The peptidyl-prolyl isomerase cyclophilin A (CypA) embraces an exposed, proline-rich loop on HIV-1 capsid (CA) and renders reverse transcription complexes resistant to an antiviral activity in human cells. A CypA fusion with TRIM5 that is unique to New World owl monkeys also targets HIV-1 CA, but this interaction potently inhibits infection. A similar block to HIV-1 infection in Old World monkeys is attributable to the α isoform of the TRIM5 orthologue in these species. To determine whether HIV-1 restriction by Old World monkey TRIM5α is modulated by the CA-CypA interaction, RNA interference was used to disrupt CypA in cells from African green monkeys and rhesus macaques. HIV-1 infectivity increased in response to CypA knock-down to the same extent that it increased in response to TRIM5 knock-down. CypA knock-down eliminated the HIV-1 stimulatory effect of cyclosporin A (CsA), a competitive inhibitor of the CypA-CA interaction, or of CA mutants that block binding to CypA but caused no change in titer of retroviruses that don't interact with CypA. Simultaneous knock-down of both CypA and TRIM5 caused minimal additional increase in titer, suggesting that CypA inhibits HIV-1 replication in these cells because it is required for CA recognition by TRIM5α. Finally, CsA increased HIV-1 titer in otherwise nonrestrictive feline cells but only after these cells were transduced with Old World monkey TRIM5α. Thus, CypA is required for HIV-1 restriction by Old World monkey orthologues of TRIM5α.

Berthoux, L., Sebastian, S., Sokolskaja, E., & Luban, J. (2005). Cyclophilin A is required for TRIM5α-mediated resistance to HIV-1 in Old World monkey cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102(41), 14849–14853.