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Journal of Virology, October 2000, p. 9381-9387, Vol. 74, No. 20
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2363
Received 6 April 2000/Accepted 14 July 2000
Assembly of infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)
virions requires incorporation of the viral envelope glycoproteins gp41
and gp120. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the
cytoplasmic tail of the transmembrane glycoprotein, gp41, associates
with Pr55Gag in infected cells to facilitate the
incorporation of HIV-1 envelope proteins into budding virions. However,
direct evidence for an interaction between gp41 and Pr55Gag
in HIV-1 particles has not been reported. To determine whether gp41 is
associated with Pr55Gag in HIV-1 particles, viral cores
were isolated from immature HIV-1 virions by sedimentation through
detergent. The cores contained a major fraction of the gp41 that was
present on untreated virions. Association of gp41 with cores required
the presence of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail. In HIV-1 particles
containing a functional protease, a mutation that prevents cleavage of
Pr55Gag at the matrix-capsid junction was sufficient for
the detergent-resistant association of gp41 with the isolated cores. In
addition to gp41, a major fraction of virion-associated gp120 was also
detected on immature HIV-1 cores. Isolation of cores under conditions
known to disrupt lipid rafts resulted in the removal of a
raft-associated protein incorporated into virions but not the HIV-1
envelope proteins. These results provide biochemical evidence for a
stable interaction between Pr55Gag and the cytoplasmic tail
of gp41 in immature HIV-1 particles. Moreover, findings in this study
suggest that the interaction of Pr55Gag with gp41 may
regulate the function of the envelope proteins during HIV-1 maturation.
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Evidence for a Stable Interaction of gp41 with
Pr55Gag in Immature Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type
1 Particles
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, A-5301 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232-2363. Phone: (615)
343-7037. Fax: (615) 343-7392. E-mail:
chris.aiken{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu.
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