HIV-1 Nef acts in synergy with APOL1-G1 to induce nephrocyte cell death in a new Drosophila model of HIV-related kidney diseases.

model to study HIV-1 Nef and APOL1-G1 (a risk allele) showed that Nef can induce ER stress in nephrocytes by itself, as well as exacerbate the organelle acidification defects and reduced autophagy induced by APOL1-G1, which further stimulates ER stress to a level that could cause nephrocyte cell death. Thus, we identified ER stress as the converging point for the synergy between APOL1-G1 and HIV-1 Nef in kidney cells, providing a potential therapeutic target for HIV-1 and APOL1-associated nephropathies.