title: Recent advances in the understanding of HIV-1 Vpu accessory protein functions.
abstract: HIV-1 encodes a number of accessory proteins, which are not commonly found in other retroviruses. These proteins, which include Vif, Vpr, Vpu and Nef, act as multifunctional adapters capable of recruiting and modulating basic host cell processes to optimize wide-ranging aspects of viral replication. This review describes our current understanding of how the Vpu accessory protein functions to modulate HIV-1 particle release and CD4 receptor expression during HIV-1 infection and underlines the potential opportunities afforded by this viral protein for therapeutic intervention.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human Retrovirology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Canada, H3C 3J7.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Binette
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
chemical_list: D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C514859:vpu protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins