) have been developed to target HIV RNA. The design of Rzs targeting HIV RNA is complicated by the sequence diversity of viral strains and the structural diversity of their target sites. Using the SOFA-HDV Rz as an example, this chapter describes methods that can be used to design Rzs for controlling HIV replication. We describe how to (1) identify highly conserved Rz target sites in HIV RNA; (2) generate a set of Rzs with the potential to be used as therapeutics; and (3) screen these Rzs for activity against HIV production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Scarborough
- Virus-Cell Interactions Laboratory, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Yengkopiong JP, Lako JDW, Tosiki L. Human immunodeficiency viral infection in the Republic of South Sudan: A paradigm beyond normality. HIV & AIDS REVIEW 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hivar.2013.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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Parboosing R, Maguire GEM, Govender P, Kruger HG. Nanotechnology and the treatment of HIV infection. Viruses 2012; 4:488-520. [PMID: 22590683 PMCID: PMC3347320 DOI: 10.3390/v4040488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Revised: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 03/27/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Suboptimal adherence, toxicity, drug resistance and viral reservoirs make the lifelong treatment of HIV infection challenging. The emerging field of nanotechnology may play an important role in addressing these challenges by creating drugs that possess pharmacological advantages arising out of unique phenomena that occur at the “nano” scale. At these dimensions, particles have physicochemical properties that are distinct from those of bulk materials or single molecules or atoms. In this review, basic concepts and terms in nanotechnology are defined, and examples are provided of how nanopharmaceuticals such as nanocrystals, nanocapsules, nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanocarriers, micelles, liposomes and dendrimers have been investigated as potential anti-HIV therapies. Such drugs may, for example, be used to optimize the pharmacological characteristics of known antiretrovirals, deliver anti-HIV nucleic acids into infected cells or achieve targeted delivery of antivirals to the immune system, brain or latent reservoirs. Also, nanopharmaceuticals themselves may possess anti-HIV activity. However several hurdles remain, including toxicity, unwanted biological interactions and the difficulty and cost of large-scale synthesis of nanopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raveen Parboosing
- Department of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service/University of KwaZulu-Natal, c/o Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, 5th Floor Laboratory Building, 800 Bellair Road, Mayville, Durban 4091, South Africa
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; ; Tel.: +27-31-240-2816; Fax: +27-31-240-2797
| | - Glenn E. M. Maguire
- School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Varsity Drive, Durban 4001, South Africa; (G.E.M. M.); (H.G.K.)
| | - Patrick Govender
- School of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa; (P.G.)
| | - Hendrik G. Kruger
- School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Varsity Drive, Durban 4001, South Africa; (G.E.M. M.); (H.G.K.)
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Marton S, Reyes-Darias JA, Sánchez-Luque FJ, Romero-López C, Berzal-Herranz A. In vitro and ex vivo selection procedures for identifying potentially therapeutic DNA and RNA molecules. Molecules 2010; 15:4610-38. [PMID: 20657381 PMCID: PMC6257598 DOI: 10.3390/molecules15074610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2010] [Revised: 06/17/2010] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It was only relatively recently discovered that nucleic acids participate in a variety of biological functions, besides the storage and transmission of genetic information. Quite apart from the nucleotide sequence, it is now clear that the structure of a nucleic acid plays an essential role in its functionality, enabling catalysis and specific binding reactions. In vitro selection and evolution strategies have been extremely useful in the analysis of functional RNA and DNA molecules, helping to expand our knowledge of their functional repertoire and to identify and optimize DNA and RNA molecules with potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The great progress made in this field has prompted the development of ex vivo methods for selecting functional nucleic acids in the cellular environment. This review summarizes the most important and most recent applications of in vitro and ex vivo selection strategies aimed at exploring the therapeutic potential of nucleic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Marton
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, CSIC, P.T. Ciencias de la Salud, Av. del Conocimiento s/n, Armilla, 18100 Granada, Spain.
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Mukherjee R, Plesa G, Sherrill-Mix S, Richardson MW, Riley JL, Bushman FD. HIV sequence variation associated with env antisense adoptive T-cell therapy in the hNSG mouse model. Mol Ther 2010; 18:803-11. [PMID: 20104212 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2009.316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The first use of lentiviral vectors in humans involved transduction of mature T-cells with an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-derived env antisense (envAS) vector to protect cells from HIV infection. In that study, only a minority of the patient T-cell population could be gene-modified, raising the question of whether the altered cells could affect replicating HIV populations. We investigated this using humanized NOD/SCID IL-2Rgamma(null) (hNSG) mice reconstituted with approximately 4-11% envAS-modified human T-cells. Mice were challenged with HIV-1(NL4-3), which has an env perfectly complementary to envAS, or with HIV-1(BaL), which has a divergent env. No differences were seen in viral titer between mice that received envAS-modified cells and control mice that did not. Using 454/Roche pyrosequencing, we analyzed the mutational spectrum in HIV populations in serum-from 33 mice we recovered 84,074 total reads comprising 31,290 unique sequence variants. We found enrichment of A-to-G transitions and deletions in envAS-treated mice, paralleling a previous tissue culture study where most target cells contained envAS, even though minority of cells were envAS-modified here. Unexpectedly, this enrichment was only detected after the challenge with HIV-1(BaL), where the viral genome would form an imperfect duplex with envAS, and not HIV-1(NL4-3), where a perfectly matched duplex would form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rithun Mukherjee
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Singh SK, Gaur RK. Progress towards Therapeutic Application of RNA Interference for HIV Infection. BioDrugs 2009; 23:269-76. [DOI: 10.2165/11317120-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Shan G. RNA interference as a gene knockdown technique. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2009; 42:1243-51. [PMID: 19442757 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2009.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2009] [Revised: 04/20/2009] [Accepted: 04/29/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Not many scientific breakthroughs bring significant advances simultaneously in both basic research and translational applications like the discovery of RNA interference. Along with the elucidation of the RNA interference pathway and the discovery of its participation in crucial biological events, a branch of science has grown to utilize the RNA interference pathway as a biotechnology for both basic and applied research. Small interference RNA, plasmid-, and virus-encoded short-hairpin RNA are now regular reagents in the tool box of biologists to knockdown the expression of specific genes posttranscriptionally. Efforts have also been made to develop RNA interference based therapeutics into reality. Many concerns about the RNA interference technique have now been answered through research and development, although hurdles are still present. In this review, the RNA interference/microRNA pathway is briefly introduced followed with a detailed summary about the design and application of the RNA interference experiments, along with examples of the utilization of the RNA interference technology in animal cells and model organisms. Recent progresses and current concerns are also highlighted. Two techniques, namely morpholino and external guide sequence, are discussed as complementary gene knockdown technology. RNA interference technology, along with several other alternative gene knockdown techniques, is now indispensable to modern biological and medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Shan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, P. O. Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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Saxena SK, Mishra N, Saxena R. Advances in antiviral drug discovery and development: Part I: Advancements in antiviral drug discovery. Future Virol 2009. [DOI: 10.2217/17460794.4.2.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shailendra K Saxena
- Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007 (AP), India
| | - Niraj Mishra
- Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007 (AP), India
| | - Rakhi Saxena
- Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007 (AP), India
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