HIV integrase inhibitor, Elvitegravir, impairs RAG functions and inhibits V(D)J recombination

Cell Death Dis. 2017 Jun 1;8(6):e2852. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2017.237.

Abstract

Integrase inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drugs used for the treatment of AIDS that target HIV integrase, an enzyme responsible for integration of viral cDNA into host genome. RAG1, a critical enzyme involved in V(D)J recombination exhibits structural similarity to HIV integrase. We find that two integrase inhibitors, Raltegravir and Elvitegravir, interfered with the physiological functions of RAGs such as binding, cleavage and hairpin formation at the recombination signal sequence (RSS), though the effect of Raltegravir was limited. Circular dichroism studies demonstrated a distinct change in the secondary structure of RAG1 central domain (RAG1 shares DDE motif amino acids with integrases), and when incubated with Elvitegravir, an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 32.53±2.9 μM was determined by Biolayer interferometry, leading to inhibition of its binding to DNA. Besides, using extrachromosomal assays, we show that Elvitegravir inhibited both coding and signal joint formation in pre-B cells. Importantly, treatment with Elvitegravir resulted in significant reduction of mature B lymphocytes in 70% of mice studied. Thus, our study suggests a potential risk associated with the use of Elvitegravir as an antiretroviral drug, considering the evolutionary and structural similarities between HIV integrase and RAGs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Bone Marrow Cells / drug effects*
  • Bone Marrow Cells / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow Cells / virology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Transformed
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HIV Integrase / chemistry
  • HIV Integrase / genetics
  • HIV Integrase / metabolism
  • HIV Integrase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • HIV Integrase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • HIV-1 / drug effects
  • HIV-1 / enzymology
  • HIV-1 / genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Homeodomain Proteins / chemistry
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics*
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Molecular Mimicry
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / drug effects*
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / metabolism
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / virology
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Protein Binding
  • Quinolones / chemistry
  • Quinolones / pharmacology*
  • Raltegravir Potassium / chemistry
  • Raltegravir Potassium / pharmacology
  • V(D)J Recombination / drug effects*

Substances

  • HIV Integrase Inhibitors
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Quinolones
  • RAG-1 protein
  • Raltegravir Potassium
  • elvitegravir
  • HIV Integrase