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Identification of cellular factors as novel epigenetic regulators of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) transcription

par Santangelo, Marion
Président du jury Vanhamme, Luc
Promoteur Van Lint, Carine
Publication Non publié, 2024-05-21

Thèse de doctorat

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Résumé :

Infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a major global public health issue. Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, HIV-1 persistence occurs in cellular reservoirs, necessitating continuous drug intake leading HIV-1 infection into a chronic disease. Therefore, an HIV cure requires either eliminating these viral reservoirs or achieving an deep blockade of HIV-1 transcription in the absence of treatment. Deciphering the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive HIV-1 into latency is critical for targeted HIV cure efforts.This Ph.D. thesis aims to enhance the knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 latency, specifically at epigenetic level. First, this work contributes to the discovery of a novel epigenetic actor of HIV-1 latency, known as UHRF1, in both infected T-lymphoid and myeloid cells. UHRF1 acts as a HIV-1 transcriptional repressor by modulating both DNA and histone methylation. In addition to DNA methylation, many evidence have highlighted DNA hydroxymethylation as a new epigenetic mark involved in cellular transcriptional regulation. This Ph.D. thesis demonstrated the presence of DNA hydroxymethylation along both the latent and the reactivated HIV-1 provirus. Finally, this work led to the discovery of another novel epigenetic actor of HIV-1 latency, known as KLF16. This cellular transcription factor regulates HIV-1 transcription by modulating both histone acetylation and methylation in both the infected T-lymphocytic cell line and the infected monocytic cell line. Altogether, our findings expand our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in HIV-1 transcriptional latency, specifically at epigenetic level. Moreover, the identification of novel HIV-1 regulators have unveiled new drug targets that could be critical in HIV-1 cure efforts.