Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr protein binds to the uracil DNA glycosylase DNA repair enzyme

The role of the accessory gene product Vpr during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection remains unclear. We have used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify cellular proteins that interact with Vpr and could be involved in its function. A cDNA clone which encodes the human uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG), a DNA repair enzyme involved in removal of uracil in DNA, has been isolated. Interaction between Vpr and UNG has been demonstrated by in vitro protein-protein binding assays using translated, radiolabeled Vpr and UNG recombinant proteins expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. Conversely, purified UNG has been demonstrated to interact with Vpr recombinant protein expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that Vpr and UNG are associated within cells expressing Vpr. By using a panel of C- and N-terminally deleted Vpr mutants, we have determined that the core protein of Vpr, spanning amino acids 15 to 77, is involved in the interaction,vith UNG. We also demonstrate by in vitro experiments that the enzymatic activity of UNG is retained upon interaction with Vpr.