title: Genetic selection of peptide inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr.
abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) encodes a gene product, Vpr, that facilitates the nuclear uptake of the viral pre-integration complex in non-dividing cells and causes infected cells to arrest in the G(2) phase of the cell cycle. Vpr was also shown to cause mitochondrial dysfunction in human cells and budding yeasts, an effect that was proposed to lead to growth arrest and cell killing in budding yeasts and apoptosis in human cells. In this study, we used a genetic selection in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify hexameric peptides that suppress the growth arrest phenotype mediated by Vpr. Fifteen selected glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fused peptides were found to overcome to different extents Vpr-mediated growth arrest. Amino acid analysis of the inhibitory peptide sequences revealed the conservation of a di-tryptophan (diW) motif. DiW-containing GST-peptides interacted with Vpr in GST pull-down assays, and their level of interaction correlated with their ability to overcome Vpr-mediated growth arrest. Importantly, Vpr-binding GST-peptides were also found to alleviate Vpr-mediated apoptosis and G(2) arrest in HIV-1-producing CD4(+) T cell lines. Furthermore, they co-localized with Vpr and interfered with its nuclear translocation. Overall, this study defines a class of diW-containing peptides that inhibit HIV-1 Vpr biological activities most likely by interacting with Vpr and interfering with critical protein interactions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Rétrovirologie Humaine, Département de Microbiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jian
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lemay
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rougeau
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Belhumeur
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D019556:COS Cells; D017931:DNA Primers; D016195:G2 Phase; D016336:Gene Products, vpr / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D016336:Gene Products, vpr; D010455:Peptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus