The Balance between p53 Isoforms Modulates the Efficiency of HIV-1 Infection in Macrophages

Several host factors influence HIV-1 infection and replication. The p53-mediated antiviral role in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) was previously highlighted. Indeed, an increase in p53 level results in a stronger restriction against HIV-1 early replication steps through SAMHD1 activity. In this study, we investigated the potential role of some p53 isoforms in HIV-1 infection. Transfection of isoform-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced distinctive effects on the virus life cycle. For example, in contrast to an siRNA targeting all isoforms, a knockdown of Delta 133p53 transcripts reduced virus replication in MDMs that was correlated with a decrease in phosphorylated inactive SAMHD1. Combination of Delta 133p53 knockdown and nutlin-3, a pharmacological inhibitor of MDM2 that stabilizes p53, further reduced susceptibility of MDMs to HIV-1 infection, thus suggesting an inhibitory role of Delta 133p53 toward p53 antiviral activity. In contrast, p53/3 knockdown in MDMs increased the viral production independently of SAMHD1. Moreover, experiments with a Nef-deficient virus showed that this viral protein plays a protective role against the antiviral environment mediated by p53. Finally, HIV-1 infection affected the expression pattern of p53 isoforms by increasing p53 beta and p53 gamma mRNA levels while stabilizing the protein level of p53 alpha and some isoforms from the p53 beta subclass. The balance between the various p53 isoforms is therefore an important factor in the overall susceptibility of macrophages to HIV-1 infection, fine-tuning the p53 response against HIV-1. This study brings a new understanding of the complex role of p53 in virus replication processes in myeloid cells. IMPORTANCE As of today, HIV-1 infection is still considered a global pandemic without a functional cure, partly because of the presence of stable viral reservoirs. Macrophages constitute one of these cell reservoirs, contributing to the viral persistence. Studies investigating the host factors involved in cell susceptibility to HIV-1 infection might lead to a better understanding of reservoir formation and will eventually allow the development of an efficient cure. Our team previously showed the antiviral role of p53 in macrophages, which acts by compromising the early steps of HIV-1 replication. In this study, we demonstrate the involvement of p53 isoforms, which regulate p53 activity and define the cellular environment influencing viral replication. In addition, the results concerning the potential role of p53 in antiviral innate immunity could be transposed to other fields of virology and suggest that knowledge in oncology can be applied to HIV-1 research.

Automated summary

The study revealed the significant regulatory role of p53 isoforms in HIV-1 infection, highlighting their importance in determining macrophage susceptibility to the virus. This new understanding sheds light on the intricate role of p53 in virus replication processes in myeloid cells.