Intracellular nucleotide levels and the control of retroviral infections

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 436; no. 2; pp. 247 - 254
• Main Authors: Amie, Sarah M, Noble, Erin, Kim, Baek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 20.02.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Cytoplasm - chemistry; dNTP pools; Humans; Infectious Disease; Lentivirus - physiology; Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Nondividing Cells; Nucleotides - analysis; Nucleotides - metabolism; Retroviridae - physiology; Retroviruses; Reverse transcriptase; Reverse Transcription; SAM Domain and HD Domain-Containing Protein 1; SAMHD1; Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins - metabolism; Virus Replication; Vpx; Retroviruses; Reverse transcriptase; Nondividing Cells; SAMHD1; dNTP pools; Vpx
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.11.010

Abstract Retroviruses consume cellular deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) to convert their RNA genomes into proviral DNA through reverse transcription. While all retroviruses replicate in dividing cells, lentiviruses uniquely replicate in nondividing cells such as macrophages. Importantly, dNTP levels in nondividing cells are extremely low, compared to dividing cells. Indeed, a recently discovered anti-HIV/SIV restriction factor, SAMHD1, which is a dNTP triphosphohydrolase, is responsible for the limited dNTP pool of nondividing cells. Lentiviral reverse transcriptases (RT) uniquely stay functional even at the low dNTP concentrations in nondividing cells. Interestingly, Vpx of HIV-2/SIVsm proteosomally degrades SAMHD1, which elevates cellular dNTP pools and accelerates lentiviral replication in nondividing cells. These Vpx-encoding lentiviruses rapidly replicate in nondividing cells by encoding both highly functional RTs and Vpx. Here, we discuss a series of mechanistic and virological studies that have contributed to conceptually linking cellular dNTP levels and the adaptation of lentiviral replication in nondividing cells.