title: Evolution of the primate lentiviruses: evidence from vpx and vpr.
abstract: The genomes of the four primate lentiviral groups are complex and contain several regulatory or accessory genes. Two of these genes, vpr and vpx, are found in various combinations within the four groups and encode proteins whose functions have yet to be elucidated. Comparison of the encoded protein sequences suggests that the vpx gene within the HIV-2 group arose by the duplication of an ancestral vpr gene within this group. Evolutionary distance analysis showed that both genes were well conserved when compared with viral regulatory genes, and indicated that the duplication occurred at approximately the same time as the HIV-2 group and the other primate lentivirus groups diverged from a common ancestor. Furthermore, although the SIVagm vpx proteins are homologous to the HIV-2 group vpx proteins, there are insufficient grounds from sequence analysis for classifying them as vpx proteins. Because of their similarity to the vpr proteins of other groups, we suggest reclassifying the SIVagm vpx gene as a vpr gene. This creates a simpler and more uniform picture of the genomic organization of the primate lentiviruses and allows the genomic organization of their common precursor to be defined; it probably contained five accessory genes: tat, rev, vif, nef and vpr.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge Clinical School, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tristem
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karpas
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016336:Gene Products, vpr / Q000235:genetics*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000235:genetics; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000382:microbiology; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D016336:Gene Products, vpr; C074286:VPX protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 2; C513059:VPX protein, Simian immunodeficiency virus; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus