HIV-1 Vpr combats the PU.1-driven antiviral response in primary human macrophages.

The HIV-1 accessory protein, Vpr, is an enigmatic protein required for efficient spread of HIV from macrophages to T cells, a necessary step for propagation of infection. To illuminate the role of Vpr in HIV-infection of primary macrophages, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to capture the transcriptional changes during an HIV-1 spreading infection plus and minus Vpr. We found that Vpr reprogramed HIV-infected macrophage gene expression by targeting the master transcriptional regulator, PU.1. PU.1 was required for efficient induction of the host innate immune response to HIV, including upregulation of ISG15 , LY96, and IFI6 . In contrast, we did not observe direct effects of PU.1 on HIV gene transcription. Single cell gene expression analysis also revealed Vpr countered an innate immune response to HIV-infection within bystander macrophages via a PU.1-independent mechanism. The capacity of Vpr to target PU.1 and disrupt the anti-viral response was highly conserved across primate lentiviruses including HIV-2 and several SIVs. By demonstrating how Vpr overcomes a critical early warning system of infection, we identify a crucial reason why Vpr is necessary for HIV infection and spread.