Antibodies against a multiple-peptide conjugate comprising chemically modified human immunodeficiency virus type-1 functional Tat peptides inhibit infection

We demonstrated recently that selective side-chain modification of functional cysteine-rich (Tat(21-40)) and arginine-rich (Tat(53-68)) domains of the HIV-1 Tat protein blocks pathogenic activities of these peptides while retaining their immunological characteristics. In the present study, we have synthesized a multiple-peptide conjugate system comprising modified Tat(21-40) and Tat(53-68) peptides (HIV-1-Tat-MPC). Immunization of mice with this highly homogeneous 10.7 kDa HIV-1-Tat-MPC synthetic construct induced an effective immune response in mice. The antibodies generated against HIV-1-Tat-MPC efficiently suppressed Tat-induced viral replication and significantly reduced HIV-associated cytopathic effects in human monocytes. These results indicate that epitope-specific antibodies directed against functional sites of Tat protein using non-pathogenic peptides inhibit HIV pathogenesis. The HIV-1-Tat-MPC, therefore, has potential for the development of a safe, effective, and economical therapeutic vaccine to reduce the progression of HIV infection.     

Immunization with a novel HIV-1-Tat multiple-peptide conjugate induces effective immune response in mice

We report here a novel, highly immunogenic synthetic, multiple-peptide conjugate comprising functional domains Tat_21–40 and Tat_53–68 from HIV-1 group M plus Tat_9–20 from HIV-1 group O of the HIV-Tat protein (HIV-1-Tat-MPC). Vaccination of mice with HIV-1-Tat-MPC induced an effective immune response to all three functional domains. The anti-HIV-1-Tat-MPC antibodies efficiently inhibited Tat-induced viral activation in monocytes infected with HIV_Ba-L as well as with various clinical HIV-1 isolates, and reduced Tat-mediated cytopathicity in infected cells by 60–75%. Our results indicate that anti-HIV-1-Tat-MPC antibodies inhibit viral pathogenesis, possibly by blocking functional determinants of Tat and disrupting autocrine and paracrine actions of secreted Tat protein. This epitope-specific, synthetic Tat construct may, therefore, provide a subunit AIDS vaccine candidate for inducing an effective immunoprophylaxis response to reduce progression of HIV infection.     

Neomycin B-arginine conjugate, a novel HIV-1 Tat antagonist: synthesis and anti-HIV activities.

HIV-1 transactivating protein Tat is essential for virus replication and progression of HIV disease. HIV-1 Tat stimulates transactivation by binding to HIV-1 transactivator responsive element (TAR) RNA, and while secreted extracellularly, it acts as an immunosuppressor, an activator of quiescent T-cells for productive HIV-1 infection, and by binding to CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) as a chemokine analogue. Here we present a novel HIV-1 Tat antagonist, a neomycin B-hexaarginine conjugate (NeoR), which inhibits Tat transactivation and antagonizes Tat extracellular activities, such as increased viral production, induction of CXCR4 expression, suppression of CD3-activated proliferation of lymphocytes, and upregulation of the CD8 receptor. Moreover, Tat inhibits binding of fluoresceine isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled NeoR to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), indicating that Tat and NeoR bind to the same cellular target. This is further substantiated by the finding that NeoR competes with the binding of monoclonal Abs to CXCR4. Furthermore, NeoR suppresses HIV-1 binding to cells. Importantly, NeoR accumulates in the cell nuclei and inhibits the replication of M- and T-tropic HIV-1 laboratory isolates (EC(50) = 0.8-5.3 microM). A putative model structure for the TAR-NeoR complex, which complies with available experimental data, is presented. We conclude that NeoR is a multitarget HIV-1 inhibitor; the structure, and molecular modeling and dynamics, suggest its binding to TAR RNA. NeoR inhibits HIV-1 binding to cells, partially by blocking the CXCR4 HIV-1 coreceptor, and it antagonizes Tat functions. NeoR is therefore an attractive lead compound, capable of interfering with different stages of HIV infection and AIDS pathogenesis.     

Increased spacing between Sp1 and TATAA renders human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication defective: implication for Tat function.

Expression of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is strongly activated by Tat. The proper action of Tat requires three elements: TATAA, TAR, and upstream motifs in the HIV-1 long terminal repeat. We show here that the correct spatial arrangement among Tat, Sp1, and TATAA crucially influences HIV expression. Under conditions in which basal promoter activity is unperturbed, distancing Sp1 from TATAA markedly affected Tat trans activation. An increase in the Sp1-TATAA distance from 18 to 101 nucleotides (depending on the inserted sequence) rendered HIV-1 either partially or wholly replication defective. This critical dependence on spacing suggests that Tat-, Sp1-, and TATAA-binding factors must correctly contact each other for optimal expression and replication of HIV-1.     

河南HIV感染者的HIV-1B型株tat基因的克隆及序列分析

克隆河南人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)感染HIV-1B型株tat基因完整编码框序列,并分析比较其编码产物的序列结构特点。使用重叠PCR技术,从河南省1名HIV-1感染外周血标本中扩增出to／基因第一和第二外显子并重组为完整的tat基因序列。获得的HIV-1B病毒株tat基因,第一外显子为263bp,第二外显子为214bp。将该基因编码产物与其他HW-1株Tat蛋白经DNA软件编辑并翻译成蛋白质,使用Clustal X1．81进行多序列对比分析发现,第一外显子编码产物的3个保守区域的氨基酸组成大致相同,只有少数氨基酸存在差异。由于Tat蛋白不同病毒株间有高度保守的Cys富集区、核心区和碱性氨基酸富集区,tat基因的克隆为研究其功能并以其为靶点设计和筛选抗艾滋病的药物奠定了基础。     

Antibody to HIV-1 Tat protein, a key molecule in HIV-1 pathogenesis. A brief review

In the last few years, literature reports have unequivocally established that the 86-101 aminoacid Tat protein, essential for an efficient viral replication, can be actively secreted by infected cells. The contribution of extracellular Tat to the progression of viral infection is underlined by the ability of neutralizing anti Tat antibody to reduce the viral load in vitro and possibly also in vivo. Considering that at least some of the effect of Tat protein seem to be the consequence of an autocrine loop and that anti Tat antibody is an efficient inhibitor of viral replication, it is reasonable to suppose that extracellular Tat play a functional role in HIV-1 infection and that HIV antibody may interfere with a possible Tat driven pathogenesis. This review explores the meaning of anti Tat antibody in vitro and in vivo and its importance to shed more light on viral pathogenesis and the recent development of Tat containing vaccine.     

Selective side-chain modification of cysteine and arginine residues blocks pathogenic activity of HIV-1-Tat functional peptides

Extracellular Tat protein of HIV-1 activates virus replication in HIV-infected cells and induces a variety of host factors in the uninfected cells, some of which play a critical role in the progression of HIV infection. The cysteine-rich and arginine-rich basic domains represent key components of the HIV-Tat protein for pathogenic effects of the full-length Tat protein and, therefore, could be ideal candidates for the development of a therapeutic AIDS vaccine. The present study describes selective modifications of the side-chain functional groups of cysteine and arginine amino acids of these HIV-Tat peptides to minimize the pathogenic effects of these peptides while maintaining natural peptide linkages. Modification of cysteine by introducing either a methyl or t-butyl group in the free sulfhydryl group and replacing the guanidine group with a urea linkage in the side chain of arginine in the cysteine-rich and arginine-rich Tat peptide sequences completely blocked the ability of these peptides to induce HIV replication, chemokine receptor CCR-5 expression, and NF-kappaB activity in monocytes. Such modifications also inhibited angiogenesis and migration of Kaposi's sarcoma cells normally induced by Tat peptides. Such chemical modifications of the cysteine-rich and arginine-rich peptides did not affect their reactivity with antibodies against the full-length Tat protein. With an estimated 40 million HIV-positive individuals worldwide and approximately 4 million new infections emerging every year, a synthetic subunit HIV-Tat vaccine comprised of functionally inactive Tat domains could provide a safe, effective, and economical therapeutic vaccine to reduce the progression of HIV disease.     

人免疫缺陷病毒1型TAT蛋白点突变对其反式激活作用的影响

不同免疫缺陷病毒（ＨＩＶ－１,ＨＩＶ－２和ＳＩＶ）的Ｔａｔ均有３个高度保守的结构域：Ｃｙｓ富集域、核心域和碱性氨基酸富集域,用ＰＣＲ定点突变法在ＨＩＶ－１Ｔａｔ蛋白的这些区域引入单氨基酸或多氨基酸突变;构建了以ＨＩＶ－１ＬＴＲ－１５８到＋８Ｏ区域为启动子,含有不同突变点的突变Ｔａｔ基因表达质粒;以荧光酶基因为报告基因,瞬时共转染Ｊｕｒｋａｔ细胞：分析不同氨基酸突变对Ｔａｔ的反式激活作用的影响。结果发现,突变后的Ｔａｔ蛋白的活性均极大地降低或丧失,表明这些序列内的氨基酸的确定性对Ｔａｔ的活性至关重要。     

Viral interactions in human lymphoid tissue: Human herpesvirus 7 suppresses the replication of CCR5-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 via CD4 modulation

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is often accompanied by infection with other pathogens that affect the clinical course of HIV disease. Here, we identified another virus, human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) that interferes with HIV type 1 (HIV-1) replication in human lymphoid tissue, where critical events of HIV disease occur. Like the closely related HHV-6, HHV-7 suppresses the replication of CCR5-tropic (R5) HIV-1 in coinfected blocks of human lymphoid tissue. Unlike HHV-6, which affects HIV-1 by upregulating RANTES, HHV-7 did not upregulate any CCR5-binding chemokine. Rather, the inhibition of R5 HIV-1 by HHV-7 was associated with a marked downregulation of CD4, the cellular receptor shared by HHV-7 and HIV-1. HHV-7-induced CD4 downregulation was sufficient for HIV-1 inhibition, since comparable downregulation of CD4 with cyclotriazadisulfonamide, a synthetic macrocycle that specifically modulates expression of CD4, resulted in the suppression of HIV infection similar to that seen in HHV-7-infected tissues. In contrast to R5 HIV-1, CXCR4-tropic (X4) HIV-1 was only minimally suppressed by HHV-7 coinfection. This selectivity in suppression of R5 and X4 HIV-1 is explained by a suppression of HHV-7 replication in X4- but not in R5-coinfected tissues. These results suggest that HIV-1 and HHV-7 may interfere in lymphoid tissue in vivo, thus potentially affecting the progression of HIV-1 disease. Knowledge of the mechanisms of interaction of HIV-1 with HHV-7, as well as with other pathogens that modulate HIV-1 replication, may provide new insights into HIV pathogenesis and lead to the development of new anti-HIV therapeutic strategies.     

Functional comparison of the basic domains of the Tat proteins of human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 in trans activation.

The trans-activator Tat proteins coded by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2 appear to be similar in structure and function. However, the Tat protein of HIV-2 (Tat2) activates the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) less efficiently than Tat1 (M. Emerman, M. Guyader, L. Montagnier, D. Baltimore, and M. A. Muesing, EMBO J. 6:3755-3760, 1987). To determine the functional domain of Tat2 which contributes to this incomplete reciprocity, we have carried out domain substitution between Tat1 and Tat2 by exchanging the basic domains involved in Tat interaction with its target trans-activation-response (TAR) RNA structure. Our results indicate that Tat1 proteins containing substitutions of either 8 or 14 amino acids of the basic domain of Tat2 exhibited reduced trans activation of the HIV-1 LTR by about 1/20 or one-fourth the level induced by wt Tat1. In contrast, Tat2 containing a substitution of the 9-amino-acid basic domain of Tat1 trans activated HIV-1 LTR like native Tat1. A substitution of the highly conserved core domain of Tat2 with that of Tat1 did not have any significant effect on trans activation of the HIV-1 LTR. These results indicate that the basic domain of Tat2 contributes to its inefficient trans activation of the HIV-1 LTR. Mutation of an acidic residue (Glu) located between the core domain and the Arg-rich basic domain of Tat2 at position 77 to a Gly residue increased the activity of Tat2 substantially. These results further suggest that the presence of an acidic residue (Glu) adjacent to Arg-rich sequences may at least partially contribute to the reduced activity of the Tat2 basic domain.     

Probing Tat peptide-TAR RNA interactions by psoralen photo-cross-linking

Replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires specific interactions of Tat protein with the trans-activation responsive region (TAR) RNA, a 59-base stem-loop structure located at the 5'-end of all HIV mRNAs. We have used a site-specific cross-linking method based on psoralen photochemistry to determine the effect of core residues from the Tat sequence on the protein orientation in the Tat-TAR complex and on the specificity of Tat-TAR binding. We synthesized two Tat fragments, Tat(42-72) and Tat(37-72), and incorporated a psoralen-modified amino acid at position 41 during solid-phase assembly of the peptides. We used these psoralen-Tat conjugates to form specific complexes with TAR RNA. Upon near-ultraviolet irradiation (360 nm), psoralen-Asp41-Tat(37-72) cross-linked to a single site in the TAR RNA sequence. The RNA-protein complex was purified and the cross-link site on TAR RNA was determined by primer extension analysis, which revealed that Asp41 of Tat is close to U42 of the lower stem region of TAR RNA. Specificity of the RNA-peptide cross-linking reactions was determined by competition experiments. Our results show that the addition of only four residues (Cys37-Thr40) from the Tat core region significantly enhanced the specificity of the Tat peptide-TAR interactions without altering the site or chemical nature of the cross-link. These studies provide new insights into RNA-protein recognition that could be useful in designing peptidomimetics for RNA targeting. Such psoralen-peptide conjugates provide a new class of probes for sequence-specific protein-nucleic acid interactions and could be used to selectively control gene expression or to induce site-directed mutations.     

人免疫缺陷病毒1型TAT突变蛋白及反义TAT RNA对TAT反式激活作用的抑制

Ｔａｔ是人免疫缺陷病毒（ＨＩＶ）基因组编码的反式激活因子,突变分析表明它含有几个重要的功能域。为寻找控制ＨＩＶ复制的途径,构建了以ＨＩＶ－１ＬＴＲ（－１５８－＋８０）为启动子的Ｔａｔ ｃＤＮＡ全长反义表达质粒ｐＡＳ－Ｔａｔ,并用已经构建的ＨＩＶ ＬＴＲ－１５８到＋８０为启动子,具有不同突变点的突变Ｔａｔ基因表达质粒,以荧光酶基因为报告基因,共转染Ｊｕｒｋａｔ细胞,结果发现无论是反义Ｔａｔ表达质粒还     

Mutational analysis of HIV-1 Tat minimal domain peptides: identification of trans-dominant mutants that suppress HIV-LTR-driven gene expression

The HIV-1 Tat protein is a potent trans-activator essential for virus replication. We reported previously that HIV-1 Tat peptides containing residues 37-48 (mainly region II), a possible activating region, and residues 49-57 (region III), a nuclear targeting and putative nucleic acid binding region, possess minimal but distinct trans-activator activity. The presence of residues 58-72 (region IV) greatly enhances trans-activation. We postulate that Tat mutant peptides with an inactive region II and a functional region III can behave as dominant negative mutants. We synthesized minimal domain peptides containing single amino substitutions for amino acid residues within region II that are conserved among different HIV isolates. We identify four amino acid residues whose substitution within Tat minimal domain peptides leads to defects in transactivation. Some of these mutants are trans-dominant in several peptide backbones, since they strongly inhibit trans-activation by wild-type Tat protein added to cells or expressed from microinjected plasmid. Significantly, trans-activation of integrated HIV-LTRCAT is blocked by some trans-dominant mutant peptides. These results suggest an attractive approach for the development of an AIDS therapy.     

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and type 2 Tat function by transdominant Tat protein localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm.

We introduced various mutations into the activation and RNA binding domains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat in order to develop a novel and potent transdominant Tat protein and to characterize its mechanism of action. The different mutant Tat proteins were characterized for their abilities to activate the HIV LTR and inhibit the function of wild-type Tat in trans. A Tat protein containing a deletion of the basic domain (Tat(delta)49-57) localized exclusively to the cytoplasm of transfected human cells was nonfunctional and inhibited both HIV-1 and HIV-2 Tat function in a transdominant manner. Tat proteins containing mutations in the cysteine-rich and core domains were nonfunctional but failed to inhibit Tat function in trans. When Tat nuclear or nucleolar localization signals were fused to the carboxy terminus of Tat(delta)49-57, the chimeric proteins localized to the nucleus or nucleolus, respectively, and remained capable of acting in a transdominant manner. Introduction of secondary mutations in the cysteine-rich and core domains of the various transdominant Tat proteins completely eliminated their abilities to act in a transdominant fashion. Our data best support a mechanism in which these transdominant Tat proteins squelch a cellular factor or factors that interact with the Tat activation domain and are required for Tat to function.     

Differential Induction of Interleukin-10 in Monocytes by HIV-1 Clade B and Clade C Tat Proteins

The clade B human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1) Tat (trans-acting regulatory protein) induces interleukin-10 (IL-10) production in monocytes. IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, down-regulates proinflammatory cytokines and suppresses the immune response, leading to a rapid progression from HIV-1 infection to AIDS. Nine clades of HIV-1 are responsible for the majority of infections worldwide. Recent studies demonstrate that different HIV-1 clades have biological differences in relation to transmission, replication, and disease progression. In this study, we show that the cysteine to serine mutation at position 31, found in >90% of HIV-1 clade C Tat proteins, results in a marked decrease in IL-10 production in monocytes compared with clade B Tat. Additionally, the C31S mutation found in C Tat is responsible for the inability of these Tat proteins to produce high IL-10 levels in monocytes due to its inability to induce intracellular calcium flux through L-type calcium channels. Moreover, we show that p38α/p38β and phosphoinositide 3-kinase are crucial to Tat-induced IL-10 production. These findings provide further evidence that HIV-1 clades differ in their biological properties that may impact HIV-1 pathogenesis and disease progression.