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Evaluation of the Efficacy And Toxicity of RNAs Targeting HIV-1 Production for Use in Gene or Drug Therapy
Published on: September 5, 2016
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr: functions and molecular interactions
Bizhan Romani1, Susan Engelbrecht2,1
1Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Virology, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.
Abstract:
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral protein R (Vpr) is an accessory protein that interacts with a number of cellular and viral proteins. The functions of many of these interactions in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 have been identified. Deletion of the vpr gene reduces the virulence of HIV-1 dramatically, 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 key to understanding 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 to understand the mechanism(s) of HIV-1 pathogenicity.
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