Genetic and phenotypic characteristics of Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile from canine, bovine, and pediatric populations.

OBJECTIVES: Carriage of Clostridioides difficile by different species of animals has led to speculation that animals could represent a reservoir of this pathogen for human infections. The objective of this study was to compare C. difficile isolates from humans, dogs, and cattle from a restricted geographic area. METHODS: C. difficile isolates from 36 dogs and 15 dairy calves underwent whole genome sequencing, and phenotypic assays assessing growth and virulence were performed. Genomes of animal-derived isolates were compared to 29 genomes of isolates from a pediatric population as well as 44 reference genomes. RESULTS: Growth rates and relative cytotoxicity of isolates were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in bovine-derived isolates compared to pediatric- and canine-derived isolates. Analysis of core genes showed clustering by host species, though in a few cases, human strains co-clustered with canine or bovine strains, suggesting possible interspecies transmission. Geographic differences (e.g., farm, litter) were small compared to differences between species. In an analysis of accessory genes, the total number of genes in each genome varied between host species, with 6.7% of functional orthologs differentially present/absent between host species and bovine-derived strains having the lowest number of genes. Canine-derived isolates were most likely to be non-toxigenic and more likely to carry phages. A targeted study of episomes identified in local pediatric strains showed sharing of a methicillin-resistance plasmid with dogs, and historic sharing of a wide range of episomes across hosts. Bovine-derived isolates harbored the widest variety of antibiotic-resistance genes, followed by canine CONCLUSIONS: While C. difficile isolates mostly clustered by host species, occasional co-clustering of canine and pediatric-derived isolates suggests the possibility of interspecies transmission. The presence of a pool of resistance genes in animal-derived isolates with the potential to appear in humans given sufficient pressure from antibiotic use warrants concern.

Long-term safety and efficacy of lentiviral hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell gene therapy for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

Patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) lacking a human leukocyte antigen-matched donor may benefit from gene therapy through the provision of gene-corrected, autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Here, we present comprehensive, long-term follow-up results (median follow-up, 7.6 years) (phase I/II trial no. NCT02333760 ) for eight patients with WAS having undergone phase I/II lentiviral vector-based gene therapy trials (nos. NCT01347346 and NCT01347242 ), with a focus on thrombocytopenia and autoimmunity. Primary outcomes of the long-term study were to establish clinical and biological safety, efficacy and tolerability by evaluating the incidence and type of serious adverse events and clinical status and biological parameters including lentiviral genomic integration sites in different cell subpopulations from 3 years to 15 years after gene therapy. Secondary outcomes included monitoring the need for additional treatment and T cell repertoire diversity. An interim analysis shows that the study meets the primary outcome criteria tested given that the gene-corrected cells engrafted stably, and no serious treatment-associated adverse events occurred. Overall, severe infections and eczema resolved. Autoimmune disorders and bleeding episodes were significantly less frequent, despite only partial correction of the platelet compartment. The results suggest that lentiviral gene therapy provides sustained clinical benefits for patients with WAS.

The Perioperative Lung Transplant Virome: Torque Teno Viruses Are Elevated in Donor Lungs and Show Divergent Dynamics in Primary Graft Dysfunction.

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a principal cause of early morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation, but its pathogenic mechanisms are not fully clarified. To date, studies using standard clinical assays have not linked microbial factors to PGD. We previously used comprehensive metagenomic methods to characterize viruses in lung allografts >1 mo after transplant and found that levels of Anellovirus, mainly torque teno viruses (TTVs), were significantly higher than in nontransplanted healthy controls. We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze TTV and shotgun metagenomics to characterize full viral communities in acellular bronchoalveolar lavage from donor organs and postreperfusion allografts in PGD and non-PGD lung transplant recipient pairs. Unexpectedly, TTV DNA levels were elevated 100-fold in donor lungs compared with healthy adults (p = 0.0026). Although absolute TTV levels did not differ by PGD status, PGD cases showed a smaller increase in TTV levels from before to after transplant than did control recipients (p = 0.041). Metagenomic sequencing revealed mainly TTV and bacteriophages of respiratory tract bacteria, but no viral taxa distinguished PGD cases from controls. These findings suggest that conditions associated with brain death promote TTV replication and that greater immune activation or tissue injury associated with PGD may restrict TTV abundance in the lung.

Viral metagenomics reveal blooms of anelloviruses in the respiratory tract of lung transplant recipients.

Few studies have examined the lung virome in health and disease. Outcomes of lung transplantation are known to be influenced by several recognized respiratory viruses, but global understanding of the virome of the transplanted lung is incomplete. To define the DNA virome within the respiratory tract following lung transplantation we carried out metagenomic analysis of allograft bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and compared with healthy and HIV+ subjects. Viral concentrates were purified from BAL and analyzed by shotgun DNA sequencing. All of the BAL samples contained reads mapping to anelloviruses, with high proportions in lung transplant samples. Anellovirus populations in transplant recipients were complex, with multiple concurrent variants. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction quantification revealed that anellovirus sequences were 56-fold more abundant in BAL from lung transplant recipients compared with healthy controls or HIV+ subjects (p < 0.0001). Anellovirus sequences were also more abundant in upper respiratory tract specimens from lung transplant recipients than controls (p = 0.006). Comparison to metagenomic data on bacterial populations showed that high anellovirus loads correlated with dysbiotic bacterial communities in allograft BAL (p = 0.008). Thus the respiratory tracts of lung transplant recipients contain high levels and complex populations of anelloviruses, warranting studies of anellovirus lung infection and transplant outcome.

Conventional CD4+ T cells regulate IL-22-producing intestinal innate lymphoid cells.

The innate and adaptive immune systems in the intestine cooperate to maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier and to regulate the composition of the resident microbiota. However, little is known about the crosstalk between the innate and adaptive immune systems that contribute to this homeostasis. We find that CD4+ T cells regulate the number and function of barrier-protective innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), as well as production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), Reg3γ and Reg3ß. RAG1-/- mice lacking T and B cells had elevated ILC numbers, interleukin-22 (IL-22) production, and AMP expression, which were corrected by replacement of CD4+ T cells. Major histocompatibility class II-/- (MHCII-/-) mice lacking CD4+ T cells also had increased ILCs, IL-22, and AMPs, suggesting that negative regulation by CD4+ T cells occurs at steady state. We utilized transfers and genetically modified mice to show that reduction of IL-22 is mediated by conventional CD4+ T cells and is T-cell receptor dependent. The IL-22-AMP axis responds to commensal bacteria; however, neither the bacterial repertoire nor the gross localization of commensal bacteria differed between MHCII+/- and MHCII-/- littermates. These data define a novel ability of CD4+ T cells to regulate intestinal IL-22-producing ILCs and AMPs.

Metagenomic analyses reveal antibiotic-induced temporal and spatial changes in intestinal microbiota with associated alterations in immune cell homeostasis.

Despite widespread use of antibiotics, few studies have measured their effects on the burden or diversity of bacteria in the mammalian intestine. We developed an oral antibiotic treatment protocol and characterized its effects on murine intestinal bacterial communities and immune cell homeostasis. Antibiotic administration resulted in a 10-fold reduction in the amount of intestinal bacteria present and sequencing of 16S rDNA segments revealed significant temporal and spatial effects on luminal and mucosal-associated communities including reductions in luminal Firmicutes and mucosal-associated Lactobacillus species, and persistence of bacteria belonging to the Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla. Concurrently, antibiotic administration resulted in reduced RELM beta production, and reduced production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-17A by mucosal CD4(+) T lymphocytes. This comprehensive temporal and spatial metagenomic analyses will provide a resource and framework to test the influence of bacterial communities in murine models of human disease.

Genome-wide analysis of chromosomal features repressing human immunodeficiency virus transcription.

We have investigated regulatory sequences in noncoding human DNA that are associated with repression of an integrated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) promoter. HIV-1 integration results in the formation of precise and homogeneous junctions between viral and host DNA, but integration takes place at many locations. Thus, the variation in HIV-1 gene expression at different integration sites reports the activity of regulatory sequences at nearby chromosomal positions. Negative regulation of HIV transcription is of particular interest because of its association with maintaining HIV in a latent state in cells from infected patients. To identify chromosomal regulators of HIV transcription, we infected Jurkat T cells with an HIV-based vector transducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and separated cells into populations containing well-expressed (GFP-positive) or poorly expressed (GFP-negative) proviruses. We then determined the chromosomal locations of the two classes by sequencing 971 junctions between viral and cellular DNA. Possible effects of endogenous cellular transcription were characterized by transcriptional profiling. Low-level GFP expression correlated with integration in (i) gene deserts, (ii) centromeric heterochromatin, and (iii) very highly expressed cellular genes. These data provide a genome-wide picture of chromosomal features that repress transcription and suggest models for transcriptional latency in cells from HIV-infected patients.

Integration site selection by lentiviruses: biology and possible control.

Retroviruses integrate into naked DNA in a generally sequence nonspecific fashion, but closer study reveals a variety of forces that influence target site selection. Primary sequence of the target plays a small but detectable role. Proteins bound to target DNA can inhibit integration by blocking access of integration complexes or stimulate integration by distorting DNA. An important example of the latter is DNA distortion in nucleosomal DNA. In vivo integration has not yet been convincingly shown to be biased in favor of any identifiable sequence features, though this could still change in future studies. Many applications of retroviral vectors could be facilitated by targeting integration in vivo to predetermined sites. Towards this end, several groups have studied the properties of fusions of integrase proteins to sequence-specific DNA-binding domains. To date such studies establish that targeting can work well in reactions in vitro, but a variety of obstacles complicate applications in vivo. However, naturally occurring retrotransposons do carry out highly targeted integration using retrovirus-like integrase proteins, fueling long-term hopes for targeting with retroviral integrases as well.

Paired DNA three-way junctions as scaffolds for assembling integrase complexes.

Early steps of retroviral replication involve reverse transcription of the viral RNA genome and integration of the resulting cDNA copy into a chromosome of the host cell. The initial DNA breaking and joining steps of integration are carried out by the virus-encoded integrase enzyme. Integrases bind specifically to the ends of the unintegrated viral cDNA but nonspecifically to target DNA. Conventional assays in vitro reveal primarily the nonspecific DNA binding mode, complicating studies of integrase--DNA complexes. Here, we report an investigation of unconventional DNA structures useful for positioning integrase at predetermined sites. We find that paired DNA three-way junctions can be used to mimic branched DNAs normally formed as reaction intermediates. The three-way junctions differ from authentic intermediates in the connectivity of the DNAs, which, in contrast to the authentic intermediate, allow formation of stable DNA structures under physiological conditions. Assays in vitro showed that integrase can direct hydrolysis at sequences resembling the viral cDNA ends within the three-way junction, but not on junctions with mutant sequences. Changing the spacing between the paired three-way junctions disrupted the cleavage pattern, emphasizing the importance of the correct DNA scaffold. DNase I footprinting studies revealed protection of specific bases at the terminus of the LTR in the three-way junction complex, but not on control linear DNA, specifying the locations of tight interactions between integrase and DNA. Paired DNA three-way junctions are attractive reagents for structural studies of integrase-DNA complexes.

Role of the non-homologous DNA end joining pathway in the early steps of retroviral infection.

Early after infection, the retroviral RNA genome is reverse transcribed to generate a linear cDNA copy, then that copy is integrated into a chromosome of the host cell. We report that unintegrated viral cDNA is a substrate for the host cell non-homologous DNA end joining (NHEJ) pathway, which normally repairs cellular double-strand breaks by end ligation. NHEJ activity was found to be required for an end-ligation reaction that circularizes a portion of the unintegrated viral cDNA in infected cells. Consistent with this, the NHEJ proteins Ku70 and Ku80 were found to be bound to purified retroviral replication intermediates. Cells defective in NHEJ are known to undergo apoptosis in response to retroviral infection, a response that we show requires reverse transcription to form the cDNA genome but not subsequent integration. We propose that the double-strand ends present in unintegrated cDNA promote apoptosis, as is known to be the case for chromosomal double-strand breaks, and cDNA circularization removes the pro-apoptotic signal.

A quantitative assay for HIV DNA integration in vivo.

Early steps of infection by HIV-1 involve entry of the viral core into cells, reverse transcription to form the linear viral DNA, and integration of that DNA into a chromosome of the host. The unintegrated DNA can also follow non-productive pathways, in which it is circularized by recombination between DNA long-terminal repeats (LTRs), circularized by ligation of the DNA ends or degraded. Here we report quantitative methods that monitor formation of reverse transcription products, two-LTR circles and integrated proviruses. The integration assay employs a novel quantitative form of Alu-PCR that should be generally applicable to studies of integrating viruses and gene transfer vectors.

Identification of a small-molecule binding site at the dimer interface of the HIV integrase catalytic domain.

Integration of the reverse-transcribed HIV cDNA into the host DNA is a required step in viral replication. The virus-encoded integrase protein catalyzes the initial DNA breaking and joining reactions that mediate cDNA integration. Here, the identification by X-ray crystallography of a small-molecule binding site on the integrase catalytic domain is reported. The small-molecule family studied consists of a core of arsenic or phosphorus surrounded by four aromatic groups. Two arsenic derivatives were visualized bound to integrase. In each case, two molecules bound at symmetry-related sites on the catalytic domain dimer interface. The first compound studied, tetraphenyl arsonium, did not inhibit integrase. However, a synthetic compound substituting a catechol for one of the phenyl rings, dihydroxyphenyltriphenylarsonium, bound to the same site and did inhibit the enzyme. Changes in the vicinity of the catalytic site were seen with the inhibitory compound only, potentially explaining its mechanism of action. Further substituting phosphonium for arsonium yielded a compound with an IC(50) in the low micromolar range. These findings may be useful in designing new inhibitors of integrase, which is at present the only one of the three HIV enzymes for which clinically useful inhibitors are not available.

Nucleic acid chaperone activity of the ORF1 protein from the mouse LINE-1 retrotransposon.

Non-LTR retrotransposons such as L1 elements are major components of the mammalian genome, but their mechanism of replication is incompletely understood. Like retroviruses and LTR-containing retrotransposons, non-LTR retrotransposons replicate by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate. The details of cDNA priming and integration, however, differ between these two classes. In retroviruses, the nucleocapsid (NC) protein has been shown to assist reverse transcription by acting as a "nucleic acid chaperone," promoting the formation of the most stable duplexes between nucleic acid molecules. A protein-coding region with an NC-like sequence is present in most non-LTR retrotransposons, but no such sequence is evident in mammalian L1 elements or other members of its class. Here we investigated the ORF1 protein from mouse L1 and found that it does in fact display nucleic acid chaperone activities in vitro. L1 ORF1p (i) promoted annealing of complementary DNA strands, (ii) facilitated strand exchange to form the most stable hybrids in competitive displacement assays, and (iii) facilitated melting of an imperfect duplex but stabilized perfect duplexes. These findings suggest a role for L1 ORF1p in mediating nucleic acid strand transfer steps during L1 reverse transcription.

Retroviral cDNA integration: stimulation by HMG I family proteins.

To replicate, a retrovirus must synthesize a cDNA copy of the viral RNA genome and integrate that cDNA into a chromosome of the host. We have investigated the role of a host cell cofactor, HMG I(Y) protein, in integration of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) cDNA. Previously we reported that HMG I(Y) cofractionates with HIV-1 preintegration complexes (PICs) isolated from freshly infected cells. PICs depleted of required components by treatment with high concentrations of salt could be reconstituted by addition of purified HMG I(Y) in vitro. Here we report studies using immunoprecipitation that indicate that HMG I(Y) is associated with MoMLV preintegration complexes. In mechanistic studies, we show for both HIV-1 and MoMLV that each HMG I(Y) monomer must contain multiple DNA binding domains to stimulate integration by HMG I(Y)-depleted PICs. We also find that HMG I(Y) can condense model HIV-1 or MoMLV cDNA in vitro as measured by stimulation of intermolecular ligation. This reaction, like reconstitution of integration, depends on the presence of multiple DNA binding domains in each HMG I(Y) monomer. These data suggest that binding of multivalent HMG I(Y) monomers to multiple cDNA sites compacts retroviral cDNA, thereby promoting formation of active integrase-cDNA complexes.

Repair of gaps in retroviral DNA integration intermediates.

Diverse mobile DNA elements are believed to pirate host cell enzymes to complete DNA transfer. Prominent examples are provided by retroviral cDNA integration and transposon insertion. These reactions initially involve the attachment of each element 3' DNA end to staggered sites in the host DNA by element-encoded integrase or transposase enzymes. Unfolding of such intermediates yields DNA gaps at each junction. It has been widely assumed that host DNA repair enzymes complete attachment of the remaining DNA ends, but the enzymes involved have not been identified for any system. We have synthesized DNA substrates containing the expected gap and 5' two-base flap structure present in retroviral integration intermediates and tested candidate enzymes for the ability to support repair in vitro. We find three required activities, two of which can be satisfied by multiple enzymes. These are a polymerase (polymerase beta, polymerase delta and its cofactor PCNA, or reverse transcriptase), a nuclease (flap endonuclease), and a ligase (ligase I, III, or IV and its cofactor XRCC4). A proposed pathway involving retroviral integrase and reverse transcriptase did not carry out repair under the conditions tested. In addition, prebinding of integrase protein to gapped DNA inhibited repair reactions, indicating that gap repair in vivo may require active disassembly of the integrase complex.

Cyclodidemniserinol trisulfate, a sulfated serinolipid from the Palauan ascidian Didemnum guttatum that inhibits HIV-1 integrase.

[structure--see text] Bioassay-guided fractionation of extracts of the Palauan ascidian Didemnum guttatum led to the isolation of cyclodidemniserinol trisulfate (1) as an inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase, which is an attractive target for anti-retroviral chemotherapy. The structure of cyclodidemniserinol trisulfate (1), the stereochemistry of which was only partially determined, was elucidated by interpretation of NMR and mass spectral data.

Developing a dynamic pharmacophore model for HIV-1 integrase.

We present the first receptor-based pharmacophore model for HIV-1 integrase. The development of "dynamic" pharmacophore models is a new method that accounts for the inherent flexibility of the active site and aims to reduce the entropic penalties associated with binding a ligand. Furthermore, this new drug discovery method overcomes the limitation of an incomplete crystal structure of the target protein. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation describes the flexibility of the uncomplexed protein. Many conformational models of the protein are saved from the MD simulations and used in a series of multi-unit search for interacting conformers (MUSIC) simulations. MUSIC is a multiple-copy minimization method, available in the BOSS program; it is used to determine binding regions for probe molecules containing functional groups that complement the active site. All protein conformations from the MD are overlaid, and conserved binding regions for the probe molecules are identified. Those conserved binding regions define the dynamic pharmacophore model. Here, the dynamic model is compared to known inhibitors of the integrase as well as a three-point, ligand-based pharmacophore model from the literature. Also, a "static" pharmacophore model was determined in the standard fashion, using a single crystal structure. Inhibitors thought to bind in the active site of HIV-1 integrase fit the dynamic model but not the static model. Finally, we have identified a set of compounds from the Available Chemicals Directory that fit the dynamic pharmacophore model, and experimental testing of the compounds has confirmed several new inhibitors.

A new class of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: the 3,3,3', 3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobi(indan)-5,5',6,6'-tetrol family.

Integration is a required step in HIV replication, but as yet no inhibitors of the integration step have been developed for clinical use. Many inhibitors have been identified that are active against purified viral-encoded integrase protein; of these, many contain a catechol moiety. Though this substructure contributes potency in inhibitors, it is associated with toxicity and so the utility of catechol-containing inhibitors has been questioned. We have synthesized and tested a systematic series of derivatives of a catechol-containing inhibitor (1) with the goal of identifying catechol isosteres that support inhibition. We find that different patterns of substitution on the aromatic ring suffice for inhibition when Mn(2+) is used as a cofactor. Importantly, the efficiency is different when Mg(2+), the more likely in vivo cofactor, is used. These data emphasize the importance of assays with Mg(2+) and offer new catechol isosteres for use in integrase inhibitors.

Crystal structure of an active two-domain derivative of Rous sarcoma virus integrase.

Integration of retroviral cDNA is a necessary step in viral replication. The virally encoded integrase protein and DNA sequences at the ends of the linear viral cDNA are required for this reaction. Previous studies revealed that truncated forms of Rous sarcoma virus integrase containing two of the three protein domains can carry out integration reactions in vitro. Here, we describe the crystal structure at 2.5 A resolution of a fragment of the integrase of Rous sarcoma virus (residues 49-286) containing both the conserved catalytic domain and a modulatory DNA-binding domain (C domain). The catalytic domains form a symmetric dimer, but the C domains associate asymmetrically with each other and together adopt a canted conformation relative to the catalytic domains. A binding path for the viral cDNA is evident spanning both domain surfaces, allowing modeling of the larger integration complexes that are known to be active in vivo. The modeling suggests that formation of an integrase tetramer (a dimer of dimers) is necessary and sufficient for joining both viral cDNA ends at neighboring sites in the target DNA. The observed asymmetric arrangement of C domains suggests that they could form a rotationally symmetric tetramer that may be important for bridging integrase complexes at each cDNA end.