In COS Cells Vpu Can Both Stabilize Tetherin Expression and Counteract Its Antiviral Activity

The interferon-inducible cellular protein tetherin (CD317/BST-2) inhibits the release of a broad range of enveloped viruses. The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu enhances virus particle release by counteracting this host restriction factor. While the antagonism of human tetherin by Vpu has been associated with both proteasomal and lysosomal degradation, the link between Vpu-mediated tetherin degradation and the ability of Vpu to counteract the antiviral activity of tetherin remains poorly understood. Here, we show that human tetherin is expressed at low levels in African green monkey kidney (COS) cells. However, Vpu markedly increases tetherin expression in this cell line, apparently by sequestering it in an internal compartment that bears lysosomal markers. This stabilization of tetherin by Vpu requires the transmembrane sequence of human tetherin. Although Vpu stabilizes human tetherin in COS cells, it still counteracts the ability of tetherin to suppress virus release. The enhancement of virus release by Vpu in COS cells is associated with a modest reduction in cell-surface tetherin expression, even though the overall expression of tetherin is higher in the presence of Vpu. This study demonstrates that COS cells provide a model system in which Vpu-mediated enhancement of HIV-1 release is uncoupled from Vpu-mediated tetherin degradation.     

HIV-1 Accessory Protein Vpu Internalizes Cell-surface BST-2/Tetherin through Transmembrane Interactions Leading to Lysosomes

Bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST-2, also known as tetherin) is a recently identified interferon-inducible host restriction factor that can block the production of enveloped viruses by trapping virus particles at the cell surface. This antiviral effect is counteracted by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) accessory protein viral protein U (Vpu). Here we show that HIV-1 Vpu physically interacts with BST-2 through their mutual transmembrane domains and leads to the degradation of this host factor via a lysosomal, not proteasomal, pathway. The degradation is partially controlled by a cellular protein, β-transducin repeat-containing protein (βTrCP), which is known to be required for the Vpu-induced degradation of CD4. Importantly, targeting of BST-2 by Vpu occurs at the plasma membrane followed by the active internalization of this host protein by Vpu independently of constitutive endocytosis. Thus, the primary site of action of Vpu is the plasma membrane, where Vpu targets and internalizes cell-surface BST-2 through transmembrane interactions, leading to lysosomal degradation, partially in a βTrCP-dependent manner. Also, we propose the following configuration of BST-2 in tethering virions to the cell surface; each of the dimerized BST-2 molecules acts as a bridge between viral and cell membranes.     

Differential effects of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpu on the stability of BST-2/tetherin

BST-2/CD317/tetherin is a host factor that inhibits the release of HIV-1 and other unrelated viruses. A current model proposes that BST-2 physically tethers virions to the surface of virus-producing cells. The HIV-1-encoded Vpu protein effectively antagonizes the activity of BST-2. How Vpu accomplishes this task remains unclear; however, it is known that Vpu has the ability to down-modulate BST-2 from the cell surface. Here we analyzed the effects of Vpu on BST-2 by performing a series of kinetic studies with HeLa, 293T, and CEMx174 cells. Our results indicate that the surface downregulation of BST-2 is not due to an accelerated internalization or reduced recycling of internalized BST-2 but instead is caused by interference with the resupply of newly synthesized BST-2 from within the cell. While our data confirm previous reports that the high-level expression of Vpu can cause the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation of BST-2, we found no evidence that Vpu targets endogenous BST-2 in the ER in the course of a viral infection. Instead, we found that Vpu acts in a post-ER compartment and increases the turnover of newly synthesized mature BST-2. Our observation that Vpu does not affect the recycling of BST-2 suggests that Vpu does not act directly at the cell surface but may interfere with the trafficking of newly synthesized BST-2 to the cell surface, resulting in the accelerated targeting of BST-2 to the lysosomal compartment for degradation.     

A Cytoplasmic Tail Determinant in HIV-1 Vpu Mediates Targeting of Tetherin for Endosomal Degradation and Counteracts Interferon-Induced Restriction

The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu counteracts tetherin (BST-2/CD317) by preventing its incorporation into virions, reducing its surface expression, and ultimately promoting its degradation. Here we characterize a putative trafficking motif, EXXXLV, in the second alpha helix of the subtype-B Vpu cytoplasmic tail as being required for efficient tetherin antagonism. Mutation of this motif prevents ESCRT-dependent degradation of tetherin/Vpu complexes, tetherin cell surface downregulation, but not its physical interaction with Vpu. Importantly, this motif is required for efficient cell-free virion release from CD4+ T cells, particularly after their exposure to type-1 interferon, indicating that the ability to reduce surface tetherin levels and promote its degradation is important to counteract restriction under conditions that the virus likely encounters in vivo. Vpu EXXXLV mutants accumulate with tetherin at the cell surface and in endosomal compartments, but retain the ability to bind both β-TrCP2 and HRS, indicating that this motif is required for a post-binding trafficking event that commits tetherin for ESCRT-dependent degradation and prevents its transit to the plasma membrane and viral budding zones. We further found that while Vpu function is dependent on clathrin, and the entire second alpha helix of the Vpu tail can be functionally complemented by a clathrin adaptor binding peptide derived from HIV-1 Nef, none of the canonical clathrin adaptors nor retromer are required for this process. Finally we show that residual activity of Vpu EXXXLV mutants requires an intact endocytic motif in tetherin, suggesting that physical association of Vpu with tetherin during its recycling may be sufficient to compromise tetherin activity to some degree.     

Anti-tetherin activities of HIV-1 Vpu and Ebola virus glycoprotein do not involve removal of tetherin from lipid rafts

BST-2/tetherin is an interferon-inducible host restriction factor that blocks the release of newly formed enveloped viruses. It is enriched in lipid raft membrane microdomains, which are also the sites of assembly of several enveloped viruses. Viral anti-tetherin factors, such as the HIV-1 Vpu protein, typically act by removing tetherin from the cell surface. In contrast, the Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP) is unusual in that it blocks tetherin restriction without apparently altering its cell surface localization. We explored the possibility that GP acts to exclude tetherin from the specific sites of virus assembly without overtly removing it from the cell surface and that lipid raft exclusion is the mechanism involved. However, we found that neither GP nor Vpu had any effect on tetherin's distribution within lipid raft domains. Furthermore, GP did not prevent the colocalization of tetherin and budding viral particles. Contrary to previous reports, we also found no evidence that GP is itself a raft protein. Together, our data indicate that the exclusion of tetherin from lipid rafts is not the mechanism used by either HIV-1 Vpu or Ebola virus GP to counteract tetherin restriction.     

Functional Antagonism of Rhesus Macaque and Chimpanzee BST-2 by HIV-1 Vpu Is Mediated by Cytoplasmic Domain Interactions

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu enhances the release of viral particles from infected cells by interfering with the function of BST-2/tetherin, a cellular protein inhibiting virus release. The Vpu protein encoded by NL4-3, a widely used HIV-1 laboratory strain, antagonizes human BST-2 but not monkey or murine BST-2, leading to the conclusion that BST-2 antagonism by Vpu is species specific. In contrast, we recently identified several primary Vpu isolates, such as Vpu of HIV-1_DH12, capable of antagonizing both human and rhesus BST-2. Here we report that while Vpu interacts with human BST-2 primarily through their respective transmembrane domains, antagonism of rhesus BST-2 by Vpu involved an interaction of their cytoplasmic domains. Importantly, a Vpu mutant carrying two mutations in its transmembrane domain (A₁₄L and W₂₂A), rendering it incompetent for interaction with human BST-2, was able to interact with human BST-2 carrying the rhesus BST-2 cytoplasmic domain and partially neutralized the ability of this BST-2 variant to inhibit viral release. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis to detect Vpu–BST-2 interactions suggested that the physical interaction of Vpu with rhesus or chimpanzee BST-2 involves a 5-residue motif in the cytoplasmic domain of BST-2 previously identified as important for the antagonism of monkey and great ape BST-2 by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Nef. Thus, our study identifies a novel mechanism of antagonism of monkey and great ape BST-2 by Vpu that targets the same motif in BST-2 used by SIV Nef and might explain the expanded host range observed for Vpu isolates in our previous study.     

Ubiquitination of BST-2 protein by HIV-1 Vpu protein does not require lysine, serine, or threonine residues within the BST-2 cytoplasmic domain

The cellular protein BST-2/CD317/Tetherin has been shown to inhibit the release of HIV-1 and other enveloped viruses from infected cells. The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu binds to both BST-2 and βTrCP, a substrate-recognition subunit for the SCF (Skip1-Cullin1-F-box protein) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. This interaction leads to both the degradation of BST-2 and the enhancement of viral egress. Recently BST-2 was shown to be ubiquitinated in this process. Here we have confirmed the Vpu- and βTrCP-dependent multi/polyubiquitination of BST-2. Ubiquitinated BST-2 accumulated in cells treated with a lysosomal inhibitor but not a proteasomal inhibitor. Additionally, we observed that a BST-2 mutant deleted for its cytosolically exposed lysine residues is also ubiquitinated. Subsequent experiments suggested that Vpu promotes BST-2 ubiquitination upon amino acid residues bearing hydroxyl- but not thiol-bearing side chains. However, a BST-2 mutant bearing substitutions for its cytoplasmically exposed Ser, Thr, and Lys residues was still down-regulated, ubiquitinated, and degraded in a Vpu-dependent manner. Our results suggest that Vpu may target either the BST-2 cytoplasmic Tyr residues or the NH(2) terminus itself for ubiquitination.     

Some human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpu proteins are able to antagonize macaque BST-2 in vitro and in vivo: Vpu-negative simian-human immunodeficiency viruses are attenuated in vivo

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu enhances the release of viral particles from infected cells by targeting BST-2/tetherin, a cellular protein inhibiting virus release. The widely used HIV-1(NL4-3) Vpu functionally inactivates human BST-2 but not murine or monkey BST-2, leading to the notion that Vpu antagonism is species specific. Here we investigated the properties of the CXCR4-tropic simian-human immunodeficiency virus DH12 (SHIV(DH12)) and the CCR5-tropic SHIV(AD8), each of which carries vpu genes derived from different primary HIV-1 isolates. We found that virion release from infected rhesus peripheral blood mononuclear cells was enhanced to various degrees by the Vpu present in both SHIVs. Transfer of the SHIV(DH12) Vpu transmembrane domain to the HIV-1(NL4-3) Vpu conferred antagonizing activity against macaque BST-2. Inactivation of the SHIV(DH12) and SHIV(AD8) vpu genes impaired virus replication in 6 of 8 inoculated rhesus macaques, resulting in lower plasma viral RNA loads, slower losses of CD4(+) T cells, and delayed disease progression. The expanded host range of the SHIV(DH12) Vpu was not due to adaptation during passage in macaques but was an intrinsic property of the parental HIV-1(DH12) Vpu protein. These results demonstrate that the species-specific inhibition of BST-2 by HIV-1(NL4-3) Vpu is not characteristic of all HIV-1 Vpu proteins; some HIV-1 isolates encode a Vpu with a broader host range.     

Role of the endocytic pathway in the counteraction of BST-2 by human lentiviral pathogens

The interferon-inducible transmembrane protein BST-2 (CD317, tetherin) restricts the release of several enveloped viruses from infected cells. BST-2 is broadly active against retroviruses, including HIV-1 and HIV-2. To counteract this host defense, HIV-1 uses the accessory protein Vpu, whereas HIV-2 uses its envelope glycoprotein (Env). In both cases, viral antagonism is associated with decreased expression of BST-2 at the cell surface. Here, we provide evidence supporting a role for the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway in the downregulation of BST-2 from the cell surface and the counteraction of restricted virion release. A catalytically inactive, dominant negative version of the vesicle "pinch-ase" dynamin 2 (dyn2K44A) inhibited the downregulation of BST-2 by Vpu, and it inhibited the release of wild-type (Vpu-expressing) HIV-1 virions. Similarly, dyn2K44A inhibited the downregulation of BST-2 by HIV-2 Env, and it inhibited the release of vpu-negative HIV-1 virions when HIV-2 Env was provided in trans. dyn2K44A inhibited Env more robustly than Vpu, suggesting that dynamin 2, while a cofactor for both Env and Vpu, might support just one of several pathways though which Vpu counteracts BST-2. In support of a role for clathrin in these effects, the C-terminal domain of the clathrin assembly protein AP180 also inhibited the downregulation of BST-2 by either Vpu or HIV-2 Env. Consistent with modulation of the postendocytic itinerary of BST-2, Vpu enhanced the accumulation of cell surface-derived BST-2 in transferrin-containing endosomes. Vpu also inhibited the transport of BST-2 from a brefeldin A-insensitive compartment to the cell surface, consistent with a block to endosomal recycling. We propose that HIV-1 Vpu, and probably HIV-2 Env, traps BST-2 in an endosomal compartment following endocytosis, reducing its level at the cell surface to counteract restricted viral release.     

HIV-1 Vpu Neutralizes the Antiviral Factor Tetherin/BST-2 by Binding It and Directing Its Beta-TrCP2-Dependent Degradation

Host cells impose a broad range of obstacles to the replication of retroviruses. Tetherin (also known as CD317, BST-2 or HM1.24) impedes viral release by retaining newly budded HIV-1 virions on the surface of cells. HIV-1 Vpu efficiently counteracts this restriction. Here, we show that HIV-1 Vpu induces the depletion of tetherin from cells. We demonstrate that this phenomenon correlates with the ability of Vpu to counteract the antiviral activity of both overexpressed and interferon-induced endogenous tetherin. In addition, we show that Vpu co-immunoprecipitates with tetherin and β-TrCP in a tri-molecular complex. This interaction leads to Vpu-mediated proteasomal degradation of tetherin in a β-TrCP2-dependent manner. Accordingly, in conditions where Vpu-β-TrCP2-tetherin interplay was not operative, including cells stably knocked down for β-TrCP2 expression or cells expressing a dominant negative form of β-TrCP, the ability of Vpu to antagonize the antiviral activity of tetherin was severely impaired. Nevertheless, tetherin degradation did not account for the totality of Vpu-mediated counteraction against the antiviral factor, as binding of Vpu to tetherin was sufficient for a partial relief of the restriction. Finally, we show that the mechanism used by Vpu to induce tetherin depletion implicates the cellular ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway, which mediates the dislocation of ER membrane proteins into the cytosol for subsequent proteasomal degradation. In conclusion, we show that Vpu interacts with tetherin to direct its β-TrCP2-dependent proteasomal degradation, thereby alleviating the blockade to the release of infectious virions. Identification of tetherin binding to Vpu provides a potential novel target for the development of drugs aimed at inhibiting HIV-1 replication.     

HIV-1 Vpu antagonizes BST-2 by interfering mainly with the trafficking of newly synthesized BST-2 to the cell surface

Bone marrow stromal cell antigen-2 (BST-2) inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) release by cross-linking nascent virions on infected cell surface. HIV-1 Vpu is thought to antagonize BST-2 by downregulating its surface levels via a mechanism that involves intracellular sequestration and lysosomal degradation. Here, we investigated the functional importance of cell-surface BST-2 downregulation and the BST-2 pools targeted by Vpu using an inducible proviral expression system. Vpu established a surface BST-2 equilibrium at ～60% of its initial levels within 6 h, a condition that coincided with detection of viral release. Analysis of BST-2 post-endocytic trafficking revealed that the protein is engaged in a late endosomal pathway independent of Vpu. While Vpu moderately enhanced cell-surface BST-2 clearance, it strongly affected the protein resupply to the plasma membrane via newly synthesized proteins. Noticeably, Vpu affected clearance of surface BST-2 more substantially in Jurkat T cells than in HeLa cells, suggesting a cell-dependent impact of Vpu on the pool of surface BST-2. Collectively, our data reveal that Vpu imposes a new BST-2 equilibrium, incompatible with efficient restriction of HIV-1 release, by combining an acceleration of surface BST-2 natural clearance, whose degree might be cell-type dependent, to a severe impairment of the protein resupply to the plasma membrane.     

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 assembly and release by the cholesterol-binding compound amphotericin B methyl ester: evidence for Vpu dependence

We investigated the mechanism by which the cholesterol-binding compound amphotericin B methyl ester (AME) inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particle production. We observed no significant effect of AME on Gag binding to the plasma membrane, Gag association with lipid rafts, or Gag multimerization, indicating that the mechanism of inhibition by AME is distinct from that by cholesterol depletion. Electron microscopy analysis indicated that AME significantly disrupts virion morphology. Interestingly, we found that AME does not inhibit the release of Vpu-defective HIV-1 or Vpu⁻ retroviruses such as murine leukemia virus and simian immunodeficiency virus. We demonstrated that the ability of Vpu to counter the activity of CD317/BST-2/tetherin is markedly reduced by AME. These results indicate that AME interferes with the anti-CD317/BST-2/tetherin function of Vpu.     

Polarity changes in the transmembrane domain core of HIV-1 Vpu inhibits its anti-tetherin activity

Tetherin (BST-2/CD317) is an interferon-inducible antiviral protein that restricts the release of enveloped viruses from infected cells. The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu can efficiently antagonize this restriction. In this study, we analyzed mutations of the transmembrane (TM) domain of Vpu, including deletions and substitutions, to delineate amino acids important for HIV-1 viral particle release and in interactions with tetherin. The mutants had similar subcellular localization patterns with that of wild-type Vpu and were functional with respect to CD4 downregulation. We showed that the hydrophobic binding surface for tetherin lies in the core of the Vpu TM domain. Three consecutive hydrophobic isoleucine residues in the middle region of the Vpu TM domain, I15, I16 and I17, were important for stabilizing the tetherin binding interface and determining its sensitivity to tetherin. Changing the polarity of the amino acids at these positions resulted in severe impairment of Vpu-induced tetherin targeting and antagonism. Taken together, these data reveal a model of specific hydrophobic interactions between Vpu and tetherin, which can be potentially targeted in the development of novel anti-HIV-1 drugs.     

Mutation of a Single Residue Renders Human Tetherin Resistant to HIV-1 Vpu-Mediated Depletion

The recently identified restriction factor tetherin/BST-2/CD317 is an interferon-inducible trans-membrane protein that restricts HIV-1 particle release in the absence of the HIV-1 countermeasure viral protein U (Vpu). It is known that Tantalus monkey CV1 cells can be rendered non-permissive to HIV-1 release upon stimulation with type 1 interferon, despite the presence of Vpu, suggesting species-specific sensitivity of tetherin proteins to viral countermeasures such as Vpu. Here we demonstrate that Tantalus monkey tetherin restricts HIV-1 by nearly two orders of magnitude, but in contrast to human tetherin the Tantalus protein is insensitive to HIV-1 Vpu. We have investigated tetherin''s sensitivity to Vpu using positive selection analyses, seeking evidence for evolutionary conflict between tetherin and viral countermeasures. We provide evidence that tetherin has undergone positive selection during primate evolution. Mutation of a single amino acid (showing evidence of positive selection) in the trans-membrane cap of human tetherin to that in Tantalus monkey (T45I) substantially impacts on sensitivity to HIV-1 Vpu, but not on antiviral activity. Finally, we provide evidence that cellular steady state levels of tetherin are substantially reduced by Vpu, and that the T45I mutation abrogates this effect. This study provides evidence that tetherin is important in protecting mammals against viral infection, and that the HIV-1 Vpu–mediated countermeasure is specifically adapted to act against human tetherin. It also emphasizes the power of selection analyses to illuminate the molecular details of host–virus interactions. This work suggests that tetherin binding agents might protect it from viral encoded countermeasures and thus make powerful antivirals.     

A combined EM and proteomic analysis places HIV-1 Vpu at the crossroads of retromer and ESCRT complexes: PTPN23 is a Vpu-cofactor

The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu modulates membrane protein trafficking and degradation to provide evasion of immune surveillance. Targets of Vpu include CD4, HLAs, and BST-2. Several cellular pathways co-opted by Vpu have been identified, but the picture of Vpu’s itinerary and activities within membrane systems remains incomplete. Here, we used fusion proteins of Vpu and the enzyme ascorbate peroxidase (APEX2) to compare the ultrastructural locations and the proximal proteomes of wild type Vpu and Vpu-mutants. The proximity-omes of the proteins correlated with their ultrastructural locations and placed wild type Vpu near both retromer and ESCRT-0 complexes. Hierarchical clustering of protein abundances across the mutants was essential to interpreting the data and identified Vpu degradation-targets including CD4, HLA-C, and SEC12 as well as Vpu-cofactors including HGS, STAM, clathrin, and PTPN23, an ALIX-like protein. The Vpu-directed degradation of BST-2 was supported by STAM and PTPN23 and to a much lesser extent by the retromer subunits Vps35 and SNX3. PTPN23 also supported the Vpu-directed decrease in CD4 at the cell surface. These data suggest that Vpu directs targets from sorting endosomes to degradation at multi-vesicular bodies via ESCRT-0 and PTPN23.     

Species-Specific Activity of HIV-1 Vpu and Positive Selection of Tetherin Transmembrane Domain Variants

Tetherin/BST-2/CD317 is a recently identified antiviral protein that blocks the release of nascent retrovirus, and other virus, particles from infected cells. An HIV-1 accessory protein, Vpu, acts as an antagonist of tetherin. Here, we show that positive selection is evident in primate tetherin sequences and that HIV-1 Vpu appears to have specifically adapted to antagonize variants of tetherin found in humans and chimpanzees. Tetherin variants found in rhesus macaques (rh), African green monkeys (agm) and mice were able to inhibit HIV-1 particle release, but were resistant to antagonism by HIV-1 Vpu. Notably, reciprocal exchange of transmembrane domains between human and monkey tetherins conferred sensitivity and resistance to Vpu, identifying this protein domain as a critical determinant of Vpu function. Indeed, differences between hu-tetherin and rh-tetherin at several positions in the transmembrane domain affected sensitivity to antagonism by Vpu. Two alterations in the hu-tetherin transmembrane domain, that correspond to differences found in rh- and agm-tetherin proteins, were sufficient to render hu-tetherin completely resistant to HIV-1 Vpu. Interestingly, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain sequences in primate tetherins exhibit variation at numerous codons that is likely the result of positive selection, and some of these changes coincide with determinants of HIV-1 Vpu sensitivity. Overall, these data indicate that tetherin could impose a barrier to viral zoonosis as a consequence of positive selection that has been driven by ancient viral antagonists, and that the HIV-1 Vpu protein has specialized to target the transmembrane domains found in human/chimpanzee tetherin proteins.     

The RING-CH Ligase K5 Antagonizes Restriction of KSHV and HIV-1 Particle Release by Mediating Ubiquitin-Dependent Endosomal Degradation of Tetherin

Tetherin (CD317/BST2) is an interferon-induced membrane protein that inhibits the release of diverse enveloped viral particles. Several mammalian viruses have evolved countermeasures that inactivate tetherin, with the prototype being the HIV-1 Vpu protein. Here we show that the human herpesvirus Kaposi''s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is sensitive to tetherin restriction and its activity is counteracted by the KSHV encoded RING-CH E3 ubiquitin ligase K5. Tetherin expression in KSHV-infected cells inhibits viral particle release, as does depletion of K5 protein using RNA interference. K5 induces a species-specific downregulation of human tetherin from the cell surface followed by its endosomal degradation. We show that K5 targets a single lysine (K18) in the cytoplasmic tail of tetherin for ubiquitination, leading to relocalization of tetherin to CD63-positive endosomal compartments. Tetherin degradation is dependent on ESCRT-mediated endosomal sorting, but does not require a tyrosine-based sorting signal in the tetherin cytoplasmic tail. Importantly, we also show that the ability of K5 to substitute for Vpu in HIV-1 release is entirely dependent on K18 and the RING-CH domain of K5. By contrast, while Vpu induces ubiquitination of tetherin cytoplasmic tail lysine residues, mutation of these positions has no effect on its antagonism of tetherin function, and residual tetherin is associated with the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in Vpu-expressing cells. Taken together our results demonstrate that K5 is a mechanistically distinct viral countermeasure to tetherin-mediated restriction, and that herpesvirus particle release is sensitive to this mode of antiviral inhibition.     

Vpu Antagonizes BST-2–Mediated Restriction of HIV-1 Release via β-TrCP and Endo-Lysosomal Trafficking

The interferon-induced transmembrane protein BST-2/CD317 (tetherin) restricts the release of diverse enveloped viruses from infected cells. The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu antagonizes this restriction by an unknown mechanism that likely involves the down-regulation of BST-2 from the cell surface. Here, we show that the optimal removal of BST-2 from the plasma membrane by Vpu requires the cellular protein β-TrCP, a substrate adaptor for a multi-subunit SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase complex and a known Vpu-interacting protein. β-TrCP is also required for the optimal enhancement of virion-release by Vpu. Mutations in the DSGxxS β-TrCP binding-motif of Vpu impair both the down-regulation of BST-2 and the enhancement of virion-release. Such mutations also confer dominant-negative activity, consistent with a model in which Vpu links BST-2 to β-TrCP. Optimal down-regulation of BST-2 from the cell surface by Vpu also requires the endocytic clathrin adaptor AP-2, although the rate of endocytosis is not increased; these data suggest that Vpu induces post-endocytic membrane trafficking events whose net effect is the removal of BST-2 from the cell surface. In addition to its marked effect on cell-surface levels, Vpu modestly decreases the total cellular levels of BST-2. The decreases in cell-surface and intracellular BST-2 are inhibited by bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of endosomal acidification; these data suggest that Vpu induces late endosomal targeting and partial degradation of BST-2 in lysosomes. The Vpu-mediated decrease in surface expression is associated with reduced co-localization of BST-2 and the virion protein Gag along the plasma membrane. Together, the data support a model in which Vpu co-opts the β-TrCP/SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase complex to induce endosomal trafficking events that remove BST-2 from its site of action as a virion-tethering factor.     

Arrestin-2 Interacts with the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport Machinery to Modulate Endosomal Sorting of CXCR4

The chemokine receptor CXCR4, a G protein-coupled receptor, is targeted for lysosomal degradation via a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism that involves the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery. We have reported recently that arrestin-2 also targets CXCR4 for lysosomal degradation; however, the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs remain poorly understood. Here, we show that arrestin-2 interacts with ESCRT-0, a protein complex that recognizes and sorts ubiquitinated cargo into the degradative pathway. Signal-transducing adaptor molecule (STAM)-1, but not related STAM-2, interacts directly with arrestin-2 and colocalizes with CXCR4 on early endosomal antigen 1-positive early endosomes. Depletion of STAM-1 by RNA interference and disruption of the arrestin-2/STAM-1 interaction accelerates agonist promoted degradation of CXCR4, suggesting that STAM-1 via its interaction with arrestin-2 negatively regulates CXCR4 endosomal sorting. Interestingly, disruption of this interaction blocks agonist promoted ubiquitination of hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HRS) but not CXCR4 and STAM-1 ubiquitination. Our data suggest a mechanism whereby arrestin-2 via its interaction with STAM-1 modulates CXCR4 sorting by regulating the ubiquitination status of HRS.     

Compensatory changes in the cytoplasmic tail of gp41 confer resistance to tetherin/BST-2 in a pathogenic nef-deleted SIV

Tetherin (BST-2 or CD317) is an interferon-inducible transmembrane protein that inhibits virus release from infected cells. Whereas HIV-1 Vpu and HIV-2 Env counteract human tetherin, most SIVs use Nef to antagonize the tetherin proteins of their nonhuman primate hosts. Here, we show that compensatory changes in the cytoplasmic domain of SIV gp41, acquired by a nef-deleted virus that regained a pathogenic phenotype in infected rhesus macaques, restore resistance to tetherin. These changes facilitate virus release in the presence of rhesus tetherin, but not human tetherin, and enhance virus replication in interferon-treated primary lymphocytes. The substitutions in gp41 result in a selective physical association with rhesus tetherin, and the internalization and sequestration of rhesus tetherin by a mechanism that depends on a conserved endocytosis motif in gp41. These results are consistent with HIV-2 Env antagonism of human tetherin and suggest that the ability to oppose tetherin is important for lentiviral pathogenesis.