F
IPR000475

Retroviral Vif (Viral infectivity) protein

InterPro entry
Short nameVif

Description

The virion infectivity factor (vif) is an accessory protein, which is essential for HIV replication in host cells. Vif of Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) affects the infectivity of virus particles
[2]
to T lymphocytes and macrophages (in some cases increasing the infectivity of HIV-1 particles by 100- to 1000-fold), but has no direct effect on transcription, translation or virus release. Vif antibodies are found in the sera of patients at all levels of HIV-1 infection, indicating that vif is expressed in natural infectionsin vivo. Other lentiviruses, including Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV-cpz), Visna/Maedi virus, and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), have vif open reading frames, suggesting vif plays an essential role during natural infections
[3]
. The expression of vif in BHK-21 cells has been shown to be linked to a modification of the C terminus of gp41env, which modification is inhibited by trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidio)butane (E64), a specific inhibitor of cysteine proteases
[4]
. Coupled with sequence analysis and the effects of point mutations in vif, it has been suggested that vif could be a cysteine protease. Virions produced in the absence of Vif have abnormal core morphology and those produced in primary T cells carry immature core proteins and low levels of mature capsid
[1]
.

In humans, HIV-1 Vif hijacks cellular E3 ligase components containing CUL5, RBX2, ELOB, ELOC and CBFbeta, to poly-ubiquitinate antiviral cellular factors, APOBEC3 proteins
[7, 8, 5]
. In sheep and goats, Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) Vif is responsible for degradation of oaA3Z2-Z3
[6]
.

References

1.The HIV-1 Vif protein: a paradigm for viral:cell interactions. Pomerantz RJ. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 60, 2017-9, (2003). View articlePMID: 14618252

2.The sor gene of HIV-1 is required for efficient virus transmission in vitro. Fisher AG, Ensoli B, Ivanoff L, Chamberlain M, Petteway S, Ratner L, Gallo RC, Wong-Staal F. Science 237, 888-93, (1987). View articlePMID: 3497453

3.Role of vif in replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in CD4+ T lymphocytes. Gabuzda DH, Lawrence K, Langhoff E, Terwilliger E, Dorfman T, Haseltine WA, Sodroski J. J. Virol. 66, 6489-95, (1992). View articlePMID: 1357189

4.A specific inhibitor of cysteine proteases impairs a Vif-dependent modification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Env protein. Guy B, Geist M, Dott K, Spehner D, Kieny MP, Lecocq JP. J. Virol. 65, 1325-31, (1991). View articlePMID: 1995946

5.The assembly of Vif ubiquitin E3 ligase for APOBEC3 degradation. Kim DY. Arch. Pharm. Res. 38, 435-45, (2015). PMID: 25408426

6.CAEV Vif Hijacks ElonginB/C, CYPA and Cullin5 to Assemble the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Complex Stepwise to Degrade oaA3Z2-Z3. Zhao Z, Li Z, Huan C, Wang H, Su X, Zhang W. Front Microbiol 10, 565, (2019). PMID: 30941116

7.Structural analysis of viral infectivity factor of HIV type 1 and its interaction with A3G, EloC and EloB. da Costa KS, Leal E, dos Santos AM, Lima e Lima AH, Alves CN, Lameira J. PLoS ONE 9, e89116, (2014). PMID: 24586532

8.Conformational Dynamics of the HIV-Vif Protein Complex. Ball KA, Chan LM, Stanley DJ, Tierney E, Thapa S, Ta HM, Burton L, Binning JM, Jacobson MP, Gross JD. Biophys. J. 116, 1432-1445, (2019). PMID: 30961890

GO terms

molecular function

  • None

cellular component

  • None
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