A Conserved Tryptophan in the Envelope Cytoplasmic Tail Regulates HIV-1 Assembly and Spread.

ABSTRACT: The HIV-1 envelope (Env) is an essential determinant of viral infectivity, tropism and spread between T cells. Lentiviral Env contain an unusually long 150 amino acid cytoplasmic tail (EnvCT), but the function of the EnvCT and many conserved domains within it remain largely uncharacterised. Here, we identified a highly conserved tryptophan motif at position 757 (W757) in the LLP-2 alpha helix of the EnvCT as a key determinant for HIV-1 replication and spread between T cells. Alanine substitution at this position potently inhibited HIV-1 cell-cell spread (the dominant mode of HIV-1 dissemination) by preventing recruitment of Env and Gag to sites of cell-cell contact, inhibiting virological synapse (VS) formation and spreading infection. Single-molecule tracking and super-resolution imaging

SUBMITTER: Snetkov X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8778169 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature