Vpr, accessory protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (Retroviridae: Orthoretrovirinae: Lentivirus: Human immunodeficiency virus-1): features of genetic variants of the virus circulating in the Moscow region in 2019–2020

Introduction. Vpr is a multifunctional auxiliary HIV-1 protein. Oligomerisation is a prerequisite for the entry of Vpr into the virion and its subsequent participation in the early stages of HIV-infection. To date, natural amino acid substitutions in Vpr associated with disease progression were identified; the possibility of creating therapeutics based on Vpr is being considered. The aim of the study is to investigate Vpr features in the most common genetic variants of HIV-1 circulating in the Moscow region in 2019–2020. Materials and methods. HIV-1 samples obtained from 231 patients of the AIDS Prevention and Control Center in the period 2019–2020 were studied according to the scheme: proviral DNA extraction, amplification of the vpr gene, sequencing, and data analysis. Consensus Vpr sequences of the most common genetic variants in Russia and their spatial structures, variability of Vpr variants of HIV-1 sub-subtype A6 in patients with different stages of the disease were studied. Results. Features of Vpr protein in different genetic variants of HIV-1 could influence the formation of their oligomeric forms. No sites with statistically significant differences in the frequency of amino acid substitutions were identified in patients with different stages of disease. Conclusion. Vpr protein of HIV-1 genetic variants circulating in Russia may have differences in functional properties. Vpr-A6 variants had low variability in patients with different stages of the disease, and therefore Vpr-A6 can be considered as a target for the development of therapeutic agents.