scholarly journals A Conserved Tryptophan-Rich Motif in the Membrane-Proximal Region of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gp41 Ectodomain Is Important for Env-Mediated Fusion and Virus Infectivity

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 2469-2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Salzwedel ◽  
John T. West ◽  
Eric Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Envelope Glycoprotein ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Tryptophan Residues ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Mutations were introduced into the ectodomain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmembrane envelope glycoprotein, gp41, within a region immediately adjacent to the membrane-spanning domain. This region, which is predicted to form an α-helix, contains highly conserved hydrophobic residues and is unusually rich in tryptophan residues. In addition, this domain overlaps the epitope of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody, 2F5, as well as the sequence corresponding to a peptide, DP-178, shown to potently neutralize virus. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to create deletions, substitutions, and insertions centered around a stretch of 17 hydrophobic and uncharged amino acids (residues 666 to 682 of the HXB2 strain of HIV-1) in order to determine the role of this region in the maturation and function of the envelope glycoprotein. Deletion of the entire stretch of 17 amino acids abrogated the ability of the envelope glycoprotein to mediate both cell-cell fusion and virus entry without affecting the normal maturation, transport, or CD4-binding ability of the protein. This phenotype was also demonstrated by substituting alanine residues for three of the five tryptophan residues within this sequence. Smaller deletions, as well as multiple amino acid substitutions, were also found to inhibit but not block cell-cell fusion. These results demonstrate the crucial role of a tryptophan-rich motif in gp41 during a post-CD4-binding step of glycoprotein-mediated fusion. The basis for the invariant nature of the tryptophans, however, appears to be at the level of glycoprotein incorporation into virions. Even the substitution of phenylalanine for a single tryptophan residue was sufficient to reduce Env incorporation and drop the efficiency of virus entry approximately 10-fold, despite the fact that the same mutation had no significant effect on syncytium formation.

scholarly journals An Unrelated Monoclonal Antibody Neutralizes Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 by Binding to an Artificial Epitope Engineered in a Functionally Neutral Region of the Viral Envelope Glycoproteins

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 5616-5624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinping Ren ◽  
Joseph Sodroski ◽  
Xinzhen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Envelope Glycoprotein ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Viral Envelope ◽  
Epitope Tag ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Neutralizing antibodies often recognize regions of viral envelope glycoproteins that play a role in receptor binding or other aspects of virus entry. To address whether this is a necessary feature of a neutralizing antibody, we identified the V4 region of the gp120 envelope glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as a sequence that is tolerant of drastic change and thus appears to play a negligible role in envelope glycoprotein function. An artificial epitope tag was inserted into the V4 region without a significant effect on virus entry or neutralization by antibodies that recognize HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein sequences. An antibody directed against the artificial epitope tag was able to neutralize the modified, but not the wild-type, HIV-1. Thus, the specific target of a neutralizing antibody need not contribute functionally to the process of virus entry.

scholarly journals Activation and Inactivation of Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Trimers by CD4-Mimetic Compounds

2016 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Navid Madani ◽  
Amy M. Princiotto ◽  
Connie Zhao ◽  
Fatemeh Jahanbakhshsefidi ◽  
Max Mertens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Envelope Glycoprotein ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Envelope Glycoproteins ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry into cells is mediated by the viral envelope glycoproteins (Env), a trimer of three gp120 exterior glycoproteins, and three gp41 transmembrane glycoproteins. The metastable Env is triggered to undergo entry-related conformational changes when gp120 binds sequentially to the receptors, CD4 and CCR5, on the target cell. Small-molecule CD4-mimetic compounds (CD4mc) bind gp120 and act as competitive inhibitors of gp120-CD4 engagement. Some CD4mc have been shown to trigger Env prematurely, initially activating Env function, followed by rapid and irreversible inactivation. Here, we study CD4mc with a wide range of anti-HIV-1 potencies and demonstrate that all tested CD4mc are capable of activating as well as inactivating Env function. Biphasic dose-response curves indicated that the occupancy of the protomers in the Env trimer governs viral activation versus inactivation. One CD4mc bound per Env trimer activated HIV-1 infection. Envs with two CD4mc bound were activated for infection of CD4-negative, CCR5-positive cells, but the infection of CD4-positive, CCR5-positive cells was inhibited. Virus was inactivated when all three Env protomers were occupied by the CD4mc, and gp120 shedding from the Env trimer was increased in the presence of some CD4mc. Env reactivity and the on rates of CD4mc binding to the Env trimer were found to be important determinants of the potency of activation and entry inhibition. Cross-sensitization of Env protomers that do not bind the CD4mc to neutralization by an anti-V3 antibody was not evident. These insights into the mechanism of antiviral activity of CD4mc should assist efforts to optimize their potency and utility. IMPORTANCE The trimeric envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mediate virus entry into host cells. Binding to the host cell receptors, CD4 and CCR5, triggers changes in the conformation of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimer important for virus entry. Small-molecule CD4-mimetic compounds inhibit HIV-1 infection by multiple mechanisms: (i) direct blockade of the interaction between the gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein and CD4; (ii) premature triggering of conformational changes in the envelope glycoproteins, leading to irreversible inactivation; and (iii) exposure of cryptic epitopes to antibodies, allowing virus neutralization. The consequences of the binding of the CD4-mimetic compound to the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins depends upon how many of the three subunits of the trimer are bound and upon the propensity of the envelope glycoproteins to undergo conformational changes. Understanding the mechanistic factors that influence the activity of CD4-mimetic compounds can help to improve their potency and coverage of diverse HIV-1 strains.

scholarly journals Subunit Stoichiometry of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trimers during Virus Entry into Host Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 4388-4395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinzhen Yang ◽  
Svetla Kurteva ◽  
Xinping Ren ◽  
Sandra Lee ◽  
Joseph Sodroski
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Envelope Glycoprotein ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Envelope Glycoproteins ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) function as a homotrimer of gp120/gp41 heterodimers to support virus entry. During the process of virus entry, an individual HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimer binds the cellular receptors CD4 and CCR5/CXCR4 and mediates the fusion of the viral and the target cellular membranes. By studying the function of heterotrimers between wild-type and nonfunctional mutant envelope glycoproteins, we found that two wild-type subunits within an envelope glycoprotein trimer are required to support virus entry. Complementation between HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein mutants defective in different functions to allow virus entry was not evident. These results assist our understanding of the mechanisms whereby the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins mediate virus entry and membrane fusion and guide attempts to inhibit these processes.

scholarly journals Mutational Analysis of the Hydrophobic Tail of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 p6Gag Protein Produces a Mutant That Fails To Package Its Envelope Protein

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Ott ◽  
Elena N. Chertova ◽  
Laura K. Busch ◽  
Lori V. Coren ◽  
Tracy D. Gagliardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hydrophobic Tail ◽  
Carboxyl Terminal ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The p6Gag protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is produced as the carboxyl-terminal sequence within the Gag polyprotein. The amino acid composition of this protein is high in hydrophilic and polar residues except for a patch of relatively hydrophobic amino acids found in the carboxyl-terminal 16 amino acids. Internal cleavage of p6Gag between Y36 and P37, apparently by the HIV-1 protease, removes this hydrophobic tail region from approximately 30% of the mature p6Gag proteins in HIV-1MN. To investigate the importance of this cleavage and the hydrophobic nature of this portion of p6Gag, site-directed mutations were made at the minor protease cleavage site and within the hydrophobic tail. The results showed that all of the single-amino-acid-replacement mutants exhibited either reduced or undetectable cleavage at the site yet almost all were nearly as infectious as wild-type virus, demonstrating that processing at this site is not important for viral replication. However, one exception, Y36F, was 300-fold as infectious the wild type. In contrast to the single-substitution mutants, a virus with two substitutions in this region of p6Gag, Y36S-L41P, could not infect susceptible cells. Protein analysis showed that while the processing of the Gag precursor was normal, the double mutant did not incorporate Env into virus particles. This mutant could be complemented with surface glycoproteins from vesicular stomatitis virus and murine leukemia virus, showing that the inability to incorporate Env was the lethal defect for the Y36S-L41P virus. However, this mutant was not rescued by an HIV-1 Env with a truncated gp41TM cytoplasmic domain, showing that it is phenotypically different from the previously described MA mutants that do not incorporate their full-length Env proteins. Cotransfection experiments with Y36S-L41P and wild-type proviral DNAs revealed that the mutant Gag dominantly blocked the incorporation of Env by wild-type Gag. These results show that the Y36S-L41P p6Gag mutation dramatically blocks the incorporation of HIV-1 Env, presumably acting late in assembly and early during budding.

scholarly journals Evolution of Envelope Sequences from the Genital Tract and Peripheral Blood of Women Infected with Clade A Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 8240-8251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Poss ◽  
Allen G. Rodrigo ◽  
John J. Gosink ◽  
Gerald H. Learn ◽  
Dana de Vange Panteleeff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Tissue Compartment ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv 1 ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACT The development of viral diversity during the course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection may significantly influence viral pathogenesis. The paradigm for HIV-1 evolution is based primarily on studies of male cohorts in which individuals were presumably infected with a single virus variant of subtype B HIV-1. In this study, we evaluated virus evolution based on sequence information of the V1, V2, and V3 portions of HIV-1 clade A envelope genes obtained from peripheral blood and cervical secretions of three women with genetically heterogeneous viral populations near seroconversion. At the first sample following seroconversion, the number of nonsynonymous substitutions per potential nonsynonymous site (dn) significantly exceeded substitutions at potential synonymous sites (ds) in plasma viral sequences from all individuals. Generally, values of dn remained higher than values of ds as sequences from blood or mucosa evolved. Mutations affected each of the three variable regions of the envelope gene differently; insertions and deletions dominated changes in V1, substitutions involving charged amino acids occurred in V2, and sequential replacement of amino acids over time at a small subset of positions distinguished V3. The relationship among envelope nucleotide sequences obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, plasma, and cervical secretions was evaluated for each individual by both phylogenetic and phenetic analyses. In all subjects, sequences from within each tissue compartment were more closely related to each other than to sequences from other tissues (phylogenetic tissue compartmentalization). At time points after seroconversion in two individuals, there was also greater genetic identity among sequences from the same tissue compartment than among sequences from different tissue compartments (phenetic tissue compartmentalization). Over time, temporal phylogenetic and phenetic structure was detectable in mucosal and plasma viral samples from all three women, suggesting a continual process of migration of one or a few infected cells into each compartment followed by localized expansion and evolution of that population.

scholarly journals Role of Vif in Stability of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Core

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (23) ◽  
pp. 11055-11066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åsa Öhagen ◽  
Dana Gabuzda
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
The Core ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The Vif protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is important for virion infectivity. Previous studies have shown thatvif-defective virions exhibit structural abnormalities in the virus core and are defective in the ability to complete proviral DNA synthesis in acutely infected cells. We developed novel assays to assess the relative stability of the core in HIV-1 virions. Using these assays, we examined the role of Vif in the stability of the HIV-1 core. The integrity of the core was examined following virion permeabilization or removal of the lipid envelope and treatment with various triggers, including S100 cytosol, deoxynucleoside triphosphates, detergents, NaCl, and buffers of different pH to mimic aspects of the uncoating and disassembly process which occurs after virus entry but preceding or during reverse transcription.vif mutant cores were more sensitive to disruption by all triggers tested than wild-type cores, as determined by endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT) assays, biochemical analyses, and electron microscopy. RT and the p7 nucleocapsid protein were released more readily from vif mutant virions than from wild-type virions, suggesting that the internal nucleocapsid is less stably packaged in the absence of Vif. Purified cores could be isolated from wild-type but not vif mutant virions by sedimentation through detergent-treated gradients. These results demonstrate that Vif increases the stability of virion cores. This may permit efficient viral DNA synthesis by preventing premature degradation or disassembly of viral nucleoprotein complexes during early events after virus entry.

scholarly journals Structure–functional analysis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr: role of leucine residues on Vpr-mediated transactivation and virus replication

Virology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 328 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dineshkumar Thotala ◽  
Elizabeth A. Schafer ◽  
Biswanath Majumder ◽  
Michelle L. Janket ◽  
Marc Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Virus Replication ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv 1

scholarly journals Highly Stable Trimers Formed by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoproteins Fused with the Trimeric Motif of T4 Bacteriophage Fibritin

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 4634-4642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinzhen Yang ◽  
Juliette Lee ◽  
Erin M. Mahony ◽  
Peter D. Kwong ◽  
Richard Wyatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Envelope Glycoprotein ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Envelope Glycoproteins ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
T4 Bacteriophage ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) function as a trimer composed of three gp120 exterior glycoproteins and three gp41 transmembrane proteins. Soluble gp140 glycoproteins composed of the uncleaved ectodomains of gp120 and gp41 form unstable, heterogeneous oligomers, but soluble gp140 trimers can be stabilized by fusion with a C-terminal, trimeric GCN4 motif (X. Yang et al., J. Virol. 74:5716-5725, 2000). To understand the influence of the C-terminal trimerization domain on the properties of soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers, uncleaved, soluble gp140 glycoproteins were stabilized by fusion with another trimeric motif derived from T4 bacteriophage fibritin. The fibritin construct was more stable to heat and reducing conditions than the GCN4 construct. Both GCN4- and fibritin-stabilized soluble gp140 glycoproteins exhibited patterns of neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibody binding expected for the functional envelope glycoprotein spike. Of note, two potently neutralizing antibodies, immunoglobulin G1b12 and 2G12, exhibited the greatest recognition of the stabilized, soluble trimers, relative to recognition of the gp120 monomer. The observed similarities between the GCN4 and fibritin constructs indicate that the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein ectodomains dictate many of the antigenic and structural features of these fusion proteins. The melting temperatures and ligand recognition properties of the GCN4- and fibritin-stabilized soluble gp140 glycoproteins suggest that these molecules assume conformations distinct from that of the fusion-active, six-helix bundle.

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