Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by balsamin, a ribosome inactivating protein of Momordica balsamina

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 9; p. e73780
• Main Authors: Kaur, Inderdeep, Puri, Munish, Ahmed, Zahra, Blanchet, Fabien P, Mangeat, Bastien, Piguet, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 05.09.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Antiviral activity; Antiviral agents; Biotechnology; Budding; CD4 antigen; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - virology; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell lines; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Chemical Sciences; Cucurbitaceae; Cytotoxicity; Dermatology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Resistance, Viral - genetics; Health aspects; HIV; HIV-1 - drug effects; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 - physiology; Host-Pathogen Interactions - drug effects; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infection; Infections; Influenza; Influenza viruses; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Jurkat Cells; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Medicinal Chemistry; Medicine; Microbiology and Parasitology; Momordica - metabolism; Momordica balsamina; Momordica charantia; Mutation; Phytolacca americana; Plant Proteins - pharmacology; Protein synthesis; Proteins; Replication; Ribosome Inactivating Proteins - pharmacology; T cells; T-Lymphocytes - pathology; T-Lymphocytes - virology; Tumors; Viral infections; Viral proteins; Virology; Virus diseases; Virus replication; Virus Replication - drug effects; Viruses; Wound healing; Patiala India; United Kingdom > UK; Switzerland; Wales; India
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073780

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are endowed with several medicinal properties, including antiviral activity. We demonstrate here that the recently identified type I RIP from Momordica balsamina also possesses antiviral activity, as determined by viral growth curve assays and single-round infection experiments. Importantly, this activity is at play even as doses where the RIP has no cytotoxic effect. In addition, balsamin inhibits HIV-1 replication not only in T cell lines but also in human primary CD4(+) T cells. This antiviral compound exerts its activity at a viral replicative step occurring later than reverse-transcription, most likely on viral protein translation, prior to viral budding and release. Finally, we demonstrate that balsamin antiviral activity is broad since it also impedes influenza virus replication. Altogether our results demonstrate that type I RIP can exert a potent anti-HIV-1 activity which paves the way for new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of viral infections.