DNA damage induced by HIV-1 Vpr triggers epigenetic remodeling and transcriptional programs to enhance virus transcription and latency reactivation

Hijacking of host DNA damage repair (DDR) pathways to facilitate virus replication is broadly conserved amongst diverse viral families. It has been well established that the HIV-1 accessory protein Vpr induces constitutive DDR signaling and G2/M cell cycle arrest, but the virologic function of this activity remains unclear. Here, we use a combination of functional, pharmacologic, biochemical, and genetic approaches to establish that virion-associated and de novo Vpr proteins induce DDR responses that trigger global epigenetic remodeling and activation of transcription programs to enhance HIV-1 promoter activity during acute infection and reactivation from latency. Functional, genetic, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments reveal that Vpr segregates into two functionally discrete pools—a multimeric pool in the nucleus associated with chromatin and a monomeric pool in the cytoplasm associated with a host E3-ubiquitin ligase. Vpr-induced DDR and epigenetic remodeling activities are present in common HIV-1 subtypes circulating globally and in patient-derived isolates.