A novel nuclear export activity in HIV-1 matrix protein required for viral replication

An important aspect of the pathophysiology of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection is the ability of the virus to replicate in non-dividing cells. HIV-1 matrix (MA), the amino-terminal domain of the Pr55 gag polyprotein (Pr55), bears a nuclear localization signal that promotes localization of the viral preintegration complex to the nucleus of non-dividing cells following virus entry. However, late during infection, MA, as part of Pr55, directs unspliced viral RNA to the plasma membrane, the site of virus assembly. How MA can mediate these two opposing targeting functions is not understood. Here we demonstrate that MA has a previously undescribed nuclear export activity. Although MA lacks the canonical leucine-rich nuclear export signal, nuclear export is mediated through the conserved Crm1p pathway and functions in both mammalian cells and yeast. A mutation that disrupts the MA nuclear export signal (MA-M4) mislocalizes Pr55 and genomic viral RNA to the nucleus, thereby severely impairing viral replication. Furthermore, we show that MA-M4 can act in a dominant-negative fashion to mislocalize genomic viral RNA even in the presence of wild-type MA. We conclude that the MA nuclear export signal is required to counteract the MA nuclear localization signal, thus ensuring the cytoplasmic availability of the components required for virion assembly.     

尿激酶体外抑制人体免疫缺损病毒的侵染能力

人体免疫缺损病毒的包膜蛋白gp120的V3环区包含一段在人类蛋白质中很少出现的高度保守序列，但这段序列与纤溶酶原被纤溶酶原激活剂酶切位点附近序列有同源性．由于V3环区在人体免疫缺损病毒侵染细胞过程中的重要性，评估了尿激酶对人体免疫缺损病毒侵染能力的影响．通过检测逆转录酶活力，P24抗原的表达和合胞体形成情况发现尿激酶可以抑制人体免疫缺损病毒对多种淋巴瘤和白血病细胞系，如MT4、CCM、H9和外周血单核细胞的侵染能力，并且这种抑制与尿激酶浓度呈剂量依赖关系．那些能够被尿激酶抑制的人体免疫缺损病毒株其V3环区序列必须与纤溶酶原激活区亭列同源，实验事常用病毒株包括BRU和RF以及某些野生病毒株．研究结果显示尿激酶在体外实验中可以抑制人体免疫缺损病毒的侵染能力．     

Vpx relieves inhibition of HIV-1 infection of macrophages mediated by the SAMHD1 protein

Macrophages and dendritic cells have key roles in viral infections, providing virus reservoirs that frequently resist antiviral therapies and linking innate virus detection to antiviral adaptive immune responses. Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) fails to transduce dendritic cells and has a reduced ability to transduce macrophages, due to an as yet uncharacterized mechanism that inhibits infection by interfering with efficient synthesis of viral complementary DNA. In contrast, HIV-2 and related simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVsm/mac) transduce myeloid cells efficiently owing to their virion-associated Vpx accessory proteins, which counteract the restrictive mechanism. Here we show that the inhibition of HIV-1 infection in macrophages involves the cellular SAM domain HD domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1). Vpx relieves the inhibition of lentivirus infection in macrophages by loading SAMHD1 onto the CRL4(DCAF1) E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to highly efficient proteasome-dependent degradation of the protein. Mutations in SAMHD1 cause Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a disease that produces a phenotype that mimics the effects of a congenital viral infection. Failure to dispose of endogenous nucleic acid debris in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome results in inappropriate triggering of innate immune responses via cytosolic nucleic acids sensors. Thus, our findings show that macrophages are defended from HIV-1 infection by a mechanism that prevents an unwanted interferon response triggered by self nucleic acids, and uncover an intricate relationship between innate immune mechanisms that control response to self and to retroviral pathogens.     

Structural basis for inhibition of the replication licensing factor Cdt1 by geminin

To maintain chromosome stability in eukaryotic cells, replication origins must be licensed by loading mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM2-7) complexes once and only once per cell cycle. This licensing control is achieved through the activities of geminin and cyclin-dependent kinases. Geminin binds tightly to Cdt1, an essential component of the replication licensing system, and prevents the inappropriate reinitiation of replication on an already fired origin. The inhibitory effect of geminin is thought to prevent the interaction between Cdt1 and the MCM helicase. Here we describe the crystal structure of the mouse geminin-Cdt1 complex using tGeminin (residues 79-157, truncated geminin) and tCdt1 (residues 172-368, truncated Cdt1). The amino-terminal region of a coiled-coil dimer of tGeminin interacts with both N-terminal and carboxy-terminal parts of tCdt1. The primary interface relies on the steric complementarity between the tGeminin dimer and the hydrophobic face of the two short N-terminal helices of tCdt1 and, in particular, Pro 181, Ala 182, Tyr 183, Phe 186 and Leu 189. The crystal structure, in conjunction with our biochemical data, indicates that the N-terminal region of tGeminin might be required to anchor tCdt1, and the C-terminal region of tGeminin prevents access of the MCM complex to tCdt1 through steric hindrance.     

Superantigen implicated in dependence of HIV-1 replication in T cells on TCR V beta expression.

In the pathogenesis of AIDS it is not yet understood whether the small fraction of CD4+ T cells (approximately 1%) infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are randomly targeted or not. Here we present evidence that human CD4 T-cell lines expressing selected T-cell antigen receptor V beta gene products can all be infected in vitro with HIV-1, but give markedly different titres of HIV-1 virion production. For example, V beta 12 T-cell lines from several unrelated donors reproducibly yielded up to 100-fold more gag gene product (p24gag antigen) than V beta 6.7a lines. This is consistent with a superantigen effect, because the V beta selectivity was observed with several divergent HIV-1 isolates, was dependent on antigen-presenting cells and on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II but was not MHC class II-restricted. The in vivo significance of these findings is supported by the preferential stimulation of V beta 12+ T cells by freshly obtained irradiated antigen-presenting cells from some HIV-1-seropositive but not HIV-1-negative donors. Moreover, cells from patients positive for viral antigen (gp120) were enriched in the V beta 12 subpopulation. V beta 12+ T cells were not deleted in AIDS patients, however, raising the possibility that a variety of mechanisms contribute to T-cell depletion. Our results indicate that a superantigen targets a subpopulation of CD4+ cells for viral replication.     

清开灵注射液体外抑制HIV-1作用

目的:研究清开灵注射液(QKL)体外抑制HIV-1的作用.方法:用MTT比色法检测QKL对H9/HIV-1ⅢB细胞(慢性感染HIV-1ⅢB的H9细胞)和MT-2细胞的毒性;采用荧光染料Calcein-AM标记的H9/HIV-1ⅢB细胞和系列稀释的QKL作用后.与MT-2细胞混合培养,2 h后在荧光下计数融合细胞数目,评价QKL对两种细胞早期融合的影响;用MTT法检测QKL对HIV-1ⅢB急性感染的MT-2细胞的保护作用;用HIVp24抗原试剂盒检测HIV-1ⅢB感染的MT-2细胞的培养上清p24抗原的含量,分析QKL对HIV-1复制的影响.结果:QKL对H9/HIV-1ⅢB细胞和MT-2细胞的CC50分别为1/50.76和1/36.97;抑制H9/HIV-1ⅢB细胞和MT-2细胞早期融合作用的EC50=1/235.29,SI=6.36;对HIV-1ⅢB感染的MT-2细胞保护作用的EC50=1/144.93,SI=3.92;抑制p24抗原产生作用的EC50=1/175.44,SI=4.75.结论:QKL体外有抗HIV-1活性,作用机制可能是多靶点的,可抑制病毒进入细胞和胞内复制.     

一类新型6-烷氨基-2-烷硫基嘌呤核苷衍生物抗血小板凝集的3D-QSAR研究

通过自组织分子场分析（SOMFA）方法,对20个具有测试活性的2-烷硫基-6-烷氨基嘌呤核苷衍生物进行三维定量构效关系（3D-QSAR）研究,得到预测能力最佳的SOMFA模型,其中交叉验证系数r_cv²=0.801,非交叉验证系数r²=0.807,统计方差比F=75.281,标准方差s=0.130。同时,通过对该模型的立体场和静电场三维网格图进行分析,能够较清晰直观地为设计新型的高活性抗血小板药物分子提供理论指导。     

CoMFA,CoMSIA,HQSAR方法研究四氢异喹啉衍生物的定量构效关系

应用比较分子场分析法(CoMFA)、比较分子相似性指数法(CoMSIA)和伞息定量构效关系法(HQSAR)对21种四氢异喹啉类选择性雌激素受体调节剂进行了定量构效关系研究.分别考察了不同的叠合方法对场分析方法(CoMFA和CoMSIA)、不同场的组合方式对CoMSIA、不同的碎片参数对HQSAR模型构建的影响.根据CoMFA和CoMSIA模型的等值线图、HQSAR模型的原子贡献图,提出了改进四氢异喹啉类选择性雌激素受体调节剂选择性的方法,为合成新型药物分子提供理论支持.     

新型含联苯基的多氟代吡唑衍生物的合成及Aurora激酶A抑制活性测试

结构多样性和生物活性多样性的吡唑类衍生物成为药物研究的一类重要化合物.该文以2,4-二氟联苯为原料,经傅-克酰基化、缩合、环化等反应步骤,合成了新型含联苯基的多氟代吡唑衍生物4a ～ 4f ,其结构用红外光谱(IR)、高分辨质谱(HRMS-ESI)、核磁共振氢谱(1H NMR)、核磁共振碳谱(13C NMR)进行了表征.测试了目标化合物对Aurora激酶A的抑制活性,初步的测试结果表明,目标化合物对Aurora 激酶A的抑制活性较弱.     

Identification of a protein encoded by the vpu gene of HIV-1

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) is the aetiological agent of AIDS. The virus establishes lytic, latent and non-cytopathic productive infection in cells in culture. The complexity of virus-host cell interaction is reflected in the complex organization of the viral genome. In addition to the genes that encode the virion capsid and envelope proteins and the enzymes required for proviral synthesis and integration common to all retroviruses, HIV-1 is known to encode at least four additional proteins that regulate virus replication, the tat, art, sor and 3' orf proteins, as well as a protein of unknown function from the open reading frame called R. Close examination of the nucleic acid sequences of the genomes of multiple HIV isolates raised the possibility that the virus encodes a previously undetected additional protein. Here we report that HIV-1 encodes a ninth protein and that antibodies to this protein are detected in the sera of people infected with HIV-1. This protein distinguishes HIV-1 isolates from the other human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-2 and SIV) that do not have the capacity to encode a similar protein.