Mechanisms of HIV-Nef Induced Endothelial Cell Stress: Implications of HIV-Nef Protein Persistence in Aviremic HIV Patients

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)HIV-associated cardio-pulmonary vascular pathologies such as coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension and emphysema remain a major issue in the HIVinfected population even in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The continued production of HIV encoded pro-apoptotic protein, such as Nef in latently HIV-infected cells is a possible mechanism for vascular dysfunction underlying these diseases. HIVNef persists in two compartments in these patients: (i) extracellular vesicles (EV) of plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and (ii) PBMC and BAL derived cells. Here I demonstrate that the presence of HIV-Nef protein in cells and EV is capable of stressing endothelial cells by inducing ROS production leading to endothelial cell apoptosis. HIV-Nef protein hijacks host cell signaling by interacting with small GTP binding protein Rac1 which activates PAK2 to promote the release of pro-apoptotic cargo containing EV and surface expression of pro-apoptotic protein Endothelial Monocyte Activating Polypeptide II (EMAPII). Using this mechanism, Nef protein robustly induces apoptosis in Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells and Human Lung microvascular endothelial cells. Endothelial specific expression of HIV-Nef protein in transgenic mice was sufficient to induce vascular pathologies as evidenced by impaired endothelium mediated vasodilation of the aorta and vascular remodeling and emphysema like alveolar rarefaction in the lung. Furthermore, EV isolated from HIV patients on ART was capable of inducing endothelial apoptosis in a Nef dependent fashion. Of therapeutic interest, EMAPII neutralizing antibodies to block EMAPII mediated apoptosis and statin treatment to ameliorate Nef induced Rac1 signaling was capable of blocking Nef induced endothelial stress in both in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, HIV-Nef protein uses a Rac1-Pak2 signaling axis to promote its dissemination in EV, which in turn induces endothelial cell stress after its uptake

Increased cardiovascular disease risk in the HIV-positive population on ART: potential role of HIV-Nef and Tat

With effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), many HIV-infected people die of diseases other than acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In particular, coronary artery disease has emerged as one of most critical complications of HIV infection and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although reportedly antiretroviral combination therapy itself may accelerate atherosclerosis by enhancing dyslipidemia, most recent epidemiological studies support the notion that HIV infection itself contributes to cardiovascular disease. However, it is still a mystery how the virus can contribute to cardiovascular disease development even while suppressed by ARTs. This review discusses the current understanding of interactions between HIV infection and cardiovascular diseases in both clinical and experimental studies with special focus on those viral proteins that are still produced by HIV. This will help infectious disease/vascular biology experts to gain insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of HIV-associated cardiovascular disease and new trends to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease in the HIV-infected population

Viral Bad News Sent by EVAIL

This article reviews the current knowledge on how viruses may utilize Extracellular Vesicle Assisted Inflammatory Load (EVAIL) to exert pathologic activities. Viruses are classically considered to exert their pathologic actions through acute or chronic infection followed by the host response. This host response causes the release of cytokines leading to vascular endothelial cell dysfunction and cardiovascular complications. However, viruses may employ an alternative pathway to soluble cytokine-induced pathologies—by initiating the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes. The best-understood example of this alternative pathway is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-elicited EVs and their propensity to harm vascular endothelial cells. Specifically, an HIV-encoded accessory protein called the “negative factor” (Nef) was demonstrated in EVs from the body fluids of HIV patients on successful combined antiretroviral therapy (ART); it was also demonstrated to be sufficient in inducing endothelial and cardiovascular dysfunction. This review will highlight HIV-Nef as an example of how HIV can produce EVs loaded with proinflammatory cargo to disseminate cardiovascular pathologies. It will further discuss whether EV production can explain SARS-CoV-2-mediated pulmonary and cardiovascular pathologies

HIV-Nef Protein Persists in the Lungs of Aviremic Patients with HIV and Induces Endothelial Cell Death

It remains a mystery why HIV-associated end-organ pathologies persist in the era of combined antiretroviral therapy (ART). One possible mechanism is the continued production of HIV-encoded proteins in latently HIV-infected T cells and macrophages. The proapoptotic protein HIV-Nef persists in the blood of ART-treated patients within extracellular vesicles (EVs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Here we demonstrate that HIV-Nef is present in cells and EVs isolated from BAL of patients on ART. We hypothesize that HIV-Nef persistence in the lung induces endothelial apoptosis leading to endothelial dysfunction and further pulmonary vascular pathologies. The presence of HIV-Nef in patients with HIV correlates with the surface expression of the proapoptotic endothelial-monocyte–activating polypeptide II (EMAPII), which was implicated in progression of pulmonary emphysema via mechanisms involving endothelial cell death. HIV-Nef protein induces EMAPII surface expression in human embryonic kidney 293T cells, T cells, and human and mouse lung endothelial cells. HIV-Nef packages itself into EVs and increases the amount of EVs secreted from Nef-expressing T cells and Nef-transfected human embryonic kidney 293T cells. EVs from BAL of HIV+ patients and Nef-transfected cells induce apoptosis in lung microvascular endothelial cells by upregulating EMAPII surface expression in a PAK2-dependent fashion. Transgenic expression of HIV-Nef in vascular endothelial–cadherin+ endothelial cells leads to lung rarefaction, characterized by reduced alveoli and overall increase in lung inspiratory capacity. These changes occur concomitantly with lung endothelial cell apoptosis. Together, these data suggest that HIV-Nef induces endothelial cell apoptosis via an EMAPII-dependent mechanism that is sufficient to cause pulmonary vascular pathologies even in the absence of inflammation

EMAPII Monoclonal Antibody Ameliorates Influenza A Virus-Induced Lung Injury

Influenza A virus (IAV) remains a major worldwide health threat, especially to high-risk populations, including the young and elderly. There is an unmet clinical need for therapy that will protect the lungs from damage caused by lower respiratory infection. Here, we analyzed the role of EMAPII, a stress- and virus-induced pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic factor, in IAV-induced lung injury. First, we demonstrated that IAV induces EMAPII surface translocation, release, and apoptosis in cultured endothelial and epithelial cells. Next, we showed that IAV induces EMAPII surface translocation and release to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in mouse lungs, concomitant with increases in caspase 3 activity. Injection of monoclonal antibody (mAb) against EMAPII attenuated IAV-induced EMAPII levels, weight loss, reduction of blood oxygenation, lung edema, and increase of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF alpha. In accordance with the pro-apoptotic properties of EMAPII, levels of caspase 3 activity in BALF were also decreased by mAb treatment. Moreover, we detected EMAPII mAb-induced increase in lung levels of M2-like macrophage markers YM1 and CD206. All together, these data strongly suggest that EMAPII mAb ameliorates IAV-induced lung injury by limiting lung cell apoptosis and shifting the host inflammatory setting toward resolution of inflammation

Human Endogenous Retrovirus, SARS-CoV-2, and HIV Promote PAH via Inflammation and Growth Stimulation

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pulmonary vascular disease characterized by the progressive elevation of pulmonary arterial pressures. It is becoming increasingly apparent that inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of PAH. Several viruses are known to cause PAH, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), human endogenous retrovirus K(HERV-K), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in part due to acute and chronic inflammation. In this review, we discuss the connections between HERV-K, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and PAH, to stimulate research regarding new therapeutic options and provide new targets for the treatment of the disease

HIV-Nef Protein Transfer to Endothelial Cells Requires Rac1 Activation and Leads to Endothelial Dysfunction Implications for Statin Treatment in HIV Patients

Rationale Even in antiretroviral therapy (ART) treated patients, HIV continues to play a pathogenic role in cardiovascular diseases. A possible cofactor may be persistence of the early HIV response gene Nef, which we have demonstrated recently to persist in the lungs of HIV+ patients on ART. Previously, we have reported that HIV strains with Nef, but not Nef-deleted HIV strains, cause endothelial proinflammatory activation and apoptosis. Objective To characterize mechanisms through which HIV-Nef leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases using ex vivo tissue culture approaches as well as interventional experiments in transgenic murine models. Methods and Results EV (extracellular vesicles) derived from both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma from HIV+ patient blood samples induced human coronary artery endothelial cells dysfunction. Plasma derived EV from ART+ patients that were HIV-Nef+ induced significantly greater endothelial apoptosis compared to HIV-Nef- plasma EV. Both HIV-Nef expressing T cells and HIV-Nef-induced EV increased transfer of cytosol and Nef protein to endothelial monolayers in a Rac1-dependent manner, consequently leading to endothelial adhesion protein upregulation and apoptosis. HIV-Nef induced Rac1 activation also led to dsDNA breaks in endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC), thereby resulting in ECFC premature senescence and eNOS downregulation. These Rac1 dependent activities were characterized by NOX2-mediated ROS production. Statin treatment equally inhibited Rac1 inhibition in preventing or reversing all HIV-Nef-induction abnormalities assessed. This was likely due to the ability of statins to block Rac1 prenylation as geranylgeranyl transferase inhibitors were effective in inhibiting HIV-Nef-induced ROS formation. Finally, transgenic expression of HIV-Nef in endothelial cells in a murine model impaired endothelium-mediated aortic ring dilation, which was then reversed by 3-week treatment with 5mg/kg atorvastatin. Conclusion These studies establish a mechanism by which HIV-Nef persistence despite ART could contribute to ongoing HIV related vascular dysfunction which may then be ameliorated by statin treatment

Lipoprotein(a) Induces Vesicular Cardiovascular Calcification Revealed With Single-Extracellular Vesicle Analysis

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) blood levels >50 mg/dL is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor in humans. Lp(a) associates with increased cardiovascular calcification, a critical pathology with no clinically available drug therapies. The mechanisms through which Lp(a) increases cardiovascular calcification risk remain undefined. We hypothesized that Lp(a) promotes the release of calcifying extracellular vesicles (EVs) that contribute to formation of microcalcification in cardiovascular tissues. Here, we show Lp(a) increased calcification in both primary human smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and valvular interstitial cells (VICs), potentially through inflammation-related mechanisms that were suppressed with E06 antibody that neutralizes pro-inflammatory oxidized phospholipids. Incubating human SMCs and VICs with Lp(a) altered the composition of EVs, increasing CD29+/tetraspanin− microvesicle release, demonstrated with a tailored single-EV microarray assay that can distinguish multivesicular body-derived exosomes and plasma membrane budded microvesicles at a single-vesicle level. Lp(a) stimulation led to release of SMC and VIC EVs that readily calcified in acellular 3D-collagen hydrogels mimicking formation of ectopic microcalcification occurring in extracellular matrix of human atherosclerotic arteries and stenotic aortic valves. Our study mechanistically demonstrates that Lp(a) partially mediates cardiovascular calcification formation via inducing the release of calcifying EVs. Additionally, we provide a customized method to assess calcifying EVs at a single-vesicle level that can be more broadly applied to assist in quantitatively differentiating exosome and microvesicle EV subpopulations