Bioengineered intravaginal isolate of Lactobacillus plantarum expresses algal lectin scytovirin demonstrating anti-HIV-1 activity

• DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.06.002
• Publication Date: 2018-06-02T02:16:39Z
• Authors: Essam Mohammed Ah...; Shafiul Haque; Naseem Akhter; Mohd Wahid; Arshad Jawed; Raju Kumar Mandal; Mohtashim Lohani; Mohammed Yahya Ar...; Shaia Almalki; Shukla Das; Sajad Ahmad Dar
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Membrane Proteins; HIV Infections; Virus Internalization; Antiviral Agents; Recombinant Proteins; Cell Line; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Bacterial Proteins; Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; Lectins; HIV-1; Humans; Carrier Proteins; Lactobacillus plantarum

Efforts to develop preventatives against HIV infection through sexual route have identified, among many, algal lectins as the potent molecules for scaffolding HIV entry inhibition. Algal lectin scytovirin (SVN) from Scytonema varium, a cyanobacterium, has anti-HIV effects with the potential for use in sculpting HIV neutralization. We created a recombinant strain of human vaginal L. plantarum for extracellular expression of recombinant (r)SVN. The rSVN protein containing culture supernatant was analyzed for its binding with HIV-1 gp160, and for inhibiting infection with primary R5 and X4 HIV-1 strains in TZM-bl cells. The rSVN protein extant in recombinant L. plantarum culture supernatant binds to HIV-1 gp160 and reduces the HIV-induced cytopathic effect to nearly 56.67% and 86.47% in R5 and X4 HIV-1 infected TZM-bl cells, respectively. The fortified L. plantarum may be explored for its use as a live virucide in vaginal mucosa of high risk women to prevent HIV entry.