CDK2 regulates HIV-1 transcription by phosphorylation of CDK9 on serine 90.

BACKGROUND: HIV-1 transcription is activated by the viral Tat protein that recruits host positive transcription elongation factor-b (P-TEFb) containing CDK9/cyclin T1 to the HIV-1 promoter. P-TEFb in the cells exists as a lower molecular weight CDK9/cyclin T1 dimer and a high molecular weight complex of 7SK RNA, CDK9/cyclin T1, HEXIM1 dimer and several additional proteins. Our previous studies implicated CDK2 in HIV-1 transcription regulation. We also found that inhibition of CDK2 by iron chelators leads to the inhibition of CDK9 activity, suggesting a functional link between CDK2 and CDK9. Here, we investigate whether CDK2 phosphorylates CDK9 and regulates its activity. RESULTS: The siRNA-mediated knockdown of CDK2 inhibited CDK9 kinase activity and reduced CDK9 phosphorylation. Stable shRNA-mediated CDK2 knockdown inhibited HIV-1 transcription, but also increased the overall level of 7SK RNA. CDK9 contains a motif (90SPYNR94) that is consensus CDK2 phosphorylation site. CDK9 was phosphorylated on Ser90 by CDK2 in vitro. In cultured cells, CDK9 phosphorylation was reduced when Ser90 was mutated to an Ala. Phosphorylation of CDK9 on Ser90 was also detected with phospho-specific antibodies and it was reduced after the knockdown of CDK2. CDK9 expression decreased in the large complex for the CDK9-S90A mutant and was correlated with a reduced activity and an inhibition of HIV-1 transcription. In contrast, the CDK9-S90D mutant showed a slight decrease in CDK9 expression in both the large and small complexes but induced Tat-dependent HIV-1 transcription. Molecular modeling showed that Ser 90 of CDK9 is located on a flexible loop exposed to solvent, suggesting its availability for phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that CDK2 phosphorylates CDK9 on Ser 90 and thereby contributes to HIV-1 transcription. The phosphorylation of Ser90 by CDK2 represents a novel mechanism of HIV-1 regulated transcription and provides a new strategy for activation of latent HIV-1 provirus.

Protein phosphatase-1 activates CDK9 by dephosphorylating Ser175.

The cyclin-dependent kinase CDK9/cyclin T1 induces HIV-1 transcription by phosphorylating the carboxyterminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). CDK9 activity is regulated by protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) which was previously shown to dephosphorylate CDK9 Thr186. Here, we analyzed the effect of PP1 on RNAPII phosphorylation and CDK9 activity. The selective inhibition of PP1 by okadaic acid and by NIPP1 inhibited phosphorylation of RNAPII CTD in vitro and in vivo. Expression of the central domain of NIPP1 in cultured cells inhibited the enzymatic activity of CDK9 suggesting its activation by PP1. Comparison of dephosphorylation of CDK9 phosphorylated by ((32)P) in vivo and dephosphorylation of CDK9's Thr186 analyzed by Thr186 phospho-specific antibodies, indicated that a residue other than Thr186 might be dephosphorylated by PP1. Analysis of dephosphorylation of phosphorylated peptides derived from CDK9's T-loop suggested that PP1 dephosphorylates CDK9 Ser175. In cultured cells, CDK9 was found to be phosphorylated on Ser175 as determined by combination of Hunter 2D peptide mapping and LC-MS analysis. CDK9 S175A mutant was active and S175D--inactive, and dephosphorylation of CDK9's Ser175 upregulated HIV-1 transcription in PP1-dependent manner. Collectively, our results point to CDK9 Ser175 as novel PP1-regulatory site which dephosphorylation upregulates CDK9 activity and contribute to the activation of HIV-1 transcription.

Newcastle disease virus, a host range-restricted virus, as a vaccine vector for intranasal immunization against emerging pathogens.

The international outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002-2003 highlighted the need to develop pretested human vaccine vectors that can be used in a rapid response against newly emerging pathogens. We evaluated Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian paramyxovirus that is highly attenuated in primates, as a topical respiratory vaccine vector with SARS-CoV as a test pathogen. Complete recombinant NDV was engineered to express the SARS-CoV spike S glycoprotein, the viral neutralization and major protective antigen, from an added transcriptional unit. African green monkeys immunized through the respiratory tract with two doses of the vaccine developed a titer of SARS-CoV-neutralizing antibodies comparable with the robust secondary response observed in animals that have been immunized with a different experimental SARS-CoV vaccine and challenged with SARS-CoV. When animals immunized with NDV expressing S were challenged with a high dose of SARS-CoV, direct viral assay of lung tissues taken by necropsy at the peak of viral replication demonstrated a 236- or 1,102-fold (depending on the NDV vector construct) mean reduction in pulmonary SARS-CoV titer compared with control animals. NDV has the potential for further development as a pretested, highly attenuated, intranasal vector to be available for expedited vaccine development for humans, who generally lack preexisting immunity against NDV.

The NS2 protein of human respiratory syncytial virus suppresses the cytotoxic T-cell response as a consequence of suppressing the type I interferon response.

The NS1 and NS2 proteins of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) have been shown to antagonize the type I interferon (IFN) response, an effect subject to host range constraints. We have now found that the HRSV NS2 protein strongly controls IFN induction in mouse cells in vitro, validating the use of the mouse model to study the consequences of these gene deletions on host immunity. We evaluated the effects of deleting the NS1 and/or NS2 gene on the induction of HRSV-specific pulmonary cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in BALB/c and 129S6 mice in response to intranasal infection with HRSV lacking the NS1 and/or NS2 gene and subsequent challenge with wild-type (wt) HRSV. In mice infected with HRSV lacking the NS2 gene (DeltaNS2) or lacking the NS2 gene in combination with the NS1 gene (DeltaNS1/2 HRSV), the magnitude of the pulmonary CTL response was substantially elevated compared to that of mice infected with wt HRSV or the DeltaNS1 mutant, whether measured by binding of CD8(+) cells to an HRSV-specific major histocompatibility complex class I tetramer, by measurement of CD8(+) cells secreting gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in response to specific in vitro stimulation, or by a standard chromium release cell-killing assay. In contrast, in STAT1 knockout mice, which lack responsiveness to type I IFN, the level of IFN-gamma-secreting CD8(+) cells was not significantly different for HRSV lacking the NS2 gene, suggesting that the increase in CTL observed in IFN-responsive mice is type I IFN dependent. Thus, the NS2 protein of HRSV suppresses the CTL component of the adaptive immune response, and this appears to be a consequence of its suppression of type I IFN.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection sensitizes cells to apoptosis mediated by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of respiratory tract disease worldwide, especially in the pediatric population. For viruses in general, apoptotic death of infected cells is a mechanism for reducing virus replication. Apoptosis can also be an important factor in augmenting antigen presentation and the host immune response. We examined apoptosis in response to RSV infection of primary small airway cells, primary tracheal-bronchial cells, and A549 and HEp-2 cell lines. The primary cells and the A549 cell line gave generally similar responses, indicating their appropriateness as models in contrast to HEp-2 cells. With the use of RNase protection assays with probes representing 33 common apoptosis factors, we found strong transcriptional activation of both pro- and antiapoptotic factors in response to RSV infection, which were further studied at the protein level and by functional assays. In particular, RSV infection strongly up-regulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its functional receptors death receptor 4 (DR4) and DR5. Furthermore, RSV-infected cells became highly sensitive to apoptosis induced by exogenous TRAIL. These findings suggest that RSV-infected cells in vivo are susceptible to killing through the TRAIL pathway by immune cells such as natural killer and CD4(+) cells that bear membrane-bound TRAIL. RSV infection also induced several proapoptotic factors of the Bcl-2 family and caspases 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, representing both the death receptor- and mitochondrion-dependent apoptotic pathways. RSV also mediated the strong induction of antiapoptotic factors of the Bcl-2 family, especially Mcl-1, which might account for the delayed induction of apoptosis in RSV-infected cells in the absence of exogenous induction of the TRAIL pathway.