Vpr and Vpu Are Important for Efficient Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication and CD4 ⁺ T-Cell Depletion in Human Lymphoid Tissue Ex Vivo

Abstract excerpt

The relevance of the accessory vpr, vpu, and nef genes for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in human lymphoid tissue (HLT), the major site of viral replication in vivo, is largely unknown. Here, we show that an individual deletion of nef, vpr, or vpu significantly decreases HIV-1 replication and prevents CD4+ T-cell depletion in ex vivo HLT. However, only combined defects in all three...