title: Cyclophilin A retrotransposition into TRIM5 explains owl monkey resistance to HIV-1.
abstract: In Old World primates, TRIM5-alpha confers a potent block to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection that acts after virus entry into cells. Cyclophilin A (CypA) binding to viral capsid protects HIV-1 from a similar activity in human cells. Among New World primates, only owl monkeys exhibit post-entry restriction of HIV-1 (ref. 1). Paradoxically, the barrier to HIV-1 in owl monkey cells is released by capsid mutants or drugs that disrupt capsid interaction with CypA. Here we show that knockdown of owl monkey CypA by RNA interference (RNAi) correlates with suppression of anti-HIV-1 activity. However, reintroduction of CypA protein to RNAi-treated cells did not restore antiviral activity. A search for additional RNAi targets unearthed TRIMCyp, an RNAi-responsive messenger RNA encoding a TRIM5-CypA fusion protein. TRIMCyp accounts for post-entry restriction of HIV-1 in owl monkeys and blocks HIV-1 infection when transferred to otherwise infectable human or rat cells. It seems that TRIMCyp arose after the divergence of New and Old World primates when a LINE-1 retrotransposon catalysed the insertion of a CypA complementary DNA into the TRIM5 locus. This is the first vertebrate example of a chimaeric gene generated by this mechanism of exon shuffling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, 701 West 168th Street, HHSC 1502 New York, New York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sayah
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sokolskaja
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berthoux
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luban
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016645:Aotidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D021984:Cyclophilin A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020084:Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018626:Retroelements / Q000235:genetics*; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D018626:Retroelements; C482587:TRIM5(alpha) protein, rhesus monkey; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D021984:Cyclophilin A