Le virus de l’immunodéficience humaine (VIH-1) est l’agent causal de la pandémie du syndrome d’immunodéficience acquise (SIDA). Les rétrovirus ont la capacité de rétro-transcrire leur génome ARN en ADN afin qu’il soit intégré dans celui de l’hôte. Les traitements antirétroviraux (ART) actuels combinent plusieurs classes d’antirétroviraux (ARV) ciblant majoritairement les enzymes virales nécessaires à la réplication du VIH-1: la reverse transcriptase (RT), la protéase (PR) et l’intégrase (IN). L’émergence et la transmission de virus multirésistants à l’ensemble des ARV illustrent la nécessité de développer de nouveaux mécanismes thérapeutiques. Les inhibiteurs catalytiques d’IN (INSTIs) utilisés dans les ART ciblent le site actif de l’enzyme et empêchent ainsi la réaction de transfert de brin de l’intégration du VIH-1. La protéine cellulaire Lens Epithelium-Derived Growth Factor (LEDGF/p75), liée à la chromatine, est l’un des principaux cofacteurs de IN. En permettant le ciblage de l’intégration dans des régions actives du génome de l’hôte, l’interaction IN-LEDGF joue un rôle crucial pour la réplication effective du VIH-1 ce qui en fait une cible de premier ordre pour de nouvelles thérapies. Au cours de ces dernières années, des inhibiteurs allostériques de l’interaction IN-LEDGF (INLAIs encore appelés LEDGINs ou ALLINIs) ont été développés afin d’inhiber l’étape d’intégration. De manière inattendue, ces molécules exercent de fait une double activité antirétrovirale. En effet les INLAIs ciblent l'intégration mais possèdent également une seconde activité plus efficace sur les étapes tardives de la réplication du VIH-1. Celle-ci se traduit par la production de virions présentant un défaut d’infectivité. Mon projet de thèse, réalisé en partenariat avec la société biopharmaceutique Mutabilis, s’est intéressé à la caractérisation de l’activité antirétrovirale d’une nouvelle classe d’INLAIs selon deux axes: (1) l’approfondissement des mécanismes d’action de ces INLAIs sur les étapes tardives de la réplication du VIH-1 ; (2) l’appréciation de leur spectre d’activité sur la réplication du virus de l’immunodéficience simienne (SIV). J’ai pu montrer que les virions produits en présence d’INLAIs développées par Mutabilis présentent un défaut de transcription inverse lors de l’infection des cellules cibles, qui les rend non infectieux. Ces molécules n’influencent pas les étapes tardives de maturation protéique et d’empaquetage de l’ARN du VIH-1 dans les virions. De façon intéressante, ces virions non infectieux sont efficacement reconnus par un panel d’anticorps neutralisants spécifiques de l’enveloppe virale du VIH-1 et conservent la capacité d’induire une réponse immunitaire T CD4+ de type Th1 dans des cellules de patients infectés. Nous avons également évalué l’effet des INLAIs sur la réplication du SIV. Des expérimentations in vitro ont permis de montrer que certaines INLAIs inhibent efficacement l’interaction IN-LEDGF mais n’induisent pas la multimérisation anormale de IN SIV contrairement à ce que nous observons pour IN VIH-1. Ces résultats ont été confirmés in vivo et indiquent que si certaines INLAIs de seconde génération montrent une activité antirétrovirale au cours des étapes précoces, elles ne sont pas capables d’inhiber efficacement les étapes tardives de la réplication du SIV. De fait, la production de virions SIV en présence de ces INLAIs n’entraîne qu’une faible diminution de leur infectivité. Mes travaux ont donc permis de mettre en évidence que les virions “inactivés“ par ces INLAIs pourraient représenter un nouveau type d’immunogènes pour l’établissement d’une réponse immunitaire anti VIH-1. Cependant l’étude du spectre d’activité suggère que bien que la capacité de certaines INLAIs à inhiber l’interaction IN-LEDGF/p75 semble relativement bien conservée entre le VIH-1 et SIV, elles sont peu efficaces sur les étapes tardives du cycle de réplication du SIV. / No abstract

Translocation of viral integrase into nucleus is a critical precondition of integration during the life cycle of HIV, a causative agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes (AIDS). It has been considered as an important target for the drug development to treat AIDS. In order to understand the detailed mechanisms of integrase-host cell protein complex interactions, we cloned HIV-1 integrase-EGFP into pTRE2hyg as visible tag to monitor the translocation process. When transiently transfected this vector into Tet-off ready HeLa cells, the EGFP: integrase is mainly localized in the nucleus. It has been hypothesized that any drugs that can inhibit the translocation process are novel class of drugs for AIDS treatment. More than 30000 synthetic compounds and 80000 natural products were screened by virtual screening. A total of 34 compounds were obtained and screened for their ability to block the nuclear entry of HIV-1 integrase by monitoring the EGFP fluorescence in the cells by high-throughput live cell imaging. Eight synthetic compounds (DW-IN4, DW-IN5, DW-IN6, DW-IN9, DW-IN15, DW-IN16, DW-IN17, DW-IN21) and one natural product (DW-IN719) were found to block integrase translocation significantly. According to our screening result, six compounds (INNB-1, INNB-2, INNB-3, INNB-4, INNB-5, INNB-6) were designed and synthesized. INNB-1 and INNB-2 had significant inhibition on integrase nuclear translocation. DW-IN6, DWIN719, INNB-1, INNB-2, INNB-3 and INNB-4, showed significant inhibition on P24 production in live virus assay. DW-IN6, INNB-1, INNB-2, INNB-3 and INNB-4 showed significant syncitia formation inhibition in live virus assay. Six compounds (KM7, KM8, KM14, KM30, KM37, KM79) from Kunming were screened as integrase nuclear translocation inhibitors. Using similar cell imaging techniques, we have cloned the GFP-tagged chemokine receptor CXCR4 using the lentivirus transfection system. CXCR4 receptor is a critical co-receptor in CD4 positive lymphocytes mediating the fusion of HIV into the CD4 positive cells. CXCR4-GFP was over-expressed in 293T cells and the results showed that GFP:CXCR4 receptor is expressed at the plasma membrane of the cells. These cells have been used to monitor the blockage of CXCR4 receptor internalization for drug development. Four compounds (KX128, KX166, KX171, KX180) from Kunming showed CXCR4 internalization blockage in imaging assay. The interaction of these compounds with CXCR4 was predicted by molecular docking. KX128 showed significant HIV inhibition in live virus assays. / Gu, Wangang. / Advisers: Pang Chui Shaw; David Chi Cheong Wan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-06, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-179). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

L'intégrase (IN) du VIH-1 est une enzyme qui catalyse l'intégration du génome du virus dans celui de la cellule infectée. Cette étape d'intégration est cruciale pour le virus pour qu'il puisse se répliquer de manière efficace, l'intégration est donc une cible de choix dans les thérapies antivirales. Comprendre les mécanismes qui participent à l'intégration est donc nécessaire afin de développer des solutions efficaces pour contrecarrer le virus.L’intégration rétrovirale est catalysée par une structure oligomérique d’IN et d’ADN viral bien particulière appelée intasome. Les intasomes rétroviraux catalysent l’intégration préférentiellement sur des nucléosomes, composés d’ADN enroulé de protéines histones, plutôt que sur de l’ADN nu. Ceci est en parti du aux contraintes physiques imposés par la structure de l’intasome, mais également grâce à des facteurs de ciblage cellulaires qui vont interagir avec à la fois l’intasome et des composants du nucléosome.Dans ce projet de thèse, nous avons pu mettre en évidence une nouvelle interaction hôte-pathogène entre l’IN du VIH-1 et la queue d’histone H4 (une des protéines constituant le nucléosome). Ce projet s’est ainsi focalisé autour de cette interaction et a permis de :• Démontrer l’importance de l’interaction entre l’IN du VIH-1 et la queue d’histone H4 lors du cycle viral et plus précisément pour l’étape d’intégration, validant ainsi cette interaction comme une nouvelle interaction hôte-pathogène.• D’identifier que la queue d’histone H4 est un partenaire essentiel de l’intasome du VIH-1 pour qu’il puisse s’ancrer sur le nucléosome.• Développer une nouvelle stratégie antivirale visant à bloquer cette interaction dans les cellules infectées grâce à des composés chimiques. / HIV-1 integrase (IN) catalyzes the insertion of the viral genome into the host cell chromatin. This step is crucial for the virus for its efficient replication, integration is thus of interest to target for antiviral strategies. Understanding the mechanisms involved in integration is important in order to develop efficient tools to fight the virus.Retroviral integration is catalyzed by the intasome, an oligomer of IN and viral DNA. Intasomes integrate onto nucleosomes, composed of DNA wrapped around histone proteins, over naked DNA.In this thesis project, we have identified a new host-pathogen interaction between HIV-1 IN and the H4 histone tail. The topic of the project was then focus on this interaction and has highlighted:• The importance of the HIV-1 IN – H4 histone tail interaction for the viral cycle, especially onto the integration step, validating a new host-pathogen interaction.• The identification of the H4 histone tail as an essential partner for HIV-1 intasome for its anchoring onto nucleosomes.• The development of a novel antiviral strategy aiming to block this interaction in infected cells using chemical compounds

AIDS is caused by a lentivirus, HIV-1. In addition to antiretroviral drugs that are currently in use for HIV/AIDS therapy, a number of gene therapy strategies have been designed as alternative therapies. Most of these therapies target HIV RNA/proteins, which are subject to high rate of mutation, resulting in escape mutants. Viral entry is mediated by CCR5 co-receptor in most routes of transmission. To downregulate CCR5 as a gene therapy approach, we targeted seven unique sites within the CCR5 mRNA by a multimeric hammerhead ribozyme, Rz1-7. Hammerhead ribozyme is a small RNA that cleaves a target RNA upon binding to it. Expressing the Rz1-7 from HIV-1- and MSCV-based vectors in otherwise susceptible cells inhibited replication of a CCR5-tropic strain of HIV-1 by 99-100%. The Rz1-7 will be tested for inhibition of HIV-1 replication in the CD4+ T-lymphoid and myeloid progeny of transduced human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor stem cells. It may be preferable to interfere HIV-1 life cycle at the DNA level since a one-time inactivation might suffice to confer a complete and permanent inhibition of virus replication in the gene modified cells and their progeny. This is what other strategies that target the HIV-1 RNA/protein can hardly offer. For this purpose, group II introns, which are able to splice out and get incorporated into a specific DNA sequence, can be designed/modified to gain novel DNA targeting specificities. As a novel approach, we have examined whether insertion of a modified intron into an infectious HIV-1 clone at two sites within the integrase domain of HIV-1 pol gene could inhibit virus replication. Intron insertion into the HIV-1 clone was induced and mammalian cells were transfected with intron-inserted HIV-1 clones. Although similar amounts of HIV-1 RNA, protein, and progeny virus were produced from the clones as from wild-type HIV-1 provirus DNA, in the absence of a functional integrase, the HIV-1 reverse-transcribed DNA failed to integrate and virus replication was aborted. These results demonstrate that modified group II introns can confer complete inhibition of virus replication at the level of second round of infection. We are now developing vectors to assess whether intron insertion can take place in mammalian cells.

AIDS is caused by a lentivirus, HIV-1. In addition to antiretroviral drugs that are currently in use for HIV/AIDS therapy, a number of gene therapy strategies have been designed as alternative therapies. Most of these therapies target HIV RNA/proteins, which are subject to high rate of mutation, resulting in escape mutants. Viral entry is mediated by CCR5 co-receptor in most routes of transmission. To downregulate CCR5 as a gene therapy approach, we targeted seven unique sites within the CCR5 mRNA by a multimeric hammerhead ribozyme, Rz1-7. Hammerhead ribozyme is a small RNA that cleaves a target RNA upon binding to it. Expressing the Rz1-7 from HIV-1- and MSCV-based vectors in otherwise susceptible cells inhibited replication of a CCR5-tropic strain of HIV-1 by 99-100%. The Rz1-7 will be tested for inhibition of HIV-1 replication in the CD4+ T-lymphoid and myeloid progeny of transduced human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor stem cells. It may be preferable to interfere HIV-1 life cycle at the DNA level since a one-time inactivation might suffice to confer a complete and permanent inhibition of virus replication in the gene modified cells and their progeny. This is what other strategies that target the HIV-1 RNA/protein can hardly offer. For this purpose, group II introns, which are able to splice out and get incorporated into a specific DNA sequence, can be designed/modified to gain novel DNA targeting specificities. As a novel approach, we have examined whether insertion of a modified intron into an infectious HIV-1 clone at two sites within the integrase domain of HIV-1 pol gene could inhibit virus replication. Intron insertion into the HIV-1 clone was induced and mammalian cells were transfected with intron-inserted HIV-1 clones. Although similar amounts of HIV-1 RNA, protein, and progeny virus were produced from the clones as from wild-type HIV-1 provirus DNA, in the absence of a functional integrase, the HIV-1 reverse-transcribed DNA failed to integrate and virus replication was aborted. These results demonstrate that modified group II introns can confer complete inhibition of virus replication at the level of second round of infection. We are now developing vectors to assess whether intron insertion can take place in mammalian cells.

The HIV-1 integrase catalyzes the integration of HIV-1 viral DNA (vDNA) into the host cell chromosome in a process, which is essential for viral replication through two independent reactions, 3'-processing (3'-P) and strand transfer (ST), catalyzed by IN. Deciphering the structural determinants of the interaction between integrase and its substrates and the kinetics of this interaction sheds light on the importance of inhibitors targeting the pre-integration IN*vDNA complex. This approach led to the identification of raltegravir (RAL) and elvitegravir (ELV), which turned out to be highly efficient inhibitors of ST. RAL, formerly known under the code MK-0518, is a new anti-HIV drug that obtained clinical approval in the United States under the name IsentressTM on October 12, 2007. ELV is still in clinical trials. However, these compounds nevertheless encounter resistance phenomenon. To date, no experimental data characterizing the RAL structure, structure of the HIV-1 IN and/or interactions of RAL with its targets, has been reported.First, we characterized the structural and conformational properties of RAL in different states ‒ the gas phase, in water solution and the solid state. Second, a detailed study allowed characterisation the RAL recognition by the viral targets ‒ IN and the vDNA, before and after the 3'-P. We found that RAL shows a broad spectrum of conformations and configurations in isolated state and/or associated with the target(s). The best docking poses and scores confirmed that the model representing IN*vDNA complex is a biologically relevant target of RAL. This result is consistent with the commonly accepted mechanism of RAL inhibition.Based on the docking results we suggested that the inhibition process may include, as a first step, the RAL recognition by the processed vDNA bound to a transient intermediate IN state. RAL coupled to vDNA shows an outside orientation of all oxygen atoms, excellent putative chelating agents of Mg2+ cations, which could facilitate the insertion of RAL into the active site. The conformational flexibility of RAL further allows the accommodation/adaptation of the inhibitor in a relatively large binding pocket of IN*vDNA pre-integration complex thus producing various RAL conformation. We believe that such variety of the RAL conformations contributing alternatively to the enzyme residue recognition may impact the selection of the clinically observed alternative resistance pathways to the drug.We also studied the recognition of the HIV-1 IN inhibitors from two different strains, B and CRF02_AG. Our in silico study showed that the sequence variations between CRF02_AG and B strains did not lead to any notable difference in the structural features of the enzyme and did not impact the susceptibility to the IN inhibitors. Our analysis of the resistance mutations effects showed that structure of the wild-type enzyme and mutants is almost identical. However, the resistance mutations significantly altered the specificity of the viral DNA recognition by IN.We performed molecular dynamics simulations of the native and mutated IN with a point mutation R228A localized in the C-terminal domain. The study of targets flexibility opens a very promising way, not only in terms of fundamental research, but also for the application of our concepts to the development of new generations of inhibitors targeting IN.

This thesis presents the determination of susceptibility and resistance of HIV integrases (INs) to IN strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) and the development of single domain antibody (sdAb) targeting HIV IN. Firstly, the susceptibility of HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG INs to the latest INSTIs was determined, since previous studies suggested that the significant variations of CRF02_AG IN may have consequential effects on the interaction between the inhibitor and IN. Consistent with in silico study, we found that 3'-processing and strand transfer activity of both HIV-1 subtype B IN and subtype CRF02_AG IN are comparable. The susceptibility of recombinant CRF02_AG INs to employed INSTIs (Raltegravir-RAL, Elevitegravir-EVG and L-731, 988) is similar to that of HIV-1 B IN. Hence, the polymorphism of CRF02_AG IN cannot significantly effect on the susceptibility to INSTIs. Secondly, the resistance of HIV-2 IN to RAL, the unique approved INSTI, has been confirmed in vitro with mutated enzymes harboring resistance mutations. Mutations at positions 155 and 148 played a similar role in HIV-1 and HIV-2, rendering the IN resistant to RAL. The G140S mutation conferred little resistance, but compensated for the catalytic defect due to the Q148R mutation. Conversely, Y143C alone did not confer resistance to RAL unless E92Q is also present. Furthermore, the introduction of the Y143C mutation into the N155H resistant background decreased the resistance level of enzyme containing the N155H mutation, possibly accounting for the lack of detection of these two mutations together in a single genome. Finally, anti-HIV IN sdAb that is endowed with many attractive properties was selected for developing antiretroviral agents. After the selections, we have obtained some sdAbs that specifically recognize a broad range of INs in vitro, including INSTI-resistance mutant G140S/Q148R. However, the inhibition activity of anti-HIV IN sdAbs has not been observed yet. Anti-HIV IN sdAbs can be applied for other application, such as targeting reagents for nanosensor. In future, development of anti-HIV IN sdAbs which are able to block HIV replication remains attractive for obtaining efficient inhibitor of IN.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection causes general loss of immune response in humans. Presently, an estimated 34 million (31.4-35.9 million) people worldwide are HIV-1 positive and many more are being newly infected. In the absence of a definitive cure, anti-HIV-1 drug therapy helps to manage the infection by suppressing virus replication. However, extensive drug resistance against most of existing drugs demands alternative anti-HIV-1 strategies. The proper knowledge about HIV-1 replication is essential to guide the development of new anti-HIV-1 strategies. The research presented in this thesis aims to understand the role of HIV-1 Integrase (IN) and cellular co-factors interactions in the early stage virus replication. In the cytoplasm, HIV-1 cDNA exists as a high molecular weight nucleoprotein complex called pre-integration complex (PIC). The cDNA enters the nucleus as a part of PIC by active nuclear import and integrates into the host genome. HIV-1 Integrase (IN) protein has been recognized as a primary viral factor for HIV-1 nuclear import, but the key contributing cellular factor(s) is unknown. We have examined the requirement of different Importinα (Impα) isoforms for HIV-1 replication and identified the requirement of Impα3 for HIV-1 replication in HeLa cells, C8166T cells, and human macrophages. Further investigations showed the specific requirement of Impα3 for HIV-1 nuclear import. By analyzing the Impα3 interaction with HIV-1 proteins, we detected the IN interaction with Impα3 and C-terminal domain (CTD) of IN was essential for Impα3 interaction. These data led to the conclusion that Impα3 is required for HIV-1 nuclear import and interacts with IN. The IN-CTD consists of conserved basic amino acid rich motifs (211KELQKQITK, 236KGPAKLLWK, and 262RRKAK) that closely resemble the consensus classical nuclear localization signal (NLS) for Impα interaction. By substitution mutation and interaction analysis, 211KELQKQITK and 262RRKAK motifs in IN were identified as required for Impα3 interaction, IN nuclear localization, and HIV-1 nuclear import. Together, these data were useful in explaining the molecular mechanism of IN and Impα3 interaction and its requirement for HIV-1 nuclear import. Retrograde transportation of macromolecules in the cytoplasm is one of the prerequisites for their nuclear import. Although an earlier study implicated the dynein complex in retrograde transport of HIV-1, cellular and viral factors that are involved in this process are unknown. In this study, we have elucidated the HIV-1 IN interaction with the dynein light chain 1 (DYNLL1) in 293T cells, in vitro, and in HIV-1 infected cells. DYNLL1 is one of the adapter proteins that mediate the cargo recruitment to dynein complex. However, our data suggested that the IN and DYNLL1 interaction is essential for proper HIV-1 uncoating and cDNA synthesis but not for nuclear import. Surprisingly, DYNLL1 interaction of IN was dispensable for HIV-1 recruitment to dynein complex. These data led to the conclusion that the IN and DYNLL1 interaction is essential for proper HIV-1 uncoating and cDNA synthesis but not required for HIV-1 recruitment to the dynein complex or for retrograde transport. In summary, this study advances our knowledge on the role of IN and cellular factors interactions in different early steps of HIV-1 replication and offers potential contributions in the development of future anti-HIV-1 strategies.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-11T12:13:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 caroline_passaes_ioc_dout_2012.pdf: 6197462 bytes, checksum: 60b931e8b71d31d134ea1576e4b43737 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-21 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / A integrase (IN) é uma enzima chave para o ciclo de replicação do HIV, sendo responsável por catalisar a integração do genoma do HIV no cromossomo hospedeiro. Devido ao papel essencial desta enzima para a patogênese da infecção pelo HIV, a recente introdução dos inibidores de IN (INI) na prática clínica e em vista da escassez de informação sobre a diversidade genética da IN do HIV no Brasil, o presente estudo tem como objetivos a) investigar a diversidade genética da IN e os níveis de resistência primária nos subtipos B, C e F do HIV que são prevalentes no Brasil; b) acompanhar pacientes sob terapia antirretroviral em esquemas contendo raltegravir (RAL) a fim de monitorar a emergência de mutações de resistência aos INI; c) desenvolver um método de genotipagem da IN do HIV para ser usado na pratica clínica no Brasil; e d) investigar o envolvimento do processo de integração no controle da replicação do HIV. Não foram detectadas mutações principais associadas aos INI entre os indivíduos virgens de tratamento infectados com diferentes subtipos de HIV-1 O nível de mutações acessórias observadas foi bem baixo, e algumas posições foram polimórficas nas amostras brasileiras dos subtipos B, C e F. Esses resultados encorajam o uso de INI no Brasil. Analisando as coortes de pacientes que trocaram a enfuvirtida por RAL ou sob terapia de resgate com RAL, nós observamos um aumento nas contagens de células T CD4+ e uma rápida diminuição da carga viral no grupo sob terapia de resgate. Três pacientes não atingiram supressão virológica e as mutações Q148H+G140S foram detectadas em dois deles. A fim de monitorar o crescente número de pacientes sob terapia com RAL no Brasil, nós desenvolvemos um método de genotipagem in-house que está atualmente em teste pela rede de Genotipagem do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil para futura incorporação no monitoramento de pacientes falhando INI. Sobre o papel da IN no controle da infecção pelo HIV, não observamos mutações nos resíduos importantes para a atividade catalítica nas sequências de IN obtidas de pacientes controladores da infecção pelo HIV, nem acúmulo de DNA 2-LTR, sugerindo que não há um mecanismo bloqueando a integração nestes pacientes. Juntos, os resultados apresentados trazem informações importantes sobre a diversidade genética da IN, resistência aos INI e sobre o papel da IN na patogênese da infecção pelo HIV / I ntegrase ( IN) is a key enzyme for the HIV - 1 replication cycle, being responsible for catalyz ing the integration of HIV genome into the host chromat in. Due to the essential role of this enzyme for HIV pathogenesis , the recent introduction of IN inhibitors in the clinical practice and in view of the paucity of information about the genetic diversity of HIV IN in Brazil, the present study aims to a) inv estigate the genetic diversity of IN and the levels of primary resistance in HIV subtypes B, C and F that are prevalent in Brazil; b) follow - up patients under antirretroviral therapy schemes containing raltegravir (RAL) in order to monitor the emergence of resistance mutations to IN inhibitor (INI) ; c) develop a method to genotype HIV IN to be used in c linical practice in Brazil; and d) investigate the involvement of the integration process in the control of HIV replication. No major resistance mutations as sociated to IN I w ere detected among drug - naïve individuals infected with distinct HIV - 1 subtypes . The level of accessory mutations was very low, and some positions were polymorphic in Brazilian samples of HIV subtypes B, C and F. These results encourage th e use of IN I in Brazil. By a nalyzing cohorts of patients that switched from enfuvirtide to RAL or under salvage therapy with RAL we observed an increase in T CD4+ cell counts and a rapid decay of viral load in this salvage therapy group. For three patients , virological suppression was not achieved and the mutations Q148H+G140S were detected for two of them . In order to monitor the increasing number of patients under therapy with RAL in Brazil, we developed a n in - house genotyping method that is currently und er test by the Brazilian Ministry of Health Genotyping N etwork for further incorporation for the management of HIV patients failing INI . Concerning the role of the IN in the control of HIV infection, we did not observe mutations at residues important for c atalytic activity in the integrase sequences obtaine d from HIV controller patients or an accumulation of 2 - LTR DNA, suggesting that there is not a mechanism blocking HIV integration in these patients. Taken together, the results here presented bring import ant insights about HIV IN diversity, resistance to INI and the role of IN in HIV pathogenesis

Orientador: Marcia Miguel Castro Ferreira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T02:36:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Melo_EduardoBorgesde_D.pdf: 5803988 bytes, checksum: 6377ba7d02209df67db56420a1568312 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Apesar da implantação da HAART, existe uma necessidade contínua de novos agentes anti- HIV. Os inibidores da enzima HIV-1 integrase (HIV-IN) constituem um dos mais recentes avanços na luta conta a AIDS. A principal abordagem utilizada nessas pesquisas são os métodos relacionados ao planejamento de fármacos auxiliados por computador (CADD). Neste trabalho, foram realizados três estudos QSAR (2D, 4D e híbrido) utilizando um conjunto de treinamento formado por 85 compostos descritos como inibidores da reação de transferência de fita catalisada pela HIV-IN. No estudo QSAR-2D, foram utilizados 1291 descritores físico-químicos obtidos por diversos programas. Para o estudo QSAR-4D, perfis de amostragem conformacionais (PACs) foram obtidos com o programa de dinâmica molecular Gromacs 4, e 65.856 descritores de campo (Coulomb e Lennard-Jones) foram obtidos a partir do programa LQTA-QSAR. As seleções de variáveis foram realizadas pela metodologia Ordered Predictors Selection (OPS), e os modelos foram construídos utilizando regressão por quadrados mínimos parciais (PLS). Na etapa de QSAR-2D, foi realizado um estudo preliminar com 33 compostos com baixa variabilidade estrutural e 167 descritores de mais simples interpretação. O modelo obtido foi formado por duas variáveis latentes e quatro descritores. Esse modelo apresentou uma relação direta com o mecanismo de inibição mais aceito. Já para o modelo com o conjunto completo, foram selecionados quatro descritores, porém de difícil interpretação, provavelmente devido à grande variabilidade estrutural do conjunto de treinamento. Já para o modelo QSAR-4D, uma relação direta com o mecanismo de inibição, com descritores correspondentes à interação com os co-fatores metálicos e com a alça hidrofóbica do sítio de ligação da HIV-IN, também pôde ser traçada. Todos os modelos apresentaram qualidade estatística aceitável, com boas capacidades de predição interna e robustez, além de não apresentarem correlação ao acaso. Já o modelo híbrido, construído com alguns dos descritores selecionados nos estudos anteriores, possui alta qualidade estatística, mas é inferior ao modelo QSAR-4D. Logo, ao serem considerados os resultados obtidos, conclui-se que os objetivos da tese foram alcançados e que os modelos obtidos apresentaram grande potencial para proposição de novos inibidores da HIV-IN. / Abstract: Despite the HAART implantation, there is a continuous need to search for new anti-HIV agents. The HIV-1 integrase (HIV-IN) inhibitors are one of the most recent breakthrough in AIDS research. So, the computer aides-drug design (CADD) related methods have been the main approach used in the research of such class of drugs. In this work, three QSAR studies (2D, 4D and hybrid), with a training set, consisted of 85 inhibitors of strand transfer (ST) reaction catalyzed by HIV-IN. In the 2D-QSAR study, 1,291 physicochemical descriptors were obtained by several programs. For the 4D-QSAR study, the conformational essembles profiles (CEPs) were obtained by the molecular dynamic program Gromacs 4. With the LQTA-QSAR program, 65,856 descriptors (Coulomb and Lennard-Jones) were obtained. In both the studies, the variable selections were carried out according to the Ordered Predictors Selection (OPS) method while the models were composed with Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. In the 2D-QSAR step, a preliminary study with 33 compounds with low structural variability and 167 descriptors of more simple interpretation was developed. The obtained model was based on two latent variables and four descriptors. But, for the model with a complete set, there were four selected descriptors, although the difficult interpretation, probably due to the great structural variability of the training set. On the other hand, a direct relation with the inhibition mechanism could be traced for the 4D-QSAR model, including descriptors related with the interaction with the metallic co-factors and with the hydrophobic loop, placed in the binding site of HIV-IN. All the models showed an acceptable statistic quality, with good capacity of internal prediction and robustness. Moreover, the models did not present any randomized correlation. But, the hybrid model, built with some of descriptors selected in both studies, although it also has high statistic quality, is inferior to the 4D-QSAR model. Hence, considering the good obtained results, it can be concluded that the purposes of this thesis were achieved and that the models present a great potential to propose new HIV-IN inhibitors. / Doutorado / Físico-Química / Doutor em Ciências