Structural basis of lentiviral subversion of a cellular protein degradation pathway

Lentiviruses contain accessory genes that have evolved to counteract the effects of host cellular defence proteins that inhibit productive infection. One such restriction factor, SAMHD1, inhibits HIV-1 infection of myeloid-lineage cells (1,2) as well as resting CD4(+) T cells (3,4) by reducing the cellular dNTP concentration to a level where the viral reverse transcriptase cannot function (5,6). In other lentiviruses, including HIV-2 and related SIVs, SAMHD1 restriction is overcome by the action of viral accessory protein x (Vpx) or the related viral protein r (Vpr) that target and recruit SAMHD1 for proteasomal degradation (7,8). The molecular mechanism by which these viral proteins are able to usurp the host cell’s ubiquitination machinery to destroy the cell’s protection against these viruses has not been defined. We present here the crystal structure of a ternary complex of Vpx with the host cell’s E3 ligase substrate adaptor DCAF1 and the C-terminal region of SAMHD1. Vpx is made up of a three-helical bundle, stabilised by a zinc finger motif and wraps tightly around the disc-shaped DCAF1 molecule to present a new molecular surface. This adapted surface is then able to recruit SAMHD1 via its C-terminus making it a competent substrate for the E3 ligase to mark for proteasomal degradation. The structure provides the first description of how a lentiviral accessory protein is able to subvert the cell’s normal protein degradation pathway to inactivate the cellular viral defence system.