The Vif Protein of HIV Triggers Degradation of the Human Antiretroviral DNA Deaminase APOBEC3G

Silvestro G. Conticello, Reuben S. Harris, Michael S. Neuberger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

416 Scopus citations

Abstract

APOBEC3G is a human cellular enzyme that is incorporated into retroviral particles and acts to restrict retroviral replication in infected cells by deaminating dC to dU in the first (minus)-strand cDNA replication intermediate [1-5]. HIV, however, encodes a protein (virion infectivity factor, Vif [6, 7]), which overcomes APOBEC3G-mediated restriction but by an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that Vif triggers APOBEC3G degradation by a proteasome-dependent pathway and that an 80 amino acid region of APOBEC3G surrounding its first zinc coordination motif is sufficient to confer the ability to partake in an interaction involving Vif. Inhibitors of this interaction might therefore prove therapeutically useful in blocking Vif-mediated APOBEC3G destruction.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2009-2013
Number of pages5
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume13
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 11 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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