CDK蛋白在HIV-1复制中的作用研究进展

人类免疫缺陷综合征（Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,AIDS）是由人免疫缺陷病毒（Human immunodeficiency virus,HIV）感染引起的慢性传染性疾病。HIV根据病毒基因组结构的差异分为HIV-1和HIV-2,而HIV-1是主要的病原体。细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶（Cyclin dependent kinases,CDKs）在HIV-1复制过程中不可或缺,尤其是在逆转录、转录及病毒RNA加工过程中起到至关重要的作用。本文对CDKs结构、分类及其在HIV-1复制中发挥的作用展开综述,以期为开发针对CDKs靶点的抗HIV-1药物和艾滋病治疗提供线索与思路。     

猴/人嵌合免疫缺陷病毒应用的研究进展

猴/人类免疫缺陷病毒(SHIV)自20世纪80年代末开始构建,并被广泛应用于人类免疫缺陷病毒Ⅰ型(HIV-1)疫苗的攻毒实验和抗HIV中和抗体的活性评价.随着研究的深入,SHIV构建涉及的HIV-1病毒亚型也越来越多,如HIV-1 B、HIV-1 C、HIV-1 E等;同时,对SHIV致病性、细胞嗜性和应用的研究也有长足的进步,促进了HIV疫苗研究,并为HIV致病性研究提供了宝贵经验.     

以HIV-1 5＇LTR为靶点的药物筛选细胞模型的构建

构建以人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV-1）5＇LTR为靶点的药物筛选细胞模型,用于体外筛选潜在的对HIV-1启动子具有抑制作用的药物,或用于筛选与HIV-1复制相关的宿主因子。通过PCR扩增HIV-1 5＇LTR片段和胸苷激酶基因（thymidine kinase gene,TK基因）,以这2片段为模板进行重叠PCR将两者连接起来,连接产物经酶切后与pcDNA3.1载体连接;将连接正确的质粒转染HEK293细胞同时用G418加压筛选获得稳定细胞系;加入药物更昔洛韦（GCV）检测TK基因的表达。成功构建了HIV-1 5＇LTR调控TK基因表达的稳定细胞系,在其培养过程中加入药物更昔洛韦时,细胞逐渐死亡。构建了以HIV-1 5＇LTR为靶点的药物筛选细胞模型,该模型利用TK基因作为报告基因方便灵敏,可用于筛选针对HIV-1 5＇LTR的潜在抗HIV药物。     

HIV-1整合酶的功能及其抑制剂的研究进展

I型人类免疫缺陷病毒（human immunodeflciency virustype1,HIV-1）在宿主细胞内经逆转录得到的cDNA,由整合酶（integrase,ry）催化插入到宿主基因组DNA中,该过程称为整合过程。整合是HIV-1复制周期中不可缺少的步骤,对于病毒的复制至关重要,因此对整合酶的抑制能够有效地起到抗HIV的作用。该文综述了整合酶的结构与功能以及目前关于整合酶抑制剂的最新研究进展。     

HIV-1抗体阳性血浆中HIV-1病毒基因分型研究

为了解HIV抗体阳性血浆中的HIV-1病毒基因亚型的情况,应用逆转录PCR和DNA序列测定技术,对6份获自高危人群的抗HIV-1阳性血浆进行序列分析和基因亚型分型的研究,结果表明均属HIV-1B亚型.V3环氨基酸序列分析指出这些HIV-1B亚型病毒株与泰国HIV-1B亚型病毒株核苷酸和氨基酸序列相似;同时发现HIV-1 cDNA和氨基酸序列均相同,推测这6份标本可能来自同时感染同一株HIV病毒的感染者.本研究对了解高危人群中HIV-1流行的遗传变异和HIV-1亚型病毒株的分子流行病分析具有一定的意义.     

HIV-1整合酶及其抑制剂的研究进展

HIV-1整合酶是由HIV病毒pol基因编码的分子量为32KD的蛋白质,是HIV病毒复制的必需酶之一,它催化病毒DNA整合入宿主染色体DNA。人类细胞中没有HIV 整合酶的类似物[1],理论上抑制整合酶对人体副作用很小。因此HIV-1整合酶成为继HIV-1蛋白酶,逆转录酶后治疗艾滋病的富有吸引力和合理的靶标。本文综述了HIV整合酶结构,抑制剂的研究以及以HIV-1 整和酶为靶点治疗AIDS方法的最新研究进展。     

HIV-1基因表达的转录调控

高效抗逆转录病毒治疗（HAART）可以有效地抑制人类免疫缺陷病毒Ⅰ型（HIV-1）的复制及血浆病毒载量,延缓发病进程,改善、提高患者的生活质量和存活时间。但是,一旦停止治疗就会导致血浆病毒血症迅速反弹,HIV-1以原病毒的形式在静息记忆CD4⁺T等细胞中的持续存在是清除HIV-1的一个障碍。HIV-1基因转录的激活与阻抑决定了受感染细胞进入产毒性感染或潜伏感染。本文从原病毒整合位置与转录干扰、细胞转录因子与HIV-1启动子相互作用招募RNA聚合酶起始转录、转录的表观遗传调控和反式激活因子Tat及其相关蛋白促进转录延伸等方面探讨了HIV-1原病毒转录调控机制。     

HIV-1重组机制

人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)属于逆转录病毒,包含2个正链的RNA基因组。其复制过程需要逆转录酶发生模板转换,这样极容易导致重组。重组是导致HIV多样性的重要原因,给病毒的诊断、治疗以及疫苗研发带来巨大困难。本文综述了HIV-1重组的条件、机制、特性以及重组对于HIV-1防控和疫苗研究的影响。     

限制性显示技术制备HIV-1B亚型基因片段的研究

目前已知引起人类艾滋病(AIDS)的人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)有HIV-1和HIV-2两个型,其中在世界范围内流行的是HIV-1.该型已确定至少有A～J 11个亚型,而在我国则以B、C、E亚型为主[1].     

上海地区HIV毒株基因亚型分布及原发基因耐药的分子流行病学研究

本文通过对未经抗病毒治疗患者的人类免疫缺陷病毒1型（HIV-1）毒株进行检测,了解上海地区HIV-1的亚型分布及原发耐药基因变异现状。对118例未经治疗的HIV感染者其标本中HIV蛋白酶全长和部分反转录酶基因进行反转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）扩增,经DNA测序后进行系统进化树分析和重组分析,以确定HIV-1基因亚型和重组体,并与斯坦福耐药数据库比对,了解耐药性突变位点。使用斯坦福REGA HIV亚型分型工具和美国国立生物技术信息中心（NCBI）HIV亚型分析工具分析亚型,获得118例患者的HIV基因序列,基因分型分别为CRF01_AE重组体57例(48.3%)、B亚型36例(30.5%)、CRF07_BC 15例 (12.7%)、CRF08_BC 7例(5.9%)、C亚型2例(1.7%),亚型间或重组体间二重重组体(B/CRF01_A E)1例(0.8%)。蛋白酶抑制剂(PI)和反转录酶抑制剂相关的耐药基因突变率达54.2%（64/118）,其中2例（1.7%）发生PI耐药,基因突变位点：M46L、Q58E。5例(4.1%)对反转录酶抑制剂产生耐药,其中对核苷类反转录酶抑制剂（NRTI）和非核苷类反转录酶抑制剂（NNRTI）的耐药率分别为3例(2.4%)和5例(4.1%)。基因突变位点：NRTI为M41L、D67N、T69I/N/S、K70L、L74V、V75L、V118I、M184V、L210W/F/M/S和T215F;NNRTI为V90I、L100V、K103R/N、V106M/P/I/G、E138G/A、V179E/D/T、Y181C、G190A、H221Y、F227L、K238S和Y318F。结果提示,上海地区HIV毒株以CRF01_AE重组亚型为主,且发现新的重组体,可能出现新重组体流行的趋势。PI和反转录酶抑制剂相关的耐药基因突变率较高,且存在高度原发耐药毒株,应加强HIV-1耐药基因变异监测,科学、合理地给予抗病毒治疗。     

HIV behind Bars: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cluster Analysis and Drug Resistance in a Reference Correctional Unit from Southern Brazil

People deprived of liberty in prisons are at higher risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to their increased exposure through intravenous drug use, unprotected sexual activity, tattooing in prison and blood exposure in fights and rebellions. Yet, the contribution of intramural HIV transmission to the epidemic is scarcely known, especially in low- and middle-income settings. In this study, we surveyed 1,667 inmates incarcerated at Presídio Central de Porto Alegre, located in southern Brazil, for HIV infection and molecular characterization. The HIV seroprevalence was 6.6% (110/1,667). Further analyses were carried out on 40 HIV-seropositive inmates to assess HIV transmission clusters and drug resistance within the facility with the use of molecular and phylogenetic techniques. The molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 subtypes observed was similar to the one reported for the general population in southern Brazil, with the predominance of HIV-1 subtypes C, B, CRF31_BC and unique BC recombinants. In particular, the high rate (24%) of URF_BC found here may reflect multiple exposures of the population investigated to HIV infection. We failed to find HIV-infected inmates sharing transmission clusters with each other. Importantly, the analysis of HIV-1 pol genomic fragments evidenced high rates of HIV primary and secondary (acquired) drug resistance and an alarming proportion of virologic failure among patients under treatment, unveiling suboptimal access to antiretroviral therapy (ARV), low ARV adherence and dissemination of drug resistant HIV strains in primary infections. Our results call for immediate actions of public authority to implement preventive measures, serological screening and, for HIV-seropositive subjects, clinical and treatment follow-up in order to control HIV infection and limit the spread of drug resistance strains in Brazilian prisons.     

A prospective on drug abuse-associated epigenetics and HIV-1 replication

Drugs of abuse serve as cofactors to susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression. Although clinical reports indicate association between HIV/AIDS and drug use, the molecular mechanism of infection susceptibility and disease progression remains unclear. Drugs such as cocaine exert their addictive effects in part by epigenetic mechanisms. Given that epigenetic modifications play an important role in HIV-1 life cycle, it is essential to unravel whether drug abuse-associated epigenetic changes may contribute to HIV/AIDS. In this article we will provide a prospective on the impact of epigenetic mechanisms on HIV-1 life cycle.     

Inhibition of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases by a monoclonal antibody

The monoclonal antibody 1696, directed against the HIV-1 protease, displays strong inhibitory effects toward the catalytic activity of the enzyme of both the HIV-1 and HIV-2 isolates. This antibody cross-reacts with peptides that include the N-terminus of the enzyme, a region that is well conserved in sequence among different viral strains and which, furthermore, is crucial for homodimerization to the active enzymatic form. This observation, as well as antigen-binding studies in the presence of an active site inhibitor, suggest that 1696 inhibits the HIV protease by destabilizing its active homodimeric form. To characterize further how the antibody 1696 inhibits the HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases, we have solved the crystal structure of its Fab fragment by molecular replacement and refined it at 3.0 A resolution. The antigen binding site has a deep cavity at its center, which is lined mainly by acidic and hydrophobic residues, and is large enough to accommodate several antigen residues. The structure of the Fab 1696 could form a starting basis for the design of alternative HIV protease-inhibiting molecules of broad specificity.     

Infected cell killing by HIV-1 protease promotes NF-kappaB dependent HIV-1 replication

Acute HIV-1 infection of CD4 T cells often results in apoptotic death of infected cells, yet it is unclear what evolutionary advantage this offers to HIV-1. Given the independent observations that acute T cell HIV-1 infection results in (1) NF-kappaB activation, (2) caspase 8 dependent apoptosis, and that (3) caspase 8 directly activates NF-kappaB, we questioned whether these three events might be interrelated. We first show that HIV-1 infected T cell apoptosis, NF-kappaB activation, and caspase 8 cleavage by HIV-1 protease are coincident. Next we show that HIV-1 protease not only cleaves procaspase 8, producing Casp8p41, but also independently stimulates NF-kappaB activity. Finally, we demonstrate that the HIV protease cleavage of caspase 8 is necessary for optimal NF-kappaB activation and that the HIV-1 protease specific cleavage fragment Casp8p41 is sufficient to stimulate HIV-1 replication through NF-kappaB dependent HIV-LTR activation both in vitro as well as in cells from HIV infected donors. Consequently, the molecular events which promote death of HIV-1 infected T cells function dually to promote HIV-1 replication, thereby favoring the propagation and survival of HIV-1.     

Extensive genetic variability of simian immunodeficiency virus from African green monkeys.

Serological surveys have revealed that 30 to 50% of wild-caught African green monkeys have antibodies reactive to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a retrovirus related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although the nucleotide sequence of one SIVagm isolate, Tyo1, was recently reported, the extent of genetic variability among SIVagm isolates remains to be determined. Restriction endonuclease mapping of infectious molecular clones of two SIVagm isolates (266 and 385), described in this note, revealed conservation of only 4 of 39 sites across the genome. Partial sequence analysis of the molecular clones revealed only 80% amino acid sequence conservation in the pol gene. Although the three Kenyan SIVagm isolates, Tyo1, 385, and 266, are more closely related to each other than to other primate lentiviruses, genetic variation among these three isolates is much greater than that observed previously among individual HIV type 1 (HIV-1), HIV-2, or SIVmac isolates. Less variability among HIV-1 and HIV-2 isolates could be explained by recent entry into the human population. The extensive genetic variation in these Kenyan SIVagm isolates should prompt continued examination of SIVagm variability from dispersed geographic regions; SIVagm strains much more closely related to HIV-1, HIV-2, or SIVmac which would be reasonable candidates for recent cross-species transmission may be found.     

Dating the Age of the SIV Lineages That Gave Rise to HIV-1 and HIV-2

Great strides have been made in understanding the evolutionary history of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and the zoonoses that gave rise to HIV-1 and HIV-2. What remains unknown is how long these SIVs had been circulating in non-human primates before the transmissions to humans. Here, we use relaxed molecular clock dating techniques to estimate the time of most recent common ancestor for the SIVs infecting chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys, the reservoirs of HIV-1 and HIV-2, respectively. The date of the most recent common ancestor of SIV in chimpanzees is estimated to be 1492 (1266–1685), and the date in sooty mangabeys is estimated to be 1809 (1729–1875). Notably, we demonstrate that SIV sequences sampled from sooty mangabeys possess sufficient clock-like signal to calibrate a molecular clock; despite the differences in host biology and viral dynamics, the rate of evolution of SIV in sooty mangabeys is indistinguishable from that of its human counterpart, HIV-2. We also estimate the ages of the HIV-2 human-to-human transmissible lineages and provide the first age estimate for HIV-1 group N at 1963 (1948–1977). Comparisons between the SIV most recent common ancestor dates and those of the HIV lineages suggest a difference on the order of only hundreds of years. Our results suggest either that SIV is a surprisingly young lentiviral lineage or that SIV and, perhaps, HIV dating estimates are seriously compromised by unaccounted-for biases.     

Cutting edge: a short polypeptide domain of HIV-1-Tat protein mediates pathogenesis.

HIV-1 encodes the transactivating protein Tat, which is essential for virus replication and progression of HIV disease. However, Tat has multiple domains, and consequently the molecular mechanisms by which it acts remain unclear. In this report, we provide evidence that cellular activation by Tat involves a short core domain, Tat21-40, containing only 20 aa including seven cysteine residues highly conserved in most HIV-1 subtypes. Effective induction by Tat21-40 of both NF-kappaB-mediated HIV replication and TAR-dependent transactivation of HIV-long terminal repeat indicates that this short sequence is sufficient to promote HIV infection. Moreover, Tat21-40 possesses potent angiogenic activity, further underscoring its role in HIV pathogenesis. These data provide the first demonstration that a 20-residue core domain sequence of Tat is sufficient to transactivate, induce HIV replication, and trigger angiogenesis. This short peptide sequence provides a potential novel therapeutic target for disrupting the functions of Tat and inhibiting progression of HIV disease.     

Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction to Detect HIV-1 DNA in Pools of Dried Blood Spots

Nucleic acid tests that detect HIV infection at an early phase are available and have been applied on individual dried blood spot (DBS). The present study was undertaken with an aim to evaluate the feasibility of performing PCR for HIV-1 DNA on pools of DBS as an alternative to individual testing. Standardization of PCR by a modified Amplicor HIV-1 DNA assay version 1.5 (Roche molecular diagnostics, USA), on pooled DBS was performed using five confirmed HIV reactive samples with known low viral load of HIV-1 and HIV non-reactive samples in pools of 5, 10 and 20 DBS. After successful standardization of pooling procedure, a total of 183 pools (of 10 DBS each) were prepared from 1,823 DBS samples, collected from a population-based study that tested negative for HIV antibodies and p24 antigen. All these pools were screened for HIV-1 DNA by the Amplicor assay. Standardization of pooling procedure indicated that pooling of 10 DBS gave an optimum result. Out of 183 pools tested, one pool of 10 samples was positive and of these ten DBS that were tested individually to identify the positive DBS, one sample was detected to be positive for HIV-1 DNA. Our study demonstrates that PCR for HIV-1 DNA can be successfully performed on pools of DBS. However, this may be needed only on specialized studies of HIV and not for routine epidemiology studies as only a very small fraction of cases would be missed if only antibody/antigen testing were done.