McDonnell, M. M. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2021

Highly-potent, synthetic APOBEC3s restrict HIV-1 through deamination-independent mechanisms

The APOBEC3 (A3) genes encode cytidine deaminase proteins with potent antiviral and anti-retroelement activity. This locus is characterized by duplication, recombination, and deletion events that gave rise to the seven A3s found in primates. These include three single deaminase domain A3s (A3A, A3C, and A3H) and four double deaminase domain A3s (A3B, A3D, A3F, and A3G). The most potent of the A3 proteins against HIV-1 is A3G. However, it is not clear if double deaminase domain A3s have a generalized functional advantage to restrict HIV-1. In order to test whether superior restriction factors could be created by genetically linking single A3 domains into synthetic double domains, we combined A3C and A3H single domains in novel combinations. We found that A3C/A3H double domains acquired enhanced antiviral activity that is at least as potent, if not better than, A3G. These synthetic double domain A3s have more efficiency of packaging into budding virions than their respective single domains, but this does not fully explain their gain of antiviral potency. The antiviral activity is conferred both by cytidine-deaminase dependent and independent mechanisms, with the latter correlating to an increase in RNA binding affinity. T cell lines expressing this A3C-A3H super restriction factor are able to control replicating HIV-1{Delta}Vif infection to similar levels as A3G. Together, these data show that novel combinations of A3 domains are capable of gaining potent antiviral activity to levels similar to the most potent genome-encoded A3s, via a primarily non-catalytic mechanism. Author SummaryAntiviral genes are encoded by all organisms to help protect them from viral infections, including proteins encoded by primates to protect them from viruses similar to HIV-1. These antiviral proteins are also called "restriction factors". Some restriction factors are broadly acting, while others are very specific. During the course of evolution, some of these genes have expanded into multiple copies and rearranged in different versions to give them new activities. However, not all versions of these genes have been sampled in nature. In this paper, we validated the hypothesis that one particular antiviral gene family, called the APOBEC3 family, has the capability of making novel combinations of antiviral genes with as great, or greater, potency against HIV-1 as the most potent natural member of this family. By combining parts of the APOBEC3 proteins into novel combinations, we created potent antiviral versions that act through a mechanism distinct from existing APOBEC3 proteins.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

APOBEC3C tandem domain proteins create super restriction factors against HIV-1

Humans encode proteins, called restriction factors, that inhibit replication of viruses like HIV-1. One family of antiviral proteins, apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3, shortened to A3) acts by deaminating cytidines to uridines during the reverse transcription reaction of HIV-1. The A3 locus encodes seven genes, named A3A-A3H. These genes either have one or two cytidine deaminase domains and several of these A3s potently restrict HIV-1. A3C, which has only a single cytidine deaminase domain, however, inhibits HIV-1 only very weakly. We tested novel double domain protein combinations by genetically linking two A3C genes to make a synthetic tandem domain protein. This protein created a "super restriction factor" that had more potent antiviral activity than the native A3C protein, which correlated with increased packaging into virions. Furthermore, disabling one of the active sites of the synthetic tandem domain protein results in an even greater increase in the antiviral activity--recapitulating a similar evolution seen in A3F and A3G (double domain A3s that only use a single catalytically active deaminase domain). These A3C tandem domain proteins do not have an increase in mutational activity, but instead inhibit formation of reverse transcription products which correlates with their ability to form large higher order complexes in cells. Finally, the A3C-A3C super restriction factor largely escaped antagonism by the HIV-1 viral protein, Vif. ImportanceAs a part of the innate immune system, humans encode proteins that inhibit viruses like HIV-1. These broadly acting antiviral proteins do not protect humans from viral infections because viruses encode proteins that antagonize the host antiviral proteins to evade the innate immune system. One such example of a host antiviral protein is APOBEC3C (A3C), which weakly inhibits HIV-1. Here, we show that we can improve the antiviral activity of A3C by duplicating the DNA sequence to create a synthetic tandem domain, and furthermore, are relatively resistant to the viral antagonist, Vif. Together, these data give insights about how nature has evolved a defense against viral pathogens like HIV.

microbiology↗