Fumagillin suppresses HIV-1 infection of macrophages through the inhibition of Vpr activity

HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) is one of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 encoded proteins that have important roles in viral pathogenesis. However, no clinical drug for AIDS therapy that targets Vpr has been developed. Here, we have established a screening system to isolate Vpr inhibitors using budding yeast cells. We purified a Vpr inhibitory compound from fungal metabolites and identified it as fumagillin, a chemical already known to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. Fumagillin not only reversed the growth inhibitory activity of Vpr in yeast and human cells, but also inhibited Vpr-dependent viral gene expression upon the infection of human macrophages.