A novel aminoacid determinant of HIV-1 restriction in the TRIM5α variable 1 region isolated in a random mutagenic screen

Human-derived antiretroviral transgenes are of great biomedical interest and are actively pursued. HIV-1 is efficiently inhibited at post-entry, pre-integration replication stages by point mutations in the variable region 1 (v1) of the human restriction factor TRIM5α. Here we use a mutated megaprimer approach to create a mutant library of TRIM5αHu v1 and to isolate a mutation at Gly330 (G330E) that inhibits transduction of an HIV-1 vector as efficiently as the previously described mutants at positions Arg332 and Arg335. As was the case for these other mutations, modification of the local v1 charge toward increased acidity was key to inhibiting HIV-1. G330E TRIM5αHu also disrupted replication-competent HIV-1 propagation in a human T cell line. Interestingly, G330E did not enhance restriction of HIV-1 when combined with mutations at Arg332 or Arg335. Accordingly, the triple mutant G330E-R332G–R335G bound purified recombinant HIV-1 capsid tubes less efficiently than the double mutant R332G–R335G did. In a structural model of the TRIM5αHu PRYSPRY domain, the addition of G330E to the double mutant R332G–R335G caused extensive changes to the capsid-binding surface, which may explain why the triple mutant was no more restrictive than the double mutant. The HIV-1 inhibitory potential of Gly330 mutants was not predicted by examination of natural TRIM5α orthologs that are known to strongly inhibit HIV-1. This work underlines the potential of random mutagenesis to isolate novel variants of human proteins with antiviral properties.

► A random mutagenic screen focused on the variable region 1 of human TRIM5α.
► Acidic nature of mutation isolated (G330E) was important for HIV-1 inhibition.
► HIV-1 spread in human lymphocytic cells was also inhibited.
► Mutations in this region induce structural changes in other variable regions.