Centrosome amplification and aneuploidy driven by the HIV-1-induced Vpr•VprBP•Plk4 complex in CD4+ T cells

Abstract HIV-1 infection elevates the risk of developing various cancers, including T-cell lymphoma. Whether HIV-1-encoded proteins directly contribute to oncogenesis remains unknown. We observe that approximately 1–5% of CD4+ T cells from the blood of people living with HIV-1 exhibit over-duplicate...

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Main Authors: Jung-Eun Park, Tae-Sung Kim, Yan Zeng, Melissa Mikolaj, Jong Il Ahn, Muhammad S. Alam, Christina M. Monnie, Victoria Shi, Ming Zhou, Tae-Wook Chun, Frank Maldarelli, Kedar Narayan, Jinwoo Ahn, Jonathan D. Ashwell, Klaus Strebel, Kyung S. Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46306-8
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Summary:Abstract HIV-1 infection elevates the risk of developing various cancers, including T-cell lymphoma. Whether HIV-1-encoded proteins directly contribute to oncogenesis remains unknown. We observe that approximately 1–5% of CD4+ T cells from the blood of people living with HIV-1 exhibit over-duplicated centrioles, suggesting that centrosome amplification underlies the development of HIV-1-associated cancers by driving aneuploidy. Through affinity purification, biochemical, and cellular analyses, we discover that Vpr, an accessory protein of HIV-1, hijacks the centriole duplication machinery and induces centrosome amplification and aneuploidy. Mechanistically, Vpr forms a cooperative ternary complex with an E3 ligase subunit, VprBP, and polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4). Unexpectedly, however, the complex enhances Plk4’s functionality by promoting its relocalization to the procentriole assembly and induces centrosome amplification. Loss of either Vpr’s C-terminal 17 residues or VprBP acidic region, the two elements required for binding to Plk4 cryptic polo-box, abrogates Vpr’s capacity to induce these events. Furthermore, HIV-1 WT, but not its Vpr mutant, induces multiple centrosomes and aneuploidy in human primary CD4+ T cells. We propose that the Vpr•VprBP•Plk4 complex serves as a molecular link that connects HIV-1 infection to oncogenesis and that inhibiting the Vpr C-terminal motif may reduce the occurrence of HIV-1-associated cancers.
ISSN:2041-1723