Interactions Between HIV-2 and Host Restriction Factors

Abstract

Host restriction factors mount a first line response to viral infection, yet, are often hampered by specific viral proteins which directly resist their action. The HIV-2 proteins gag, vif, env, and vpx serve to modify the actions of four major host restriction factors: TRIM5α, APOBEC, Tetherin, and SAMHD1, respectively. The HIV-2 proteins utilise no specific enzymatic function in their roles as antagonists, but rather act as “linker molecules”; connecting host restriction factors to the proteins of cellular pathways that facilitate their sequestration or degradation, and in so doing- enabling viral replication and transmission. This article explores the complex interplay between the host restriction factor and the HIV-2 protein antagonist.