Background: A primary concern when targeting HIV-1 RNA by means of antisense related technologies is the accessibility of the targets. Using a library selection approach to define the most accessible sites for 20-mer oligonucleotides annealing within the highly structured 5'-UTR of the HIV-1 genome we have shown that there are at least four optimal targets available.
Results: The biological effect of antisense DNA and LNA oligonucleotides, DNA- and LNAzymes targeted to the four most accessible sites was tested for their abilities to block reverse transcription and dimerization of the HIV-1 RNA template in vitro, and to suppress HIV-1 production in cell culture. The neutralization of HIV-1 expression declined in the following order: antisense LNA > LNAzymes > DNAzymes and antisense DNA. The LNA modifications strongly enhanced the in vivo inhibitory activity of all the antisense constructs and some of the DNAzymes. Notably, two of the LNA modified antisense oligonucleotides inhibited HIV-1 production in cell culture very efficiently at concentration as low as 4 nM.
Conclusion: LNAs targeted to experimentally selected binding sites can function as very potent inhibitors of HIV-1 expression in cell culture and may potentially be developed as antiviral drug in patients.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1866241 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-4690-4-29 | DOI Listing |
ASN Neuro
January 2025
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
People living with HIV (PLWH) experience HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), even though combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suppresses HIV replication. HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (HIV-1 Tat) contributes to the development of HAND through neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic mechanisms. C-C chemokine 5 receptor (CCR5) is important in immune cell targeting and is a co-receptor for HIV viral entry into CD4+ cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: -methyladenosine (m A) is the most prevalent cellular mRNA modification and plays a critical role in regulating RNA stability, localization, and gene expression. m A modification plays a vital role in modulating the expression of viral and cellular genes during HIV-1 infection. HIV-1 infection increases cellular RNA m A levels in many cell types, which facilitates HIV-1 replication and infectivity in target cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep
January 2025
Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address:
We developed viral sensor and restriction factor-cytometry by time of flight (VISOR-CyTOF), which profiles 19 viral sensors and restriction factors (VISORs) simultaneously in single cells, and applied it to 41 postmortem tissues from people with HIV. Mucosal myeloid cells are well equipped with SAMHD1 and sensors of viral capsid and DNA while CD4 T cells are not. In lymph node CD4 Tfh, VISOR expression patterns reflect those favoring integration but blocking HIV gene expression, thus favoring viral latency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Pathog
January 2025
Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Identifying cellular and molecular mechanisms maintaining HIV-1 latency in the viral reservoir is crucial for devising effective cure strategies. Here we developed an innovative flow cytometry-fluorescent in situ hybridization (flow-FISH) approach for direct ex vivo reservoir detection without the need for reactivation using a combination of probes detecting abortive and elongated HIV-1 transcripts. Our flow-FISH assay distinguished between HIV-1-infected CD4+ T cells expressing abortive or elongated HIV-1 transcripts in PBMC from untreated and ART-treated PWH from the Amsterdam Cohort Studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States.
Introduction: Rhesus macaques have long been a focus of research for understanding immune responses to human pathogens due to their close phylogenetic relationship with humans. As rhesus macaque antibody germlines show high degrees of polymorphism, the spectrum of database-covered genes expressed in individual macaques remains to be determined.
Methods: Here, four rhesus macaques infected with SHIV became a study of interest because they developed broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!