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HIV-1 Vpr functions and molecular interactions

Stellenbosch University

¹ E-mail: bizhan{at}sun.ac.za

HIV-1 Vpr is an accessory protein that interacts with a number of cellular and viral proteins. The functions of many of these interactions in pathogenesis of HIV-1 have been identified. Deletion of vpr gene dramatically reduces the virulence of HIV-1, indicating the importance of this protein for the virus. This review describes the current findings on several established functions of HIV-1 Vpr and some possible roles proposed for this protein. Because Vpr exploits cellular proteins and pathways to influence the biology of HIV-1, understanding the functions of Vpr usually involves the study of cellular pathways. Several functions of Vpr are attributed to the virion incorporated protein but some of them are attributed to the expression of Vpr in HIV-1 infected cells. The structure of Vpr may be a key to understand the variety of its interactions. Due to the critical role of Vpr in HIV-1 pathogenicity, study of the interactions between Vpr and cellular proteins may help us understand the mechanism of HIV-1 pathogenicity.

Received 9 March 2009; accepted 20 May 2009.