Project description:Semen-derived extracellular vesicles (SEVs) have been shown to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) LTR transactivation through the blockade of the interaction of transactivator of transcription (Tat) and host transcription factors NF-kB and Sp1 (Tat•NF-ᴋB p65 and Tat•Sp1). The ability of SEVs to regulate the activities of transcription factors suggests that SEVs may contain transcription activators and repressors. In this present study, we used orthogonal SEVs-based screens, including pull-downs, mobility shift assays, and electrophoretic protein binding assays coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify host proteins in SEVs that interact with the different transcription factors (SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 binding proteins). Protein network analysis performed on SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 complexes revealed interactome networks that associate with 7SK snRNA binding, mRNA Processing, P-TEFb complex, NELF complex. Additionally, Pathway enrichment analyses of SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 complexes identifies biological functions involved in initiation of transcription and translation elongation at the HIV LTR, formation of HIV and RNA Pol II elongation complexes, protein, nucleic acid, and chromatin binding, as well as chromatin assembly and disassembly. Finally, integrative analysis of SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 binding proteins identifies four proteins (AKAP9, ARHGEF28, INTS1, BRD2) to be common to both complexes. Immunoprecipitation assays suggest that SEVs-associated BRD2 and NELFB bind HIV Tat. The identification of extracellular interactome of Tat and NF-κB p65 in HIV transcription paves the way for the rational design of novel inhibitors of HIV transcription, with potential for therapeutic targeting.
Project description:Semen-derived extracellular vesicles (SEVs) have been shown to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) LTR transactivation through the blockade of the interaction of transactivator of transcription (Tat) and host transcription factors NF-kB and Sp1 (Tat•NF-ᴋB p65 and Tat•Sp1). The ability of SEVs to regulate the activities of transcription factors suggests that SEVs may contain transcription activators and repressors. In this present study, we used orthogonal SEVs-based screens, including pull-downs, mobility shift assays, and electrophoretic protein binding assays coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify host proteins in SEVs that interact with the different transcription factors (SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 binding proteins). Protein network analysis performed on SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 complexes revealed interactome networks that associate with 7SK snRNA binding, mRNA Processing, P-TEFb complex, NELF complex. Additionally, Pathway enrichment analyses of SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 complexes identifies biological functions involved in initiation of transcription and translation elongation at the HIV LTR, formation of HIV and RNA Pol II elongation complexes, protein, nucleic acid, and chromatin binding, as well as chromatin assembly and disassembly. Finally, integrative analysis of SEVs•Tat and SEVs•NF-ᴋB p65 binding proteins identifies four proteins (AKAP9, ARHGEF28, INTS1, BRD2) to be common to both complexes. Immunoprecipitation assays suggest that SEVs-associated BRD2 and NELFB bind HIV Tat. The identification of extracellular interactome of Tat and NF-κB p65 in HIV transcription paves the way for the rational design of novel inhibitors of HIV transcription, with potential for therapeutic targeting.
Project description:We have used RNA immunoprecipitation to identify the set of mRNAs that HIV-1 Tat interacts with in T-cells. We have also performed measurements of relative RNA abundance to determine if Tat binding is associated with an increase in RNA abundance in Tat-expressing T-cells and during HIV infection of primary T-cells. We have also used RNA IP and ChIP-Chip to compare the RNAs with which Tat interacts with to the RNAs that RISC interacts with and the genes associated with pTEF-b.
Project description:We developed a cellular screening system capable of simultaneously evaluating the functional activities of Tat-induced LTR transcription and general cellular expression. Herein, we identified and optimized novel HIV-1 Tat inhibitory compounds that contain an oxadiazole core. To assess the inhibitory effect of our lead compounds on Tat-mediated HIV-1 transcription, we performed RNA-seq analyses of the HIV-1 transcripts in the compound-treated HIV-1-infected cells. The read counts of the transcripts mapped to the HIV-1 genome were substantially reduced in the compound 9- or 13-treated cells; however, the decrease of the read counts was not observed in the HIV-1 infected cells with the ineffective compounds (20 and 21). These data indicate that the viral transcription step is a target for our lead compounds.
Project description:The intestinal environment facilitates HIV-1 infection via mechanisms involving the gut-homing vitamin A-derived retinoic acid (RA), which transcriptionally reprograms CD4+ T cells for increased HIV-1 replication/outgrowth. Consistently, colon-infiltrating CD4+ T cells carry replication-competent viral reservoirs in people with HIV-1 (PWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Intriguingly, integrative infection in colon macrophages, a pool replenished by monocytes, represents a rare event in ART-treated PWH, thus questioning the effect of RA on macrophages. Here, we demonstrate that RA enhances R5 but not X4 HIV-1 replication in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). RNA sequencing, gene set variation analysis, and HIV interactor NCBI database interrogation reveal RA-mediated transcriptional reprogramming associated with metabolic/inflammatory processes and HIV-1 resistance/dependency factors. Functional validations uncover post-entry mechanisms of RA action including SAMHD1-modulated reverse transcription and CDK9/RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-dependent transcription under the control of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). These results support a model in which macrophages residing in the intestine of ART-untreated PWH contribute to viral replication/dissemination in an mTOR-sensitive manner.
Project description:HIV transcription is initiated by host transcriptional machinery prior to the production of the viral transactivator Tat, yet the magnitude and regulatory features of this Tat-independent transcriptional state remain poorly defined. In this study, we performed integrated chromatin and transcriptional profiling to quantitatively compare Tat-dependent and host-driven regulation of HIV and cellular gene expression. Jurkat T cells were infected with isogenic HIV constructs expressing functional Tat (TatWT) or lacking Tat expression (TatNull) and analyzed under non-stimulated and stimulated conditions. Genome-wide chromatin occupancy of Tat and transcriptional machinery was measured by ChIP-seq, and corresponding transcriptional output from both the HIV provirus and host genome was quantified by RNA sequencing. These datasets define the baseline host-driven transcriptional state of HIV in the absence of Tat and enable direct comparison with Tat-amplified transcriptional responses. Together, this integrated ChIP-seq and RNA-seq resource provides a quantitative framework for dissecting Tat-dependent and Tat-independent mechanisms of HIV transcriptional regulation in chromatin.