Contrasting results have been reported concerning the subviral
localization of HIV-1 Vpr and the related Vpx protein of HIV-2 and SIV.
Whereas immunoelectron microscopy studies suggested that HIV-1 Vpr is
located mainly beneath the virion membrane (40) and Vpx from
SIVmac was also detected outside the virus core
(26), HIV-2 Vpx was found associated with mature cores
(21). To biochemically analyze subviral Vpr localization, we
adapted a method developed in our lab for preparation of intact HIV
core particles by detergent stripping (42), but used
gradient purified virus as starting material. Comparative immunoblot
analysis of virions and isolated core particles (Fig.
3) revealed that Vpr was significantly
enriched in the core preparations, whereas p6, as well as other HIV-1
structural proteins (MA) and the virion-associated cellular protein
cyclophilin A, were quantitatively removed by detergent treatment (Fig.
3 and reference 42). Segregation of Vpr and p6 was
surprising, because the p6 domain of Gag carries the binding site for
Vpr and is presumed to recruit Vpr into the virion. Conceivably,
cleaved p6 has a reduced affinity toward Vpr, resulting in dissociation of the complex upon maturation. This possibility is supported by the
finding that p6, in contrast to Pr55Gag, does not display
interaction with Vpr in a yeast two-hybrid analysis (35).
Vpr may be retained to the core by being associated with the complex of
nucleocapsid protein (NC) and the viral genomic RNA. Consistent with
this hypothesis, an affinity of Vpr toward NC (11, 25, 35)
as well as toward nucleic acid (48) has been reported. In
any case, HIV-1 Vpr is clearly a core-associated protein, which is
likely to be important for its functions in early virus replication.
Posttranslational modifications might serve to regulate the diverse
functions of Vpr. Since modification of viral proteins by kinases is
known as an important way to regulate viral replication, we were
interested in potential phosphorylation of Vpr. Intracellular phosphorylation of several HIV-1 proteins (MA, CA, Vpu, Vif, and Nef)
has been reported and, in the case of MA and Vpu, has been implicated
in the regulation of differential activities of these proteins
(8). To determine whether phosphorylation of Vpr occurs in
infected cells, MT-4 cells were metabolically labeled with 0.5 mCi of
ortho[32P]phosphate per ml at 18 to 24 h
postinfection with HIV-1 strain NL4-3. Twelve hours later, virus was
harvested and purified by banding in a velocity gradient as described
above. Virus preparations as well as infected cells were lysed in
standard radioimmunoprecipitation assay buffer (16)
containing 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 2 mM Pefabloc, 10 µM E64, and 1 µM pepstatin, and lysates were subjected to immunoprecipitation with
antisera against various HIV proteins. From lysates of infected cells,
antiserum against Vpr precipitated a radiolabeled protein with the
expected apparent molecular weight (Fig.
4A), demonstrating that there is indeed a
phosphorylated form of Vpr. In the same series of experiments we also
detected phosphorylated forms of MA and CA, whose occurrence is well
documented in previous reports (6, 7, 14, 28, 37).
Unspecific cross-reactivity of the sera was excluded by parallel
experiments using lysates of equally labeled uninfected cells, where
none of the bands shown in Fig. 4 were detected (not shown). A
radiolabeled Vpr band was also observed when purified virus lysate was
used for immunoprecipitation (Fig. 4B), indicating that a
phosphorylated form of Vpr (pVpr) is associated with virus particles.
To determine the relative amount of pVpr in virus particles, we
performed denaturing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of unlabeled
and 32P-labeled virus samples (Fig. 5). Several forms of
Vpr with different isoelectric mobilities were detected in the
unlabeled virus preparation by immunoblotting (Fig.
5A). Using several independent virus
preparations, we consistently observed two major isomeric forms of Vpr
with apparent isoelectric points (IEP) of approximately 7.3 and 6.8 and
with minor spots focusing at pH 6.3 and 8.0, respectively. Only a
single spot with the apparent molecular weight of Vpr, focusing at pH
6.3, was detected in analyses of 32P-labeled virus from two
independent preparations (Fig. 5B). We conclude that pVpr corresponds
to the minor form of Vpr indicated by an arrow in Fig. 5A. The
difference between the nonphosphorylated Vpr forms leading to different
apparent IEPs may be due to proteolytic removal of charged amino acids
or other minor modifications like the change of an amide side group to
a carboxy group. Analyses of [35S]cysteine-labeled virus
(not shown) also revealed the Vpr isoform focusing at pH 6.3, and
phosphorimage analyses allowed us to estimate that pVpr represents
approximately 5% of total virion-associated Vpr. This result is
supported by comparison with the relative labeling intensity of
phosphorylated CA. Parallel two-dimensional analyses of labeled and
unlabeled virion-associated CA (not shown) revealed a single
phosphorylated form, representing approximately 5% of
virion-associated CA. In the experiment shown in Fig. 4B, the labeling
intensities of the immunoprecipitated Vpr, MA, and CA bands were almost
identical. Since in this case eight times more virus lysate was used
for immunoprecipitation with anti-Vpr serum than for precipitation with
anti-MA or anti-CA serum, correcting for the different relative amounts
of these proteins in the virion, we estimate that virus-associated Vpr
is phosphorylated to a similar extent as CA. Virion-associated MA was
also found to be phosphorylated to a similar degree.
Vpr of NL4-3 contains 11 residues (four Ser, four Thr, and three Tyr)
which theoretically could be phosphorylated. We have not yet mapped the
modified residue(s), but one might consider Ser79 as a candidate
phosphorylation site, based on sequence- and structure-dependent
computer prediction according to Blom et al. (4) together
with the absolute conservation of this residue in HIV-1 Vpr. It is
tempting to speculate that Vpr phosphorylation plays a role in
regulating the multiple functions of the protein in virus replication.
Whereas in the cases of HIV-2, SIVsm, and SIVmac two independent proteins, Vpr and Vpx, are required
for the nuclear import of the viral genome and the induction of host cell growth arrest, in the case of HIV-1 a single protein is
responsible for both functions. Vpr also displays numerous other
activities in tissue culture, like transcriptional activation, cell
killing, or induction of cell differentiation. Consistent with that,
the association of Vpr with a number of viral and cellular factors has
been reported (2, 5, 11, 13, 25, 32, 38, 41). Vpr
phosphorylation and dephosphorylation may be used to modulate these
interactions throughout the viral replication cycle. Further studies
are aimed at identification of the modified amino acid residue(s) as a
prerequisite for testing this hypothesis.
We thank P. Henklein (Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany)
for providing synthetic Vpr and K. Wiegers for helpful suggestions and discussions.
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