Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Viral protein R (HIV-1 Vpr)

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Viral protein R (HIV-1 Vpr) is a small, 96-amino acid accessory protein that is essential for viral pathogenesis and replication in vivo (UniProt P0C6B8). It is packaged into the virion and performs several critical functions, including the induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest in host cells, which is thought to maximize the rate of viral transcription from the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter (PubMed: 15159416). Vpr also facilitates the nuclear import of the viral pre-integration complex (PIC) in non-dividing cells like macrophages and induces apoptosis in T-lymphocytes, contributing to immune depletion (PubMed: 11044093). Furthermore, Vpr acts as a molecular adapter that hijacks the host CRL4-DCAF1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex to degrade cellular restriction factors such as UNG2 and HLTF (PubMed: 28410313). Although no FDA-approved drugs currently target Vpr, it remains a high-priority research target due to its role in viral persistence and immune dysfunction. Experimental strategies focus on small molecules and peptides designed to inhibit Vpr-mediated cell cycle arrest or disrupt its interaction with host proteins (PubMed: 22438549).

Other names

Viral protein RVprR proteinHIV-1 Vpr proteinHIV-1 vpr gene product

Inhibition of Vpr-mediated G2/M cell cycle arrest and disruption of Vpr's interaction with the host CRL4-DCAF1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex.