title: Abolishing HIV-1 infectivity using a polypurine tract-specific G-quadruplex-forming oligonucleotide.
abstract: HIV is primarily transmitted by sexual intercourse and predominantly infects people in Third World countries. Here an important medical need is self-protection for women, particularly in societies where condoms are not widely accepted. Therefore, availability of antiviral microbicides may significantly reduce sexual HIV transmission in such environments.
  
  
  
  Here, we investigated structural characteristics and the antiviral activity of the polypurine tract (PPT)-specific ODN A, a 54-mer oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) that has been previously shown to trigger the destruction of viral RNA genomes by prematurely activating the retroviral RNase H. The stability of ODN A and mutants thereof was tested at various storage conditions. Furthermore, antiviral effects of ODN A were analyzed in various tissue culture HIV-1 infection models. Finally, circular dichroism spectroscopy was employed to gain insight into the structure of ODN A.
  
  
  
  We show here that ODN A is a powerful tool to abolish HIV-1 particle infectivity, as required for a candidate compound in vaginal microbicide applications. We demonstrate that ODN A is not only capable to prematurely activate the retroviral RNase H, but also prevents HIV-1 from entering host cells. ODN A also exhibited extraordinary stability lasting several weeks. Notably, ODN A is biologically active under various storage conditions, as well as in the presence of carboxymethylcellulose CMC (K-Y Jelly), a potential carrier for application as a vaginal microbicide. ODN A's remarkable thermostability is apparently due to its specific, guanosine-rich sequence. Interestingly, these residues can form G-quadruplexes and may lead to G-based DNA hyperstructures. Importantly, the pronounced antiviral activity of ODN A is maintained in the presence of human semen or semen-derived enhancer of virus infection (SEVI; i.e. amyloid fibrils), both known to enhance HIV infectivity and reduce the efficacy of some antiviral microbicides.
  
  
  
  Since ODN A efficiently inactivates HIV-1 and also displays high stability and resistance against semen, it combines unique and promising features for its further development as a vaginal microbicide against HIV.
authors.affiliation: Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Voges
authors.affiliation: Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Carola
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinn
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hartig
authors.affiliation: Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rudolph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reimer
authors.affiliation: Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany. joachim.hauber@hpi.uni-hamburg.de.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site, Hamburg, Germany. joachim.hauber@hpi.uni-hamburg.de.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hauber
authors.affiliation: Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.|Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Gloriastrasse 32, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland.|Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestrasse 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moelling
mesh_terms: D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011687:Purines
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011687:Purines
keywords: Antivirals; G-quadruplex; HIV; Infectivity; Microbicide; RNase H