TopoisomeraseIIβ in HIV-1 transactivation

•TopoisomeraseIIβ is crucial for HIV transcription.•Trimeric complex of Topo IIβ, PARP-1 and KU70 interacts with Tat and binds to HIV-1 LTR.•Double strand break is required for the viral transactivation event.

TopoisomeraseIIβ, an isoform of type II topoisomerase, was found to be functional in various viral infections. Its plausible role in HIV life cycle was also suggested earlier, but not clearly established. In the present study, we have investigated the role of TopoIIβ in HIV-1 infection by its gain and loss of function. Overexpression of TopoIIβ lead to an increase in viral replication, resulting in enhanced virion production. HIV-1 replication was impaired when TopoIIβ was down regulated by siRNA and inhibited by ICRF-193 and merbarone. The role of TopoIIβ in HIV-1 transcription was shown through its interaction with Tat and recruitement to long terminal repeat (LTR) region by co-immunoprecipitation and ChIP assays. Involvement of TopoIIβ in transactivation of HIV-1 LTR was confirmed by luciferase assay in reporter cell line, TZM bl and also by transfection of reporter exogenously. It was also observed that LTR transactivation commensurated with the expression of TopoIIβ in the presence of Tat. In addition, a decreased viral gene expression on treatment with merbarone exemplifies the importance of catalytic activity of TopoIIβ in viral replication. These observations indicate that TopoIIβ is involved in the cascade of coactivator complexes that are recruited to LTR for regulation of HIV-1 transcription.