Detection of viral RNA in CD4(-)CD8(-) and CD4(-)CD8(+) lymphocytes in vivo in rhesus monkeys infected with simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques.

A definition of the specific cell types that support HIV replication early in the course of infection will be important for understanding AIDS pathogenesis and designing strategies for preventing infection. Observations have indicated that the population of lymphocytes susceptible to productive infection extends beyond activated CD4(+) T cells. To explore this issue, we have employed laser scanning cytometry technology and the techniques of lymphocyte surface immunophenotyping followed by fluorescent in situ hybridization to detect simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques (SIVmac) RNA in phenotypically defined rhesus monkey lymphocytes. The immunophenotype of productively infected cells in either a rhesus monkey T cell line or in PBMCs infected in vitro with SIVmac was remarkably similar to that observed in productively infected PBMCs obtained from monkeys during primary infection. We observed low levels or no detectable expression of CD4 on cells infected in vitro or on PBMCs of infected monkeys. However, a substantial number of SIVmac-infected PBMCs both in cultured lymphocytes and sampled directly from infected monkeys expressed CD8 but not CD4. These observations are consistent with the possibility that the CD4 molecule may be modulated off the surface of CD4(+)CD8(-) or CD4(+)CD8(+) lymphocytes after infection or that infection occurred via a CD4-independent mechanism. Moreover, there was no preferential expression of CD25 on cells positive for SIVmac RNA, which might have been predicted if replication of the virus was occurring selectively in activated lymphocytes. These results broaden the range of lymphocytes that support productive SIVmac infection to include CD4(-)CD8(-) and CD4(-)CD8(+) subsets, and are consistent with virus replication occurring in nonactivated cells.

Efficient persistence of extrachromosomal KSHV DNA mediated by latency-associated nuclear antigen.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cells harbor Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) episomes and express a KSHV-encoded latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA). In PEL cells, LANA and KSHV DNA colocalized in dots in interphase nuclei and along mitotic chromosomes. In the absence of KSHV DNA, LANA was diffusely distributed in the nucleus or on mitotic chromosomes. In lymphoblasts, LANA was necessary and sufficient for the persistence of episomes containing a specific KSHV DNA fragment. Furthermore, LANA colocalized with the artificial KSHV DNA episomes in nuclei and along mitotic chromosomes. These results support a model in which LANA tethers KSHV DNA to chromosomes during mitosis to enable the efficient segregation of KSHV episomes to progeny cells.

Determination of HIV-1 susceptibility to reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors by a quantitative cell-free RT assay.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) gene confer resistance to antiviral drugs acting on RT. Current methods employed to detect such resistance require time-consuming culture techniques during which selective pressures may affect the outcome of the test. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether drug-susceptible and drug-resistant HIV-1 derived from clinical specimens could be distinguished by the effects of the active form of the drug on the enzyme activity in a quantitative, cell-free RT assay. STUDY DESIGN: Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-precipitated virus was obtained from 7-day culture supernatants. RT activity in the lysed viral extracts was measured in the presence of increasing concentrations of the active form of the drug being tested. IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) values were determined by application of the median effect equation. RESULTS: Assays from nine post-nevirapine therapy isolates gave IC50 values at least 2 logs greater than pre-nevirapine isolates. The method also correctly distinguished between isolates sensitive and resistant to 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI), but not between the ZDV-sensitive and ZDV-resistant isolates tested. The results agreed with data obtained by sequencing and by culture-based susceptibility assays.

AZT-related mutation Lys70Arg in reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 confers decrease in susceptibility to ddATP in in vitro RT inhibition assay.

The genetic basis for didanosine (ddl) resistance in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) has previously been shown to be commonly associated with a Leu to Val change at codon 74 in the HIV-1 RT gene. In this study sequential viral isolates were analyzed from five patients with prior zidovudine (AZT) use who received 6 to 16 months of ddl therapy. Following ddl therapy, viral isolates exhibited an increased AZT susceptibility and decreased ddl susceptibility. Sequence and nested PCR analysis of the HIV-1 RT gene revealed that two viral isolates contained the Leu to Val change at codon 74, and three other isolates with reduced susceptibility to ddl each contained changes at codons 65, 70, and 72. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to insert specific mutations in RT gene of proviral clone pNL4-3. Analysis of virion-associated reverse transcriptase activity indicated that the Lys70Arg mutation resulted in an enzyme with 2- to 4-fold decreased susceptibility to ddATP. Statistical analysis of the inhibitory concentration for RT activity between pNL4-3 and mutant Lys70Arg viruses obtained in three independent RT inhibition assays was significant (P = 0.05) by student t test paired analysis. Drug susceptibility assays on the virus with Lys70Arg mutation showed a marginal decrease in susceptibility to ddl (1.5- to 2-fold) and about 4- to 6-fold decrease in susceptibility to AZT. Mutations Lys65Glu and Arg72Ser resulted in an impaired RT with greatly diminished functional RT activity. The AZT-associated Lys70Arg mutation results in an RT enzyme with decreased susceptibility to ddATP.

Cytomegalovirus infection of the BS-1 human stroma cell line: effect on murine hemopoiesis.

BS-1, a stromal cell line derived from human bone marrow, can support the growth of murine erythroid (BFU-E), granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), and megakaryocyte (CFU-M) progenitor cells in a short term in vitro coculture system. Exposure of BS-1 cells to cytomegalovirus (CMV) for 3 hr prior to coculture results in a marked reduction in the stroma cell's ability to support murine hemopoiesis. CMV's effect on the BS-1 cell's hematopoietic support function is dependent on the multiplicity of infection with total suppression of BFU-E observed at a 1:1 ratio of virus to bone marrow cells. A 50% loss in the ability of BS-1 cells to support BFU-E is observed at a 0.1:1 ratio. No effect of CMV is observed with further log dilutions of virus. CMV infection of BS-1 cells affects its support of erythroid progenitor cell growth to a greater extent than its influence on the development of granulocyte-macrophage colonies. Antibody to CMV or heat inactivation of the virus reverses the inhibitory affect on BS-1 cells. The results suggest that CMV can infect a cell that constitutes one of the cellular elements of the normal bone marrow microenvironment causing a decrease in the stroma's ability to support the growth and development of normal progenitor cells.

HIV infection of the BS-1 human stroma cell line: effect on murine hematopoiesis.

BS-1, a stroma cell line derived from normal human bone marrow, can support the growth of murine erythroid (BFU-E), granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), and megakaryocyte (CFU-Meg) progenitor cells in a short-term in vitro coculture system. Exposure of BS-1 cell to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prior to coculture results in a marked reduction in the stroma cell's ability to support murine BFU-E and CFU-GM. The effect of HIV on the BS-1 cell's hematopoietic support function (HSF) is dependent on the multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.). BS-1 stimulation of CFU-GM is significantly impaired at m.o.i. values ranging from 10 to 0.1, whereas its support of BFU-E colony formation is inhibited at m.o.i. values of 10 and 1. No effect of HIV on the BS-1 cell's HSF is observed with further log dilutions of virus. The HIV-mediated suppression of the BS-1 cell's ability to support hematopoiesis is neutralized by a monoclonal antibody (titers ranging from 1:10 to 1:50) to the Gp160 surface antigen of the virus. Suppression of BS-1 cell's HSF is again observed with log dilution (> 1:100) of the antibody. HIV suppression of the BS-1 cell's HSF correlates with replication of the virus. P24 antigen levels of 150 pG/ml are measured as early as Day 6 postinfection and rise to 360 pG/ml by Day 16 of culture. The results suggest that HIV may impair normal hematopoiesis by infecting the stroma cells of the bone marrow microenvironment and compromising their role as accessory cells in supporting the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.

In vitro suppression of normal human bone marrow progenitor cells by human immunodeficiency virus.

Incubation of normal human nonadherent and T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells with HIVIIIB at multiplicities of infection (MOI) ranging from 0.0001:1 to 1:1 reverse transcriptase (RT) units resulted in the dose-dependent suppression of the in vitro growth of erythroid burst-forming unit (BFU-E), granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), and T-lymphocyte (CFU-TL) colonies of progenitor cells. Maximum inhibition of colony formation was observed at a 1:1 ratio of virus to bone marrow cells. At this MOI, BFU-E and CFU-GM colonies were inhibited by 60 to 80%, while CFU-TL colonies were totally suppressed. Inhibition of colony formation was also observed at an MOI of 0.1:1 but not with further log dilutions of the virus. Incubation of the virus with antibody to gp160 resulted in the complete reversal of stem cell suppression and the normalization of colony growth in vitro. For BFU-E and CFU-GM colonies, this reversal was observed with dilutions of antibody up to 1:100 and was no longer observed at titers greater than 1:500. The CFU-TL colony number normalized at titers between 1:10 and 1:50. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) also suppressed by 50% the growth of colonies derived from CD34+ stem cell fractions. Infection of CD34+ cells and T-cell-depleted, nonadherent cell fractions was demonstrated by detection with HIV-specific DNA probe following amplification by polymerase chain reaction. The results suggest that HIV can directly infect human bone marrow progenitor cells and affect their ability to proliferate and give rise to colonies in vitro. The results indicate a direct role for the virus in bone marrow suppression and a possible mechanism for the cytopenias observed in patients with AIDS.

Detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clinical isolates with reduced sensitivity to zidovudine and dideoxyinosine by RNA.RNA hybridization.

A quantitative rapid assay to detect resistant clinical human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains remains an important medical goal. A system incorporating a quantitative RNA.RNA hybridization assay that measures the amount of intracellular HIV-1-specific RNA has been employed to detect the level of inhibition by nucleoside analogues in sensitive and resistant HIV-1 strains. The RNA.RNA hybridization assay readily distinguished previously published zidovudine (ZDV; 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine)-resistant isolates from ZDV-sensitive isolates of HIV-1. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ZDV for HTLV-IIIB and sensitive clinical HIV-1 isolates is between 0.01 and 0.04 microM. HIV-1 strains from three patients on long-term ZDV therapy displayed a greater than 20-fold increase in the ZDV IC50 compared to sensitive strains. The drug sensitivity system was confirmed by showing that mutations in the HIV reverse transcriptase gene from a ZDV-resistant isolate resulted in four amino acid changes (Leu-125----Trp, Ile-142----Val, Thr-215----Tyr, and Pro-294----Thr) including one change (Thr-215----Tyr) that has been previously reported to be associated with resistance. One clinical HIV strain with high-level ZDV resistance displayed a 5-fold increase in 2',3'-dideoxyinosine IC50 compared to that of HTLV-IIIB. A drug sensitivity assay employing RNA.RNA hybridization may be useful for extensive screening of HIV isolates from patients enrolled in clinical trials and permit the correlation of in vitro resistance with clinical outcome.

Analysis of the thymidine kinase gene from clinically isolated acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex viruses.

The isolation and description of acyclovir-resistant (ACVR) herpes simplex-2 viruses from patients with AIDS has recently been reported. These ACVR viruses were all markedly decreased in their thymidine kinase (TK) activity, and 6 of 10 of these TK viruses were able to establish latency. In addition, one of these isolates, ACVR-86012 was neuropathogenic in a murine encephalitis model. In this paper, the characteristics of these isolates with respect to TK polypeptide synthesis are examined. All but one isolate synthesized a detectable TK protein by immunoprecipitation, and 9/10 of the TK proteins had an altered electrophoretic mobility as compared to wild-type. The TK polypeptide from the neuropathogenic isolate ACVR-86012 was full-length and the gene was sequenced. An amino acid change from a glutamine to a proline at amino acid residue 105 was detected compared to the wild-type HSV-333 strain. These results indicate that an amino acid change in the NH2 portion of the TK protein is associated with a full-length peptide with decreased enzyme activity but the virus retains neuropathic virulence.

Construction of recombinants between molecular clones of murine retrovirus MCF 247 and Akv: determinant of an in vitro host range property that maps in the long terminal repeat.

The leukemogenic mink cell focus-forming (MCF) retroviruses such as MCF 247 have biological properties distinct from those of their ecotropic progenitors. Nucleotide sequences encoding portions of gp70, Prp15E, and the long terminal repeat differ between the two types of viruses. To investigate the role of each of these genetic elements in determining the biological properties of MCF viruses, we prepared infectious molecular clones of MCF 247 and generated a set of recombinants between these clones and a molecular clone of Akv, the ecotropic parent of MCF 247. Each molecular clone of MCF 247 was distinct. All the recombinants between Akv and MCF 247 yielded infectious virus upon transfection. Most interestingly, recombinants which contain the long terminal repeat of MCF 247 were found to have an in vitro host range property that has been correlated with high oncogenic activity and thymotropism of certain MCF isolates; namely, they plated with higher efficiency on SC-1 cells than on NFS mouse embryo cells. Nononcogenic MCF isolates showed a slight preference for NFS cells, whereas Akv virus plated with approximately equal efficiency on the two cell types.

A 3' end fragment encompassing the transcriptional enhancers of nondefective Friend virus confers erythroleukemogenicity on Moloney leukemia virus.

Nondefective Friend helper murine leukemia virus (Fr-MuLV) induces primarily erythroleukemias in NFS mice, whereas Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV) induces T cell lymphomas. Using molecular clones of these two viruses, we constructed a recombinant in which a 0.62-kilobase fragment encompassing the U3 region at the 3' end of the Fr-MuLV genome replaced the corresponding region of Mo-MuLV. The recombinant virus obtained by transfection of this clone, whose genome is derived primarily from Mo-MuLV, induces almost exclusively erythroleukemias in NFS mice. This and the previous result of Chatis et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:4408-4411), showing that the reciprocal recombinant whose genome is primarily derived from Fr-MuLV induces almost exclusively lymphomas, argue that a strong determinant of the distinct disease specificities of Fr-MuLV and Mo-MuLV lies in this 3' end 0.62-kilobase fragment which contains the putative virus enhancers. To more precisely define this determinant, we have begun to construct recombinants in which smaller 3' end fragments of the Fr-MuLV and Mo-MuLV genomes are exchanged. Analysis of the first such recombinant showed that Fr-MuLV can be converted to a lymphoma-inducing virus in NFS mice by substitution of a 0.38-kilobase fragment encompassing the virus enhancers in U3 with the corresponding region of the Mo-MuLV genome.

Role for the 3' end of the genome in determining disease specificity of Friend and Moloney murine leukemia viruses.

To probe the genetic basis of disease specificity of nondefective murine type C viruses, we are constructing recombinants in vitro between molecular clones of Friend murine leukemia virus (Fr-MuLV) and Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV). Fr-MuLV induces erythroleukemias when injected into newborn NFS mice, whereas Mo-MuLV almost invariably induces T-cell lymphomas. We find that a recombinant whose genome is derived primarily from Fr-MuLV but which has 621 nucleotides of Mo-MuLV information at its 3' end induces almost exclusively thymic lymphomas. The sequences derived from Mo-MuLV include 99 nucleotides encoding the carboxyl terminus of Prp15E, the origin of DNA +-strand synthesis, all of the U3 region, and 36 nucleotides of the R portion of the long terminal repeat. When the segment of Mo-MuLV was removed and replaced with the comparable segment from Fr-MuLV, the virus was again erythroblastosis-inducing. These results, in conjunction with studies from other laboratories [Laimins, L. A., Khoury, G., Gorman, C., Howard, B. & Gruss, P. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 6453-6457], suggest that transcriptional signals in U3 may determine tissue tropism and hence influence disease specificity ("targeting") of murine leukemia viruses.

Characterization of the soluble glycoprotein released from vesicular stomatitis virus-infected cells.

Vesicular stomatitis virus-infected Chinese hamster ovary cells release into the extracellular medium a soluble form of the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (G protein) termed Gs (Kang and Prevec, Virology 46:678-680, 1971). The properties of this molecule and the cellular site at which it is generated were characterized. By comparing the sizes and the peptide maps of the unglycosylated forms of G and Gs, we found that between 5,000 and 6,000 daltons of the carboxy-terminal end of the G protein is cleaved to generate the Gs molecule. This truncated molecule contains no fatty acid. Gs released from cells grown at 39 degrees C migrated on polyacrylamide gels slightly slower than Gs released at 30 degrees C. The unglycosylated form of Gs also showed this size difference. Furthermore, unglycosylated Gs was resolved into two species upon isoelectric focusing: the relative amounts of the two species depended upon the temperature at which infected cells were incubated. Full-sized unglycosylated virus-associated G also was resolved into two species, but the more basic form predominated at both 30 and 39 degrees C. The appearance of Gs in the extracellular medium depended upon the presence of stable, full-sized G at the cell surface. The amount of Gs released was quantitated in seven different situations in which the migration of G to the cell surface was inhibited. In all cases, the amount of Gs released was also decreased. In addition, incubation of cells surface labeled with 125I resulted in the release of 125I-labeled Gs protein, as well as full-sized G protein. These results suggest that Gs is generated primarily by proteolytic cleavage of plasma membrane-associated G at a site in the molecule just amino terminal to the membrane-spanning region of the molecule.

Fatty acid modification of Newcastle disease virus glycoproteins.

The fatty acid acylation of Newcastle disease virus hemagglutininin-neuraminidase and fusion glycoproteins was assayed. [3H]palmitate label was associated with cytoplasmic fusion proteins (F0 and F1) and virion-associated F1. In contrast, there was no detectable [3H]palmitate label associated with the hemagglutin-neuraminidase protein in Newcastle disease virus-infected Chinese hamster ovary cells or chicken embryo cells or in virions released from these cells. Thus, fatty acid modification may not be important for the maturation of some glycoproteins.

Mutational changes in the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein affect the requirement of carbohydrate in morphogenesis.

The role of carbohydrate in the morphogenesis of vesicular stomatitis virus was studied, using the antibiotic tunicamycin to inhibit glycosylation. It has been reported previously (Gibson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 254:3600-3607, 1979) that the San Juan strain of vesicular stomatitis virus requires carbohydrate for efficient migration of the glycoprotein (G) to the cell surface and for virion formation, whereas the prototype or Orsay strain of vesicular stomatitis virus is less stringent in its carbohydrate requirement at 30 degrees C. However, there are many differences between the two strains. We found that mutational changes within the G protein of the same strain of virus (prototype or Orsay) alters the requirement for carbohydrate at 30 degrees C. Group V or G protein mutants tsO45 and tsO44, like their prototype parent, did not require carbohydrate for efficient morphogenesis. In contrast, the G protein of another group V mutant, tsO110, was totally dependent upon carbohydrate addition for migration to the cell surface. Furthermore, no tsO110 particles were released in the absence of glycosylation. The wild-type prototype strain did require carbohydrate at 39.5 degrees C for insertion of the G protein into the plasma membrane and virion formation. However, a pseudorevertant of tsO44 (tsO44R), unlike the prototype parent, no longer exhibited this temperature-sensitive requirement for carbohydrate. At 39.5 degrees C in the presence of tunicamycin, tsO44R-infected cells released normal yields of particles and the unglycosylated G reached the cell surface very efficiently. In contrast to tsO110, which absolutely requires carbohydrate, mutational change in the tsO44R G protein has eliminated the requirement for carbohydrate. Thus, simple mutational changes, as opposed to many changes in the molecule, are sufficient to alter the carbohydrate requirement.

Vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein is anchored to intracellular membranes near its carboxyl end and is proteolytically cleaved at its amino terminus.

The intracellular vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (G) is inserted into membranes such that a small portion of one end of the molecule is exposed on the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum and is susceptible to proteolytic digestion (T.G. Morrison, C.O. McQuain, and D. Simpson, J. Virol. 28:368-374). We have determined that this region of the G protein contains two methionyl tryptic peptides. The methionyl tryptic peptides of the G protein have been ordered by the use of the antibiotic pactamycin, and the two methionyl tryptic peptides removed by proteolytic digestion of intracellular G protein have been shown to be derived from the carboxyl terminal end of the protein. In addition, we have found that the unglycosylated G protein synthesized in a reticulocyte cell-free reaction migrates on polyacrylamide gels slightly slower than the unglycosylated G protein synthesized in tunicamycin-treated infected cells. We have also compared these G proteins derived from different sources by partial proteolysis (D.W. Cleveland, S.G. Fischer, M.W. Kirschner, and V.K. Laemmli, J. Biol. Chem. 252:1102-1106) and by chymotryptic peptide analysis. We have found minor differences between the two proteins consistent with the removal of 10 to 15 amino acids from the amino terminus of the intracellular G protein.