A new class of capsid-targeting inhibitors that specifically block HIV-1 nuclear import
HIV-1 capsids cross nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) by engaging with the nuclear import machinery. To identify compounds that inhibit HIV-1 nuclear import, we screened drugs in silico on a three-dimensional model of a CA hexamer bound by Transportin-1 (TRN-1). Among hits, compound H27 inhibited HIV-1 with a low micromolar IC<sub>50</sub>. Unlike other CA-targeting compounds, H27 did not alter CA assembly or disassembly, inhibited nuclear import specifically, and retained antiviral activity against PF74- and Lenacapavir-resistant mutants. The differential sensitivity of divergent primate lentiviral capsids, capsid stability and H27 escape mutants, together with structural analyses, suggest that H27 makes multiple low affinity contacts with assembled capsid. Interaction experiments indicate that H27 may act by preventing CA from engaging with components of the NPC machinery such as TRN-1. H27 exhibited good metabolic stability in vivo and was efficient against different subtypes and circulating recombinant forms from treatment-naïve patients as well as strains resistant to the four main classes of antiretroviral drugs. This work identifies compounds that demonstrate a novel mechanism of action by specifically blocking HIV-1 nuclear import.
Authors
- Célia Chamontin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7760-373X)
- Valérie Courgnaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1000-0322)
- Ian A. Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6763-3852)
- Laurent Chaloin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5757-5804)
- Corinne Henriquet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6210-5794)
- Anne‐Geneviève Marcelin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-8999)
- Aude Boulay
- Martine Pugnière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2049-2909)
- Mickaël Blaise (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7860-3464)
- Nathalie J. Arhel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5309-1725)
- Isabelle Malet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5906-7267)
- Giuseppe Nicastro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7857-8983)
- Emmanuel Quevarec
- S.D. Perrin
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- The Francis Crick Institute (GB)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (FR)
- Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (FR)
- Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (FR)
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- EMBO Molecular Medicine
- Published
- 2024-10-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-024-00143-w
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.17
Funders
- Vanderbilt University
- Sidaction
- Wellcome Trust
- Francis Crick Institute
- Cancer Research UK
- Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les Hépatites Virales
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
- Université de Montpellier
- Montpellier Université d'Excellence
- Medical Research Council