A tandem arrayed gene cluster encoding seven cytidine deaminase genes is present on human chromosome 22. These are APOBEC3A, APOBEC3B, APOBEC3C, APOBEC3DE, APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G, and APOBEC3H. Three of them, APOBEC3G, APOBEC3F, and APOBEC3B, block replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and many other retroviruses. In addition, APOBEC3A and APOBEC3C block intracellular retrotransposons and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), respectively. In opposition to APOBEC genes, HIV-1 and SIV contain a virion infectivity factor (Vif) that targets APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G for polyubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Herein, we studied the antiretroviral activities of the human APOBEC3DE and APOBEC3H. We found that only APOBEC3DE had antiretroviral activity for HIV-1 or SIV and that Vif suppressed this antiviral activity. APOBEC3DE was encapsidated and capable of deaminating cytosines to uracils on viral minus-strand DNA, resulting in disruption of the viral life cycle. Other than GG-to-AG and AG-to-AA mutations, it had a novel target site specificity, resulting in introduction of GC-to-AC mutations on viral plus-strand DNA. Such mutations have been detected previously in HIV-1 clinical isolates. In addition, APOBEC3DE was expressed much more extensively than APOBEC3F in various human tissues and it formed heteromultimers with APOBEC3F or APOBEC3G in the cell. From these studies, we concluded that APOBEC3DE is a new contributor to the intracellular defense network, resulting in suppression of retroviral invasion.

Moloney leukemia virus 10 (MOV10) protein is a superfamily-1 RNA helicase, and it is also a component of the RNA-induced silencing complex. Recent studies have shown that MOV10 plays an active role in the RNA interference pathway. Here, we report that MOV10 inhibits retrovirus replication. When it was overexpressed in viral producer cells, MOV10 was able to reduce the infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), simian immunodeficiency virus, and murine leukemia virus. Conversely, when MOV10 expression was reduced by small interfering RNAs, HIV-1 infectivity was increased. Consistently, silencing of MOV10 expression in a human T cell line enhanced HIV-1 replication. Furthermore, we found that MOV10 interacts with HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein in an RNA-dependent manner and is packaged into virions. It blocks HIV-1 replication at a postentry step. In addition, we also found that HIV-1 could suppress MOV10 protein expression to counteract this cellular resistance. All of these results indicate that MOV10 has a broad antiretroviral activity that can target a wide range of retroviruses, and it could be actively involved in host defense against retroviral infection.

Human APOBEC3H (A3H) has one cytidine deaminase domain (CDD) and inhibits the replication of retrotransposons and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in a Vif-resistant manner. Human A3H has five single amino acid polymorphisms (N15Δ, R18L, G105R, K121D, and E178D), and four haplotypes (I to IV) have previously been identified in various human populations. Haplotype II was primarily found in African-derived populations, and it was the only one that could be stably expressed. Here, we identified three new haplotypes from six human population samples, which we have named V, VI, and VII. Haplotypes V and VII are stably expressed and inhibit HIV-1 replication. Notably, haplotype V was identified in samples from all African-, Asian-, and Caucasian-derived populations studied. Using haplotype VII, we investigated the A3H anti-HIV-1 mechanism. We found that A3H virion packaging is independent of its CDD but dependent on a ¹¹² YYXW ¹¹⁵ motif. This motif binds HIV-1 nucleocapsid in an RNA-dependent manner, and a single Y112A mutation completely disrupts A3H virion incorporation. We further studied the mechanism of A3H resistance to Vif. Although the previously identified APOBEC3G Vif-responsive motif ¹²⁸ DPDY ¹³¹ is not conserved in A3H, placement of this motif into A3H does not make it become less resistant to HIV-1 Vif. We conclude that stably expressed A3H haplotypes may be more broadly distributed in humans than previously realized, and A3H protein is resistant to Vif. These results have important implications for the role of A3H in retrotransposon and HIV-1 inhibition.

The human genome encodes seven APOBEC3 (A3) cytidine deaminases with potential antiretroviral activity: A3A, A3B, A3C, A3DE, A3F, A3G, and A3H. A3G was the first identified to block replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and many other retroviruses. A3F, A3B, and A3DE were shown later to have similar activities. HIV-1 produces a protein called Vif that is able to neutralize the antiretroviral activities of A3DE, A3F, and A3G, but not A3B. Only the antiretroviral activity of A3H remains to be defined due to its poor expression in cell culture. Here, we studied the mechanism impairing A3H expression. When primate A3H sequences were compared, a premature termination codon was identified on the fifth exon of the human and chimpanzee A3H genes, which significantly decreased their protein expression. It causes a 29-residue deletion from the C terminus, and this truncation did not reduce human A3H protein stability. However, the mRNA levels of the truncated gene were significantly decreased. Human A3H protein expression could be restored to a normal level either by repairing this truncation or through expression from a vector containing an intron from human cytomegalovirus. Once expression was optimized, human A3H could reduce HIV-1 infectivity up to 150-fold. Importantly, HIV-1 Vif failed to neutralize A3H activity. Nevertheless, extensive sequence analysis could not detect any significant levels of G-to-A mutation in the HIV-1 genome by human A3H. Thus, A3H inhibits HIV-1 replication potently by a cytidine deamination-independent mechanism, and optimizing A3H expression in vivo should represent a novel therapeutic strategy for HIV-1 treatment.

The key host factors involved in the influenza A viral polymerase activity and RNA replication remain largely unknown. We provide evidence here that ANP32A and ANP32B from different species are powerful factors in the maintenance of viral polymerase activity. Human ANP32A and ANP32B contribute equally to support human influenza viral RNA replication. However, unlike avian ANP32A, the avian ANP32B is evolutionarily nonfunctional in supporting viral replication because of a mutation at sites 129 and 130. These sites play an important role in ANP32A/ANP32B and viral polymerase interaction and therefore determine viral replication, suggesting a novel interface as a potential target for the development of anti-influenza strategies.

The function of lentiviral Vif proteins is to neutralize the host antiviral cytidine deaminases APOBEC3G (A3G) and APOBEC3F (A3F). Vif bridges a cullin 5-based E3 ubiquitin ligase with A3G and A3F and mediates their degradation by proteasomes. Recent studies have found that Vif uses different domains to bind to A3G and A3F. A ¹⁴ DRMR ¹⁷ domain binds to A3F, ⁴⁰ YRHHY ⁴⁴ binds to A3G, and ⁶⁹ YxxL ⁷² binds to both A3G and A3F. Here, we report another functional domain of Vif. Previously, we demonstrated that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vif failed to mediate A3G proteasomal degradation when all 16 lysines were mutated to arginines. Here, we show that K26, and to a lesser extent K22, is critical for A3G neutralization. K22 and K26 are part of a conserved ²¹ WxSLVK ²⁶ (x represents N, K, or H) motif that is found in most primate lentiviruses and that shows species-specific variation. Both K22 and K26 in this motif regulated Vif specificity only for A3G, whereas the SLV residues regulated Vif specificity for both A3F and A3G. Interestingly, SLV and K26 in HIV-1 Vif did not directly mediate Vif interaction with either A3G or A3F. Previously, other groups have reported an important role for W21 in A3F and A3G neutralization. Thus, ²¹ WxSLVK ²⁶ is a novel functional domain that regulates Vif activity toward both A3F and A3G and is a potential drug target to inhibit Vif activity and block HIV-1 replication.