MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently discovered class of small, ~22-nt regulatory RNAs that are now known to play key roles in the regulation of cellular differentiation and development. Misregulation of miRNA expression can contribute to disease progression, particularly in the case of cancer, and recent evidence also implicates miRNAs in aspects of viral replication and pathogenesis. Several viruses, including numerous herpesviruses and polyomavirus species, are now known to express a range of virally-encoded miRNAs, and virus infection is also known to perturb cellular miRNA expression in ways that may facilitate virus replication. Although relatively little is know about how HIV-1 interacts with the cellular miRNA machinery, it appears clear that HIV-1 infection can modify the pattern of cellular miRNA expression, and individual cellular miRNAs have been proposed to either facilitate or inhibit HIV-1 replication. It also remains possible that HIV-1 may encode one or more miRNAs, although this has been controversial. In this grant application, we propose to systematically analyze the effect of HIV-1 infection on the pattern of miRNA expression in primary CD4+ T cells and macrophages using microarray and deep sequencing technologies. We will then use cross-linking immunoprecipitation (CLIP) technologies to identify all the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC) binding sites on all the mRNAs expressed in HIV-1-infected cells by using an Argonaute-specific monoclonal antibody to recover cross-linked mRNA:RISC complexes, which we will then analyze by deep sequencing. Cellular or HIV- 1 mRNAs that are targeted by miRNAs expressed in HIV-1-infected cells will then be subjected to mutational analysis, combined with functional assays, to identify mRNA:miRNA interactions that modulate the efficiency of HIV-1 replication. Finally, we will determine whether drug-specifically cocaine-abuse modifies the miRNA expression profile in uninfected and HIV-1-infected CD4+ T cells and macrophages and we will examine whether any drug-induced changes in the miRNA profile can account for the reported enhancement in HIV-1 replication in cells isolated from drug-abusing patients. Together, this analysis will lead to a comprehensive understanding of how HIV-1 infection modifies the miRNA expression profile and will provide a mechanistic understanding of how these changes regulate the efficiency of HIV-1 replication.

Public Health Relevance

Relevance MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small regulatory RNAs that are thought to regulate a wide range of cellular processes. We will determine how HIV-1 infection changes the pattern of miRNA expression and whether HIV-1 makes its own miRNAs. We will then determine whether these changes enhance viral replication and define the mechanisms underlying this enhancement in both normal and drug-abusing patients. This research has the potential to not only shed new light on HIV-1 pathogenesis but also suggest new approaches to inhibit virus replication.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA030086-04
Application #
8433467
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDA1-SXC-E (14))
Program Officer
Satterlee, John S
Project Start
2010-07-01
Project End
2015-02-28
Budget Start
2013-03-01
Budget End
2014-02-28
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$365,496
Indirect Cost
$132,696
Name
Duke University
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
044387793
City
Durham
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27705
Kennedy, Edward M; Cullen, Bryan R (2015) Bacterial CRISPR/Cas DNA endonucleases: A revolutionary technology that could dramatically impact viral research and treatment. Virology 479-480:213-20
Whisnant, Adam W; Kehl, Timo; Bao, Qiuying et al. (2014) Identification of novel, highly expressed retroviral microRNAs in cells infected by bovine foamy virus. J Virol 88:4679-86
Bogerd, Hal P; Skalsky, Rebecca L; Kennedy, Edward M et al. (2014) Replication of many human viruses is refractory to inhibition by endogenous cellular microRNAs. J Virol 88:8065-76
Majoros, William H; Lekprasert, Parawee; Mukherjee, Neelanjan et al. (2013) MicroRNA target site identification by integrating sequence and binding information. Nat Methods 10:630-3
Whisnant, Adam W; Bogerd, Hal P; Flores, Omar et al. (2013) In-depth analysis of the interaction of HIV-1 with cellular microRNA biogenesis and effector mechanisms. MBio 4:e000193
Cullen, Bryan R (2013) MicroRNAs as mediators of viral evasion of the immune system. Nat Immunol 14:205-10
Corcoran, David L; Georgiev, Stoyan; Mukherjee, Neelanjan et al. (2011) PARalyzer: definition of RNA binding sites from PAR-CLIP short-read sequence data. Genome Biol 12:R79
Mukherjee, Neelanjan; Corcoran, David L; Nusbaum, Jeffrey D et al. (2011) Integrative regulatory mapping indicates that the RNA-binding protein HuR couples pre-mRNA processing and mRNA stability. Mol Cell 43:327-39
Cullen, Bryan R (2011) Viruses and microRNAs: RISCy interactions with serious consequences. Genes Dev 25:1881-94