Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019693 (HIV)
 170,526 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Racivir is a 50:50 racemic mixture of the (-)- and (+)-beta-enantiomers of 2'-deoxy-3'-thia-5-fluorocytosine (FTC), which is being developed for the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV). The (+)-enantiomer of FTC is approximately 10-20-fold less potent than (-)-FTC, but it selects for a different HIV mutation in human lymphocytes. Plasma concentrations from a group of 54 rats, 12 pregnant rabbits and 60 dogs enrolled in large toxicity studies using a wide variety of oral doses, were compared using non-compartment pharmacokinetic modelling versus dose, treatment duration, species and gender. The pharmacokinetics of Racivir were also compared with those of a previously published pharmacokinetic study in rhesus monkeys and with data from HIV-infected human male volunteers. The (+)-FTC, but not the (-)-enantiomer, can be deaminated to the non-toxic inactive metabolite (+)-FTU. Therefore, the plasma exposure to (+)-FTU was also determined. The order of relative plasma exposure to (+)-FTU was rhesus monkeys > humans > pregnant rabbits > dogs > rats. Allometric scaling was performed to relate systemic clearance/fraction of drug absorbed (Cl/F) and terminal phase volume of distribution (Vbeta/F) versus species body weights. No individual animal species mimicked the Cl/F values in humans. However, allometric scaling using a combination of rats, pregnant rabbits and monkeys predicted the mean human Cl/F value better than a combination of rats and rabbits only (within 0.24 and SD of mean vs 0.81 SD of the observed mean value). Similarly, human Vbeta/F values were best predicted using a combination of rat and monkey data (within 0.64 SD of mean value). Species demonstrating greater deamination to (+)-FTU tended to have greater than predicted Cl/F values. The Cmax values of dogs were the closest to humans, but were statistically different. This study highlights the importance of selecting animal species that demonstrate similar cytidine deaminase activity to humans when performing preclinical dosing studies on Racivir and other antiviral agents that are substrates for mammalian cytidine deaminases.
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PMID:Comparative pharmacokinetics of Racivir, (+/-)-beta-2',3'-dideoxy-5-fluoro-3'-thiacytidine in rats, rabbits, dogs, monkeys and HIV-infected humans. 1588 34

APOBEC3G is a cellular cytidine deaminase that was recently identified as the Vif-sensitive antiviral host factor responsible for the restriction of vif-defective HIV-1 in primary human cells and certain non-permissive T cell lines. Inhibition of HIV-1 replication is thought to be the result of APOBEC3G-induced hypermutation of the viral genome that occurs early during reverse transcription. Against this backdrop is a new report from the Uchiyama laboratory that proposes deaminase-independent restriction of HTLV-1 by APOBEC3G (Sasada et al. Retrovirology 2005, 2:32). These findings combined with recent reports of deaminase-independent inhibition of Hepatitis B virus as well as HIV-1 suggest that cytidine deaminase activity and antiviral activity may be separable functional properties of APOBEC3G.
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PMID:APOBEC3G & HTLV-1: inhibition without deamination. 1594 85

The human cytidine deaminase Apobec3F (h-A3F), a protein related to the previously recognized antiviral factor Apobec3G (h-A3G), has antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) that is suppressed by the viral protein Vif. The mechanism of HIV-1 Vif-mediated suppression of h-A3F is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that while h-A3F, like h-A3G, was able to suppress primate lentiviruses other than HIV-1 (simian immunodeficiency virus from African green monkeys [SIVagm] and Rhesus macaques [SIVmac]), the interaction between Vif proteins and h-A3F appeared to differ from that with h-A3G. H-A3F showed no change in its species specificity against HIV-1 or SIVagm Vif when a negatively charged amino acid was replaced with a lysine at position 128, a residue critical for h-A3G recognition by HIV-1 Vif. However, HIV-1 Vif, but not SIVagm Vif, was able to bind h-A3F and induce its polyubiquitination and degradation through the Cul5-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase. Interference with Cul5-E3 ligase function by depletion of Cul5, through RNA interference or overexpression of Cul5 mutants, blocked the ability of HIV-1 Vif to suppress h-A3F. A BC-box mutant of HIV-1 Vif that failed to recruit Cul5-E3 ligase but was still able to interact with h-A3F failed to suppress h-A3F. Interestingly, interference with Cul5-E3 ligase function or overexpression of h-A3F or h-A3G also increased the stability of HIV-1 Vif, suggesting that like the substrate molecules h-A3F and h-A3G, the substrate receptor protein Vif is itself also regulated by Cul5-E3 ligase. Our results indicate that Cul5-E3 ligase appears to be a common pathway hijacked by HIV-1 Vif to defeat both h-A3F and h-A3G. Developing inhibitors to disrupt the interaction between Vif and Cul5-E3 ligase could be therapeutically useful, allowing multiple host antiviral factors to suppress HIV-1.
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PMID:Regulation of Apobec3F and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vif by Vif-Cul5-ElonB/C E3 ubiquitin ligase. 1601 20

APOBEC3G is a cellular cytidine deaminase displaying broad antiretroviral activity. Recently, it was shown that APOBEC3G can also suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) production in human hepatoma cells. In the present study, we characterized the mechanisms of APOBEC-mediated antiviral activity against HBV and related hepadnaviruses. We show that human APOBEC3G blocks HBV production in mammalian and nonmammalian cells and is active against duck HBV as well. Early steps of viral morphogenesis, including RNA and protein synthesis, binding of pregenomic RNA to core protein, and self-assembly of viral core protein, were unaffected. However, APOBEC3G rendered HBV core protein-associated full-length pregenomic RNA nuclease-sensitive. Ongoing reverse-transcription in capsids that had escaped the block in morphogenesis was not significantly inhibited. The antiviral effect was not modulated by abrogating or enhancing expression of the accessory HBV X protein, suggesting that HBV X protein does not represent a functional homologue to the HIV vif protein. Furthermore, human APOBEC3F but not rat APOBEC1 inhibited HBV DNA production. Viral RNA and low-level DNA produced in the presence of APOBEC3F or rat APOBEC1 occasionally displayed mutations, but the majority of clones were wild-type. In conclusion, APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F but not rat APOBEC1 can downregulate the production of replication-competent hepadnaviral nucleocapsids. In contrast to HIV and other retroviruses, however, APOBEC3G/3F-mediated editing of nucleic acids does not seem to represent an effective innate defense mechanism for hepadnaviruses.
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PMID:APOBEC-mediated interference with hepadnavirus production. 1602 11

The viral infectivity factor (Vif) is an essential component of the HIV-1 infectious cycle. Vif counteracts the action of the cytidine deaminase APOBEC3G (AP3G), which confers nonimmune antiviral defense against HIV-1 to T lymphocytes. Disabling or interfering with the function of Vif could represent an alternative therapeutic approach to AIDS. We have expressed a natural mutant of Vif, F12-Vif, in a VSV-G-pseudotyped lentiviral vector under the Tat-inducible control of the HIV-1 LTR. Conditional expression of F12-Vif prevents replication and spreading of both CXCR4 and CCR5 strains of HIV-1 in human primary T lymphocyte and T cell lines. T cells transduced with F12-Vif release few HIV-1 virions and with reduced infectivity. Several lines of evidence indicate that HIV-1 interference requires the presence of both wild-type and F12-Vif proteins, suggesting a dominant-negative feature of the F12-Vif mutant. Surprisingly, however, the F12-Vif-mediated inhibition does not depend on the reestablishment of the AP3G function.
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PMID:T Lymphocytes transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing F12-Vif are protected from HIV-1 infection in an APOBEC3G-independent manner. 1603 9

The development of clinical symptoms, and clinical progression among persons infected with HIV-1 is the manifestation of the effects of the pathogenic viral life cycle of HIV-1. Individual variants of HIV-1 vary widely in features that determine viral fitness and virulence. HIV-1 exploits host antiviral responses, the APOBEC3G cytidine deaminase, and the low-fidelity HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, to ensure new variants with novel phenotypic features are continually present for expansion in response to changing conditions in the host, such as immune responses, or antiretroviral therapy. This high-level variance has led to a wide range in observed fitness and virulence, across strains of HIV-1. The HIV-1 pol replication capacity assay (pol RC) measures features of viral fitness, associates with elevated CD4+ T-cell counts, yet is not strongly associated with HIV-1 RNA levels. The biological basis for elevated CD4+ T-cell counts among those carrying a virus of low pol RC may be because of lowered virus infectivity, or restricted tissue replication.
Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2005 Feb
PMID:The role of viral fitness in HIV pathogenesis. 1609 Dec 46

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1, HIV-1, has long been known to possess the viral infectivity factor, Vif, which supports productive viral replication in non-permissive cells, such as peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). In the last few years, Vif function has been elucidated by the finding that it inactivates a cellular anti-viral factor named APOBEC3G. Tremendous progress has been made since the initial observation, reflected in a large number of publications. APOBEC3G represents a novel innate defense mechanism against retroviral infection. It is expressed in non-permissive cells and possesses cytidine deaminase activity. APOBEC3G is encapsidated into viral particles and is transported into the infected cell, where it facilitates the deamination of the cytosine residues in the first strand cDNA intermediate during early steps of HIV infection. Vif counteracts APOBEC3G by direct binding, which mediates its degradation by the ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal pathway. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge about the structure and function of both proteins, their interaction with each other and the mechanism of Vif-mediated APOBEC3G inactivation. In addition, we will discuss possible interference strategies as potential new drugs against HIV infection.
Curr HIV Res 2005 Oct
PMID:HIV-1 Vif: HIV's weapon against the cellular defense factor APOBEC3G. 1625 Aug 85

Active host-pathogen interactions take place during infection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Outcomes of these interactions determine the efficiency of viral infection and subsequent disease progression. HIV-infected cells respond to viral invasion with various defensive strategies such as innate, cellular and humoral immune antiviral mechanisms. On the other hand, the virus has also developed various offensive tactics to suppress these host cellular responses. Among many of the viral offensive strategies, HIV-1 viral auxiliary proteins (Tat, Rev, Nef, Vif, Vpr and Vpu) play important roles in the host-pathogen interaction and thus have significant impacts on the outcome of HIV infection. One of the best examples is the interaction of Vif with a host cytidine deaminase APOBEC3G. Although specific roles of other auxiliary proteins are not as well described as Vif-APOBEC3G interaction, it is the goal of this brief review to summarize some of the preliminary findings with the hope to stimulate further discussion and investigation in this exhilarating area of research.
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PMID:Roles of HIV-1 auxiliary proteins in viral pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. 1635 71

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme-catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G), a cytidine deaminase, is a recently recognized innate intracellular protein with lethal activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Packaged into progeny virions, APOBEC3G enzymatic activity leads to HIV DNA degradation. As a counterattack, HIV virion infectivity factor (Vif) targets APOBEC3G for proteasomal proteolysis to exclude it from budding virions. Based on the ability of APOBEC3G to antagonize HIV infection, considerable interest hinges on elucidating its mechanism(s) of regulation. In this study, we provide the first evidence that an innate, endogenous host defense factor has the potential to promote APOBEC3G and rebuke the virus-mediated attempt to control its cellular host. We identify interferon (IFN)-alpha as a potent inducer of APOBEC3G to override HIV Vif neutralization of APOBEC3 proteins that pose a threat to efficient macrophage HIV replication. Our data provide a new dimension by which IFN-alpha mediates its antiviral activity and suggest a means to render the host nonpermissive for viral replication.
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PMID:Induction of APOBEC3 family proteins, a defensive maneuver underlying interferon-induced anti-HIV-1 activity. 1641 94

HIV-1 Vif protein protects viral replication in non-permissive cells by inducing degradation of APOBEC3G via ubiquitination and proteasomal pathway, although new studies indicate a putative role in Vif's direct inhibition of APOBEC3G. APOBEC3G is member of a homologous family of proteins with cytidine deaminase activity expressed with characteristic tissue specificity, that in humans consist of APOBEC1, APOBEC2, APOBEC3A-H, APOBEC4 and the activation-induced deaminase (AID), a B lymphoid protein necessary for somatic hypermutation, gene conversion and class switch recombination. In this work we show that Vif can counteract AID's activity in E. coli in absence of specific eukaryotic co-factors necessary for AID induced somatic hypermutation, gene conversion and to stimulate class switch recombination in B-cells. We show that AID inhibition is mediated by a direct protein-protein interaction via unique amino acid D118 an homologous mutant responsible for the species-specific restriction of HIV-1 Vif protein existent for APOBEC3G. These results raise the hypothesis that Vif related proteins can act as a broad inhibitor of deaminase activity. Moreover as AID and Vif evolved in different cellular environments, these results may indicate that Vif related proteins might mimic cellular factors that interact with a structural conserved domain of cytidine deaminases during evolution.
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PMID:HIV-1 Vif protein blocks the cytidine deaminase activity of B-cell specific AID in E. coli by a similar mechanism of action. 1658 72


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