HIV-1 subtype B Tat gene activities and disease progression in HIV-1 CRF01_AE infection.

HIV-1 tat gene function and immunogenicity of HIV-1 Tat protein from 3 low (PS01, PS40, PS58) and 3 high (PS19, PS65, LP22) viral load infected, untreated and asymptomatic individuals from Thailand were compared. Levels of Tat-dependent chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) induced in HL3T1 cells with tat1 gene from HIV-1 isolates of high viral load group was significantly higher than those from low viral load group. HIV-1 subtype determination using env (C2-V4) gene demonstrated that 2/3 (PS01 and PS40) and 1/3 (PS58) from low viral load group were CRF01_AE and subtype B, while all 3 HIV-1 isolates from high viral load group were CRF01_AE. However, all 3 HIV-1 tat nucleotide sequences from low viral load group, which contained env CRF01_AE sequence, belonged to subtype B whereas all those from high viral load group contained CRF01_AE sequence. HIV Tat recombinant proteins from these groups were tested for immunogenicity in mice. All recombinant Tat proteins (except from PS58) were immunogenic in a dose-dependent manner, but with significantly differences of the immunogenicity levels between high and low viral load groups. These results indicated that HIV-1 subtype B tat gene activities might be associated with reduced disease progression of HIV-1 CRF01_AE infected individuals.

Tratamiento farmacológico de los trastoros de personalidad / Drug treatment with personality disorders

Revisamos la concepción mayoritaria de que los trastornos de la personalidad (TP) no son susceptibles de tratamiento farmacológico por tratarse de alteraciones que están relacionadas con la estructura de la personalidad y sus aspectos puramente psíquicos, haciendo posteriormente un repaso a las propuestas más generalizadas y contrastadas empíricamente acerca de las posibilidades terapéuticas de los psicofármacos en estos trastornos. Aunque la utilización de la terapia biológica se va convirtiendo en una práctica habitual, no existe ningún medicamento aprobado oficialmente para este tipo de afecciones. Con estos presupuestos, hacemos un breve repaso a las presuntas bases bioquímicas de los TP y sus dimensiones clínicas (esfera cognitiva, afectiva e impulsiva) para, a partir de ahí, hacer propuestas farmacológicas concretas, ordenadas en forma de algoritmo. Finalizamos esta exposición señalando el "conflicto de intereses" que se plantea entre lo conocido y lo que no sabemos aún sobre la fisiopatología de los trastornos mentales en general y de la personalidad en particular. Presentamos como riesgo el hecho de que las hipótesis bioquímicas consigan enraizarse como verdades absolutas, estimulando investigaciones alentadas (y financiadas) por las compañías farmacéuticas. Proponemos, finalmente, el cambio a un modelo centrado en el paciente, donde la descripción que éste hace de los efectos del fármaco sea el puntal esencial de intervención (AU)

This paper examines the prevaling opinión that personality disorders are resistant to drug treatment since they refer to personality structure and are purely psychological. Then, a review of the most relevant empirically-based theories about the therapeutic power of drug treatments in this respect is made. Although drug treatment is becoming a frequent treatment, no drug has yet been officially determined for this kind of disorders. Besed on the above statements, a brief review of biochemical bases of personality disorders and their clinical dimensions (cognitive, affective and behavioural signs), a number of suggestions for drug treatment are made in the form of an algorithm. There is a conflict of interests between what is known and what is unknown about physiopathology of mental disorders, particularly personality. There is the risk that biochemical hypothesis become absolute truths and the overlook corporative interests behin them. Finally, a suggestion is also made for a shift to a patient-centeres approach that highlights patient perceived effects of the drug should be taken into account at the time to intervene (AU)

Evaluación de la personalidad y sus trastornos a través de los métodos proyectivos o pruebas basadas en la actuación (Performance-based) / Personality and personality disorders assessment by means of (Performance-based) projective techniques

Presentamos aquí una revisión de las técnicas proyectivas (pruebas basadas en la actuación), sobre todo del Rorschach en su estado actual y en su aplicación a la evaluación de la personalidad. Empezamos definiendo los instrumentos diagnósticos desde una perspectiva actual. Clarificamos el concepto de trastornos de la personalidad y la situación actual del Rorschach en cuanto a su validez y fiabilidad. Finalmente ofrecemos una aproximación al proceso de diagnóstico de los trastornos de la personalidad utilizando dichas pruebas, incidiendo en especial en algunos de los trastornos generalmente tenidos por más graves: personalidad esquizotípica, narcisista, antisocial y límite (AU)

This paper reviews performance-based projective techniques, particularly Rorschach in terms of their use as assessment tools. An update definition of the assessment methods and a clarification of the concept of personality disorders are outlined, along with a number of issues concerning Rorschach´s validity and reliability. Finally, an approach to the process of personality disorders assessment is suggested with a focus on especially serious disorders –i.e., schizotypal, narcissistic, antisocial and borderline personality disorders (AU)

Long-term survival and concomitant gene expression of ribozyme-transduced CD4+ T-lymphocytes in HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: An anti-HIV-1 tat ribozyme, termed Rz2, has been shown to inhibit HIV-1 infection/replication and to decrease HIV-1-induced pathogenicity in T-lymphocyte cell lines and normal peripheral blood T-lymphocytes. We report here the results of a phase I gene transfer clinical trial using Rz2. METHODS: Apheresis was used to obtain a peripheral blood cell population from each of four HIV-negative donors. After enrichment for CD4+ T-lymphocytes, ex vivo expansion and genetic manipulation (approximately equal aliquots of the cells were transduced with the ribozyme-containing (RRz2) and the control (LNL6) retroviral vector), these cells were infused into the corresponding HIV-1-positive twin recipient. Marking was assessed over an initial 24-week period and in total over an approximate 4-year period. RESULTS: The gene transfer procedure was shown to be safe, and technically feasible. Both RRz2- and LNL6-gene-containing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were detected at all time points examined to 4 years. There was concomitant gene construct expression in the absence of the need for ex vivo peripheral blood cell stimulation and there was no evidence of immune elimination of the neoR T-lymphocytes nor of silencing of the Moloney murine leukemia virus long terminal repeat. CONCLUSIONS: The proof of principle results reported here demonstrate safety and feasibility of this type of gene transfer approach. While not specifically tested, T-lymphocytes containing an anti-HIV gene construct may impact on HIV-1 viral load and CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, potentially representing a new therapeutic modality for HIV-1 infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcription is stimulated by tat from other lentiviruses.

The tat gene is required by HIV-1 for efficient reverse transcription and this function of Tat can be distinguished from its role in transcription by RNA polymerase II using tat point mutations that abrogate each function independently. The mechanism of Tat's role in reverse transcription, however, is not known, nor is it known whether this role is conserved among trans-activating factors in other retroviruses. Here we examine the abilities of heterologous viral trans-activating proteins from jembrana disease virus (jTat), HIV-2 (Tat2), and equine infectious anemia virus (eTat) to substitute for HIV-1 Tat (Tat1) and restore reverse transcription in HIV-1 carrying an inactivated tat gene. Natural endogenous reverse transcription assays showed that trans-activators from some retroviruses (Tat2 and jTat, but not eTat) could substitute for Tat1 in complementation of HIV-1 reverse transcription. Finally, we show that Y47 is critical for Tat1 to function in reverse transcription, but not HIV-1 gene expression. We mutated the homologous position in jTat to H62Y and found it did not improve its ability to stimulate reverse transcription, but an H62A mutation did inhibit jTat complementation. These data highlight the finding that the role of Tat in reverse transcription is not related to trans-activation and demonstrate that other tat genes conserve this function.

Inhibition of HIV-1 gene expression by novel macrophage-tropic DNA enzymes targeted to cleave HIV-1 TAT/Rev RNA.

Many regions of the HIV-1 genome have been targeted in earlier studies by RNA-cleaving DNA enzymes possessing the 10-23 catalytic motif, and efficient inhibition of HIV-1 gene expression was reported. All these studies employed charged synthetic lipids to introduce the catalytic DNA into the mammalian cells, which severely limits its practical application and usefulness in vivo. Taking advantage of the ability of G residues to interact directly with the scavenger receptors on the macrophages, we synthesized a DNA enzyme 5970 that contained 10 G residues at the 3' end. With the aim of improving the intracellular stability of the DNA enzyme 5970, we added two short stretches of stem-loop structures that were 12 bases long on either side of the DNA enzyme 5970. DNA enzyme 5970 without the poly-G tracts cleaved the synthetic RNA of HIV-1 TAT/Rev, two important regulatory proteins of HIV, very efficiently in a sequence-specific manner. Addition of 10 G residues at the 3' end of the DNA enzyme affected the cleavage efficiency only marginally whereas the same DNA enzyme with stem-loop structures on either end was significantly less efficient. The DNA enzyme with the poly-G tract at its 3' end was taken up specifically by a human macrophage-specific cell line directly in the absence of Lipofectin and was also able to inhibit HIV-1 gene expression in a transient-expression system as well as when challenged with the virus. The potential applications of these novel macrophage-tropic DNA enzymes are discussed.

Enhancement of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis by the HIV-1 tat gene.

The human immunodeficiency virus-1 Tat protein is suspected to be involved in the neoplastic pathology arising in AIDS patients. tat-transgenic (TT) mice, which constitutively express Tat in the liver, develop liver cell dysplasia (LCD) that may represent a preneoplastic lesion. To test if TT mice are predisposed to liver carcinogenesis, we treated them with diethylnitrosamine, a hepatotropic carcinogen. Diethylnitrosamine-treated TT mice developed both preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in the liver. They showed an enhancement of LCD and developed basophilic liver cell nodules (BLCN), hepatocellular adenomas (HA), and hepatocellular carcinomas (HC). Both preneoplastic (LCD and BLCN) and neoplastic (HA and HC) lesions were significantly more frequent in TT than in control mice: 29.7% versus 12.7% for LCD, 57.9% versus 23.3% for BLCN, 40.6% versus 10.0% for HA, and 50.0% versus 12.7% for HC. These results indicate that Tat expression in the liver predisposes to both initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis and to malignant progression of liver tumors. This study supports a role for Tat in enhancing the effect of endogenous and exogenous carcinogens in human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected patients, thereby contributing to tumorigenesis in the course of AIDS.

Fusion inhibitors, T-20; chemokine variants; tat and interferon antibodies: Gallo describes three new treatment approaches.

AIDS: Virologist Robert Gallo described three new antiretroviral treatment approaches for HIV at the 12th World AIDS Conference. The three treatments, fusion inhibitors, chemokines, and alpha and tat interferon antibodies, differ substantially from the treatments now used. The process of cell fusion may offer many potential targets for fusion inhibitors, and clinical trials have shown that viral load drops faster with fusion inhibitors than with currently approved regimens. T-20 is one of the fusion inhibitors now under development by Trimeris, Inc. Chemokines, which interact with receptors CCR5 and CXCR4, are believed to have antiretroviral effects. However, chemokines' normal functioning may have some problematic effects. Developing variants of these chemokines may solve some of these problems by allowing the chemokines to have antiretroviral effects, without the normal functioning of chemokines. Antibodies against tat and alpha interferon may also be effective in HIV treatment. HIV kills some T-cells directly, but the larger decline in the number of T-cells is thought to be associated with an overproduction of alpha interferon and tat cells. Antibodies against the alpha interferon and tat cells may restore T-cell reproduction to normal levels.^ieng

Inhibition of HIV replication by sense and antisense rev response elements in HIV-based retroviral vectors.

The life cycle of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is critically dependent on the transregulatory proteins Tat and Rev. Tat increases the production of HIV-specific mRNAs by direct binding to the transactivation response (TAR) element located at the 5' end of all HIV transcripts. In contrast, Rev uses a complex RNA stem loop structure, the Rev response element (RRE), which is found in full-length and singly spliced HIV transcripts. Rev is required for the cytoplasmic expression of full-length mRNAs encoding Gag, Pol, and Env structural proteins. The complex intracellular interactions between Tat, Rev, host cell factors, and their respective RNA response elements should be susceptible to interdiction by genetic therapies designed to introduce and express novel genetic information. We show that the expression of antisense RREs inhibited the cytoplasmic expression of RRE containing HIV-1 transcripts. HIV-based retroviral vectors containing either the antisense (-) or sense (+) RREs inhibited HIV replication in transient transfections. The production of full-length HIV mRNA was also decreased significantly by the expression of RREs in either orientation. Interestingly, there was a paradoxic increase in HIV p24 gag production at low levels of inhibitor; this effect may have been the result of encapsidation of RRE-containing HIV-based retroviral vectors. The data suggest that the introduction and inducible expression of RRE-containing, HIV-based retroviral vectors may have therapeutic value in HIV infection.

Induction of ICAM-1 and LFA-3 by Tax1 of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 and mechanism of down-regulation of ICAM-1 or LFA-1 in adult-T-cell-leukemia cell lines.

The present study was undertaken to determine the role of HTLV-I TaxI in the up-regulation of ICAM-I and LFA-3 in human T cells transformed with HTLV-I and the mechanism of down-regulation of ICAM-I and LFA-I in ATL-derived cell lines. Induction of TaxI in a human T-cell line Jurkat carrying the TaxI gene under the metallothionein promoter led to increases in mRNA and surface expression of ICAM-I. The response of LFA-3 to TaxI induction was, on the other hand, relatively slow and weak, and might be indirect. Transactivation of the ICAM-I promoter by TaxI was further shown by co-transfection of a CAT reporter construct with the ICAM-I promoter and a plasmid expressing TaxI. The mechanism of down-regulation of ICAM-I or LFA-I in 4 ATL cell lines was next examined. ICAM-I mRNA was quite low in MT-I, but no genomic changes were found. The CAT reporter with the ICAM-I promoter was inactive in MT-I. Finally, combined treatment of MT-I with 5-azacytidine and IFN-gamma induced re-expression of ICAM-I. Collectively, (a) transcriptional factor(s) necessary for expression of ICAM-I gene may be repressed in MT-I through DNA methylation. Three other ATL cell lines (TL-OmI, H582, HuT102) were found to have little mRNA for the LFA-I beta chain (CD18). H582 and HuT102 were also negative for the LFA-I alpha chain (CDIIa) mRNA. No genomic changes were found, and a CAT reporter gene with the CD18 promoter was inactive in the 3 of them, again suggesting lack of (a) transcriptional factor(s) necessary for CD18 expression.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat gene enhances human papillomavirus early gene expression.

To investigate the possible direct/indirect role of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a cofactor in human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenesis, cotransfection experiments were carried out in which a recombinant plasmid containing the HPV16 long control region (LCR) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene was cotransfected into cultured cells with a plasmid expressing HIV-1 Tat protein. Tat expression efficiency and transactivation activity were evaluated in different cell lines by cotransfecting plasmids containing the HIV tat gene and HIV LTR-driven CAT-coding sequences. HeLa and CaSki cell lines represented the most appropriate recipient cells for Tat-directed transactivation of both the HIV LTR and the HPV LCR promoters. Furthermore, HIV tat was transfected into HeLa cells (containing 10-20 copies per cell of HPV18), and HPV18 E7 protein expression was evaluated by a radioimmunoprecipitation assay using polyclonal antibodies against the E7 protein. Our results show that the Tat protein can transactivate the HPV LCR and increase HPV18 E7 expression in HeLa cells.

Control of human immunodeficiency virus replication by the tat, rev, nef and protease genes.

Immediately after infection, human immunodeficiency virus directs the synthesis of three regulatory proteins tat, rev and nef that together allow the synthesis of the structural proteins of the virus after a delay of several hours. Viral mRNA production is controlled by the tat gene, which appears to stimulate elongation by RNA polymerase II, and the rev gene, which allows the accumulation of unspliced or partially spliced mRNAs in the cytoplasm. The nef gene is dispensible for virus growth but may limit virus spread by downregulating the levels of cellular surface proteins such as the CD4 receptor. Virus maturation also depends critically on the protease gene which allows the orderly rearrangement of the viral core structures in newly budded virions as well as the vpu and vif genes which allow efficient production of mature envelope glycoprotein.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat gene enhances human cytomegalovirus gene expression and viral replication.

Clonal lines of human rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells, constitutively expressing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) tat gene (RD tat cell lines) showed enhanced expression of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate-early (IE) and late (L) proteins upon HCMV infection, as compared with control RD cells. One of the RD tat cell lines produced infectious HCMV. The RD-tat cell lines, following transfection with recombinant plasmids containing the full length of the HCMV-IE enhancer/promoter linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, exhibited an increased CAT expression by the tat product. A chronically HIV-1-infected human T-lymphoid cell line, SupT1, superinfected with HCMV, expressed HCMV-IE proteins while the parental SupT1 cells infected with HCMV were negative. Parental SupT1 cells coinfected with HIV-1 and HCMV also expressed HCMV-IE proteins, indicating that HIV-1-encoded proteins exert a positive regulatory effect on HCMV expression.

Relative activities of HIV-1-IIIB and HIV-1BaL LTR and tat in primary monocytes and lymphocytes.

The mechanisms determining the ability of some but not other strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to grow in peripheral blood monocyte-macrophages are presently unclear. The tat gene of HIV-1-IIIB which replicates poorly in human macrophages, and the tat gene of HIV-1-BaL, which replicates to high titers in the same cells in transient expression systems with their respective long terminal repeats (LTR) driving a reporter chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene were compared. The authors hypothesized that the tat gene and LTR of BaL might help account for its efficient growth in primary monocyte-macrophages by virtue of a high activity in these cells relative to that of the IIIB tat and LTR. Primary peripheral blood lymphocytes and monocytes were cotransfected with either the HIV-1BaL or HIV-1-IIIB LTR fused to the CAT gene and their respective tat genes. The IIIB tat and LTR were at least as active in primary lymphocytes as the BaL combination, and both tat-LTR pairs were more active in primary lymphocytes than monocytes. The same relative activities were also observed in primary monocytes after in vitro maturation to macrophages prior to transfection. These data strongly suggest that neither the tat gene nor the LTR of HIV-1-IIIB and HIV-1BaL can account for the great ability of the latter or the inability of the former to grow in monocyte-macrophages.

Molecular biology of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

The immunodeficiency virus type 1 is a complex retrovirus. In addition to genes that specify the proteins of the virus particle and the replicative enzymes common to all retroviruses, HIV-1 specifies at least six additional proteins that regulate the virus life cycle. Two of these regulatory genes, tat and rev, specify proteins essential for replication. These proteins bind to specific sequences of newly synthesized virus RNA and profoundly affect virus protein expression. Tat and rev appear to be prototypes of novel eukaryotic regulatory proteins. These two genes may play a central role in regulating the rate of virus replication. Three other viral genes, vif, vpu, and vpr, affect the assembly and replication capacity of newly made virus particles. These genes may play a critical role in spread of the virus from tissue to tissue and from person to person. Our understanding of the contribution of each of the virus structural proteins and regulatory genes to the complex life cycle of the virus in natural infections is incomplete. However, enough insight has been gained into the structure and function of each of these components to provide a firm basis for rational antiviral drug development.

Targeted therapy of human immunodeficiency virus-related disease.

Since the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a pathogenic retrovirus linked to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a number of potentially useful strategies for antiretroviral therapy of AIDS and its related diseases have emerged. One such strategy involves use of the broad family of 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides, to which 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT) belongs. AZT has been shown to reduce the replication of HIV in vivo and to confer significant clinical benefits in patients in both early and advanced stages of infection. Other members of the family, 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC), 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI), and 2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (d4T), have also been reported to be active against HIV in short-term clinical trials. The armamentarium of antiretroviral agents is rapidly growing. Various nonnucleoside agents have recently been identified to be active against HIV in vitro. HIV-1 protease inhibitors are notable as possible new therapies for HIV-1-related diseases. However, we have faced several new challenges in the antiretroviral therapy in AIDS. These include long-term drug-related toxicities; emergence of drug-resistant HIV variants; and development of various cancers, particularly as effective therapies prolong survival. Progress in understanding structure-activity relations and clinical effectiveness will continue with dideoxynucleoside analogs. However, it seems certain that a variety of nonnucleoside analogs affecting multiple steps in viral replication will become available before long, and combination therapies using multiple antiretroviral drugs will be available. Such therapies will exert major effects against the moribidity and mortality caused by HIV.

Regulation of HIV-1 gene expression.

The quantity and quality of HIV-1 gene expression is temporally controlled by a cascade of sequential regulatory interactions. Basal HIV-1 transcription is determined by interaction of cellular regulatory proteins with specific DNA target sequences within the HIV-1 long-terminal repeat. The most notable of these protein:DNA interactions involves NF-kappa B, a transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in the activation of genes important for cellular responses to infection and inflammation. A second level of control involves the virally encoded Tat trans-activator. Tat, in combination with as yet unidentified cellular proteins, activates HIV-1 gene expression through a specific interaction with the viral TAR RNA stem-loop target sequence. A final level of regulation is mediated by the viral Rev protein. Rev acts posttranscriptionally to induce the expression of HIV-1 structural proteins and thereby commits HIV-1 to the late, cytopathic phase of the viral replication cycle. Rev activity appears to require a critical, threshold level of Rev protein expression, thus preventing entry into this late phase in cells that are unable to support efficient HIV-1 gene expression. In total, this cascade of regulatory levels allows the HIV-1 provirus to respond appropriately to the intracellular milieu present in each infected cell. In activated cells, the combination of Tat and Rev can stimulate a very high level of viral gene expression and replication. In quiescent or resting cells, in contrast, these same regulatory proteins are predicted to maintain the HIV-1 provirus in a latent or nonproductive state.