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In vivo HIV-1 nuclear condensates safeguard against cGAS and license reverse transcription

ABSTRACT: Entry of viral capsids into the nucleus induces the formation of biomolecular condensates called HIV-1 membraneless organelles (HIV-1-MLOs). Several questions remain about their persistence, in vivo formation, composition, and function. Our study reveals that HIV-1-MLOs persisted for several weeks in infected cells, and their abundance correlated with viral infectivity. Using an appropriate animal model, we show that HIV-1-MLOs were formed in vivo during acute infection. To explore the viral structures present within these biomolecular condensates, we used a combination of double immunogold labeling, electron microscopy and tomography, and unveiled a diverse array of viral core structures. Our functional analyses showed that HIV-1-MLOs remained stable during treatment with a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, maintaining the virus in a dormant state. Drug withdrawal restored reverse transcription, promoting efficient virus replication akin to that observed in latently infected patients on antiretroviral therapy. However, when HIV-1 MLOs were deliberately disassembled by pharmacological treatment, we observed a complete loss of viral infectivity. Our findings show that HIV-1 MLOs shield the final reverse transcription product from host immune detection.

SUBMITTER: Francesca Di Nunzio

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-10_1038-S44318-024-00316-W | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundReverse transcription (RT) of HIV and SIV is initiated by the binding of the acceptor stem of tRNALys3 to the primer binding site (PBS) of the viral RNA genome. Previous studies have suggested that this tRNALys3 is not the only molecule capable of priming reverse transcription, and that at least one other lysyl tRNA, tRNALys5, which has an acceptor stem sequence varying from tRNALys3 by only a single transition mutation resulting in the integration of a thymine (T) at position 8 of the PBS in the viral genome, can prime reverse transcription.ResultsWe undertook an unbiased approach, evaluating the primer binding site by deep-sequencing of HIV and SIV directly from the plasma of 15 humans and 11 macaques. We found that in humans there are low but measurable levels of viral RNA genomes harboring a PBS containing the noncanonical T at position 8 (PBS-Lys5) corresponding to the tRNAlys5 sequence and representing an average of 0.52% (range 0.07-1.6%) of the total viral population. This value is remarkably consistent with the proportion of PBS-Lys5 we identified in a cross-sectional assessment of the LANL HIV database (0.51%). In macaques chronically infected with SIVmac239, the PBS-Lys5 was also detected but at a frequency 1-log less than seen for HIV, with an average of 0.056% (range 0.01-0.09%). At this proportion, PBS-Lys5 was comparable to other transition mutations, making it impossible to determine whether the mutation observed is a result of use of tRNALys5 as an RT primer at very low levels or merely the product of in vitro cDNA synthesis/PCR error. We also identified two novel PBS sequences in HIV and SIV at low levels in vivo corresponding to tRNALys6 and tRNALys1,2, suggesting that these tRNAs may rarely also be used to prime RT. In vivo reversion of the PBS-Lys5 found in SIVmac239 was rapid and reached background levels by 30 days post-infection.ConclusionsWe conclude that while alternative tRNAs can initiate reverse transcription of HIV and SIV in vivo, their overall contributions to the replicating viral population are small.

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In vivo HIV-1 nuclear condensates safeguard against cGAS and license reverse transcription

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