Single-cell delineation of strain-specific HIV-1 Vif activities using dual reporter sensor cells and live cell imaging.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome diversification is a key determinant of viral evolution and the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS. Antiretroviral therapy is non-curative, and in the context of monitoring the latent reservoir, precision tools are needed to detect and enumerate HIV-1 genomes as well as to assess their heterogeneity, replication potential, and predict responses to therapy. Current sequencing-based methodologies are often unable to confirm intact genomes and most cell-based reporters provide limited information pertaining to viral fitness. In this study, we describe dual reporter sensor cells (DRSCs), an imaging-based reporter system designed to detect HIV-1 infection and measure several independent attributes of the virus in a single-cell high-content assay. We show that the DRSC assay can be used to measure infection, viral gene activation kinetics, and quantify viral circumvention of host antiviral responses. Using the DRSCs, we confirmed markedly different functional heterogeneity for vif alleles derived from diverse HIV-1 strains and subtypes affecting both rates of APOBEC3G degradation and the cell cycle. Furthermore, the assay allowed for the delineation of virus co-receptor preference (X4- vs R5-tropism) and visualization of virion assembly. Overall, our study illustrates proof-of-principle for a multivariate imaging-based cell-based system capable of detecting HIV-1 and studying viral genetic variability with greater data richness relative to prior available modalities.
Importance: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is highly heterogeneous and constantly mutating. These changes drive immune evasion and can cause treatment efforts to fail. Here, we describe the "dual reporter sensor cell" (DRSC) assay; a novel imaging-based approach that allows for the detection of HIV-1 infection coupled with a multivariate definition of several independent phenotypic aspects of viral genome activity in a single integrated assay. We validate the DRSC system by studying lab-adapted and patient isolate-derived versions of the viral Vif accessory protein, confirming marked differences in the capacity of diverse vif alleles to mediate downregulation of antiviral APOBEC3G proteins and dysregulate the cell cycle.