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1: Nat Immunol. 2008 Mar;9(3):301-9. Epub 2008 Feb 10.Click here to read Links
Comment in:
Nat Immunol. 2008 Mar;9(3):225-7.

HIV-1 envelope protein binds to and signals through integrin alpha4beta7, the gut mucosal homing receptor for peripheral T cells.

Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. jarthos@niaid.nih.gov

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) results in the dissemination of virus to gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Subsequently, HIV-1 mediates massive depletion of gut CD4+ T cells, which contributes to HIV-1-induced immune dysfunction. The migration of lymphocytes to gut-associated lymphoid tissue is mediated by integrin alpha4beta7. We demonstrate here that the HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 bound to an activated form of alpha4beta7. This interaction was mediated by a tripeptide in the V2 loop of gp120, a peptide motif that mimics structures presented by the natural ligands of alpha4beta7. On CD4+ T cells, engagement of alpha4beta7 by gp120 resulted in rapid activation of LFA-1, the central integrin involved in the establishment of virological synapses, which facilitate efficient cell-to-cell spreading of HIV-1.

PMID: 18264102 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]