title: Multifaceted activity of HIV Vpr/Vpx proteins: the current view of their virological functions.
abstract: Primate immunodeficiency viruses encode viral proteins that are uniquely auxiliary to their growth in host cells. Of these accessory proteins, those designated Vpr and Vpx are least well understood with respect to their functions in the viral replication cycle. Moreover, their assigned roles based on the results in published studies remain controversial. This review summarises current knowledge on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Vpr/Vpx proteins, and discusses their functional activities during the viral life cycle in macrophages and T lymphocytes, the two major target cells of HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan.
authors.forename: Mikako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomaguchi
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adachi
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D006678:HIV / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000821:virology; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C074286:VPX protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 2; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514912:vpr protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1