The Role of RNA Modification in HIV-1 Infection

Abstract

RNA plays an important role in biology, and more than 170 RNA modifications have been identified so far. Post-transcriptional modification of RNA in cells plays a crucial role in the regulation of its stability, transport, processing, and gene expression. So far, the research on RNA modification and the exact role of its enzymes is becoming more and more comprehensive. Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) is an RNA virus and the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is one of the most devastating viral pandemics in history. More and more studies have shown that HIV has RNA modifications and regulation of its gene expression during infection and replication. This review focuses on several RNA modifications and their regulatory roles as well as the roles that different RNA modifications play during HIV-1 infection, in order to find new approaches for the development of anti-HIV-1 therapeutics.

Keywords: HIV-1 infection; RNA methylation modification; RNA modification; RNA virus; post-transcriptional modification.

Figure 1

The structure of modifications in RNA. The indicated epitranscriptomic marks are m⁶A, m¹A, m⁵C, m⁷G, m⁶Am, Ψ, Nm and ac⁴C.

Figure 2

(A) Structure and organization of the HIV-1 genome. There are the reading frames of the genes coding for structural and regulatory proteins. (B) Epitranscriptomic modifications of HIV-1 RNA. The indicated epitranscriptomic marks are m⁶A, m⁵C, ac⁴C and Nm.