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Journal of Virology, August 2007, p. 7873-7884, Vol. 81, No. 15
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01845-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, The University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
Received 24 August 2006/ Accepted 15 May 2007
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The molecular pathways regulating the trafficking of HIV-1 proteins have been intensely studied over recent years and have provided many important insights into virus assembly. In infected T cells, both HIV-1 Env and Gag are targeted to GM-1-rich, lipid raft-like plasma membrane, in part by palmitoylation and myristoylation signals (3, 7, 55, 56). At the plasma membrane, HIV-1 Env associates with the outer leaflet, whereas Gag is transported independently of Env and associates with the inner leaflet. The integrity of lipid raft-like plasma membrane domains is crucial for virus assembly and budding of infectious virions (6, 10, 18, 24, 27, 32, 43, 48). Self-multimerization of Gag at the appropriate cellular membrane appears to drive viral core formation, and capsids acquire Env during the process of budding and envelopment to produce infectious virions. Cellular components are also involved in the trafficking of Env and Gag, including the clathrin adaptor complex proteins AP1, AP2, and AP3 (1, 4, 9, 11, 64) and the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) (41). Moreover, the lipid second messenger phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2) has been implicated in HIV-1 Gag trafficking and influences the site of virus budding in different cell types (46). Finally, elements of the cellular cytoskeleton and the secretory pathway are also likely to be major factors that spatially and temporally regulate HIV-1 egress (5, 9, 44, 45, 50, 52).
Although much has been done to elucidate the molecular cell biology of HIV-1 morphogenesis pathways, most of the work has been performed using viral gene expression systems in immortalized cell lines of epithelial or fibroblastic origin, not least because of their facility for gene transfer and ease of imaging. The weight of evidence suggests that most nonlymphoid immortalized cell lines demonstrate a mixed phenotype, with viral proteins trafficking both to the plasma membrane and into vesicular compartments resembling MVBs (19, 44, 45, 52). The association of tetraspanins such as CD63, CD81, and CD82, the lysosomal marker Lamp1, and major histocompatibility complex II (MHC class II) molecules with the budding virion compartment and their presence within the virion have been taken as support for the late endosome (LE)/MVB classification of this compartment in nonlymphoid cell types (44, 47, 51). Moreover, many of these studies have followed Gag expressed in isolation (5, 47, 57), whereas the trafficking of Gag is influenced by other viral gene products such as Env (9, 33, 34). Thus, relatively little work has been done in the context of productive infection in T cells, particularly primary T cells. Although there is evidence that recombinant Gag expressed in Jurkat T cells colocalizes with CD81 (5), there are conflicting reports as to whether Gag and CD63 colocalize in T cells (5, 44, 47). Even less well studied is the association between Env and tetraspanins, although recent data suggest Env may colocalize with CD9 and CD63 at the surface of the Jurkat T-cell line (45).
To address this, we have analyzed viral trafficking and assembly in Jurkat T cells and primary CD4+ T cells infected with replication-competent HIV-1. We find that Env and Gag colocalize with the tetraspanin proteins CD63 and CD81 both intracellularly and at the plasma membrane, with the majority of viral antigen located at the plasma membrane. HIV-1 assembles in actin-dependent tetraspanin-enriched membrane (TEM)-enriched plasma membrane caps and patches, and both CD63 and CD81 are incorporated into nascent virions. In conjugates formed between HIV-1-infected and uninfected CD4+ T cells, viral antigens and receptors are trafficked towards the virological synapse (VS) (26, 28) and TEMs are recruited along with Gag and Env to the VS. Based upon these data, we propose that HIV-1 infection intersects the secretory pathway in T cells, spatially and temporally organizing viral assembly to promote viral budding and cell-cell spread.
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Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. CD4+ T cells (2 x 105 to 5 x 105) were washed in RPMI 1640-1% FCS and incubated on poly-L-lysine (Sigma)-treated coverslips at 37°C for up to 60 min. Cells were then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 15 min followed by quenching in ammonium chloride for 10 min at room temperature. For intracellular staining of tetraspanins and HIV Gag, the cells were permeabilized in 0.1%Triton X-100-5% FCS for 20 min at room temperature and washed extensively in PBS-1% BSA. For surface staining of tetraspanins, the cells were first adhered at 37°C and then incubated with antibodies for 30 min at 4°C before being fixed. Immunostaining was done with the following antibodies. CD63 was detected with an anti-CD63 hybridoma supernatant (Developmental Studies Hybridoma Cell Bank, Iowa City, IA) or an IgG2b anti-CD63 MAb (a generous gift from Mark Marsh, University College, London, United Kingdom). Mouse MAbs to CD81 (clone JS-81) and CD9 (clone M-L13) were purchased from BD Pharmingen. Rabbit antiserum against Lamp2 was from the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Cell Bank. HIV-1 Env was detected with the gp41-specific MAb 50-69 (CFAR) or the carbohydrate-specific anti-Env MAb 2G12 (Polymun Scientific), and Gag was stained with rabbit antisera against p17 and p24 or a mouse MAb specific for p24 (CFAR). Primary antibodies were detected with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-, tetramethyl rhodamine isocyanate (TRITC)-, or Cy5-conjugated donkey anti-mouse, human or rabbit secondary antibodies that were tested for an absence of interspecies reactivity (Jackson Immunoresearch). Alternatively, isotype-specific (anti-IgG1 and anti-IgG2b) Alexa-Fluor 568 and Alexa-Fluor 488 secondary antibodies were used (Molecular Probes). Coverslips were mounted with ProLong antifade mounting solution (Molecular Probes), and confocal analysis was performed using a Bio-Rad Radiance 2000 MP laser-scanning confocal microscope. Image processing and three-dimensional reconstruction of sequential z series was performed using MetaMorph version 6.1 and Adobe Photoshop version 7.
Quantification of copolarization. JurkatLAI cells alone were stained for Env, Gag, and either CD63 or CD81 as described above, and multiple random sections of low-power fields were acquired using confocal microscopy. The total number of effector cells was counted, and each effector cell was analyzed for cocapping of Env or Gag with CD63 or CD81. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and statistical significance was assumed when P was <0.05.
Inhibition of the actin cytoskeleton. Actin remodeling was blocked by treating JurkatLAI cells with 1 µM latrunculin A (Molecular Probes) in WB at 37°C for 60 min prior to fixing and staining for HIV-1 Env, Gag, and tetraspanins. Quantification of the disruption of Env-Gag-tetraspanin colocalization in untreated or inhibitor-treated cells was performed. Multiple random sections of low-power fields were acquired using confocal microscopy, the total number of effector cells was counted, and each effector cell was analyzed for colocalization of Env and Gag with CD63 or CD81. Statistical analysis was performed using an unpaired, two-tailed Student's t test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, and statistical significance was assumed when P was <0.05.
Flow cytometry of surface tetraspanin expression. Uninfected CD4+ cells or HIV-1-infected cells (primaryLAI and JurkatLAI) were washed in cold fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) WB (FWB: PBS with 1% FCS and 0.01% sodium azide) and cells were incubated on ice for 1 h with saturating concentrations of antibodies specific for CD63, CD81, or CD9. An irrelevant antibody was also included as a control. Cells were subsequently washed in cold FWB, incubated with anti-mouse IgG-phycoerythrin for 30 min on ice, and fixed in FWB with 1% formaldehyde. Acquisition and analysis were performed using a Becton Dickinson FACS Calibur and CellQuest software.
CEM. For cryoimmunoelectron microscopy (CEM), JurkatLAI cells (2 x 106) were washed, pelleted by low-speed centrifugation, and fixed in 250 mM HEPES containing 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 min. This was replaced with 8% paraformaldehyde, and cells were incubated for 2 h at 4°C. Fixed cells were washed in 250 mM HEPES, embedded in 2% gelatin, and infused with 2.3 M sucrose and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Ultrathin cryosections (50 nm) were quenched in 20 mM glycine and blocked in PBS-1% BSA. For double-labeling experiments, staining was performed first with either mouse anti-CD63 (Caltag), mouse anti-CD81 (kindly provided by Fedor Berditchevski, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom), or rabbit anti-Lamp2 followed by 5-nm mouse- or 10-nm rabbit-specific gold colloids (Agar). Sections were then washed and labeled with rabbit antiserum raised against HIV Gag (CFAR) or a mouse MAb specific for Gag p55/p17 (CFAR). This was followed by either 10-nm rabbit- or 5-nm mouse-specific gold colloids. Ultrathin sections were examined using a Phillips FEI Technai 12 transmission electron microscope, and digital images were captured using Soft Imaging software and processed using Photoshop. The scale bar represents 100 nm.
Virus precipitation assay. Immunoprecipitations were based on methods described by others (43, 51). Briefly, cell-free virus containing supernatants prepared from infected T cells was diluted in PBS-3% BSA and incubated overnight at 4°C with 10 µg/ml of either anti-Env antibodies (2G12 and B12; Polymun Scientific and CFAR, respectively), pooled human serum from infected individuals (HIVIg), CD63, CD81, CD9, or a dengue virus-specific control antibody (a gift from Joanna Miller, University of Oxford, United Kingdom). Pansorbin cells (formalin-fixed Staphylococcus aureus; Calbiochem) were blocked in PBS-3% BSA and added to the virus-antibody mixture at a final concentration of 2%. After 1 h at room temperature, captured virus was pelleted by centrifugation at 4,000 rpm for 15 min. Precipitated material was analyzed for p24 Gag content by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To measure the effect of actin depolymerization on the incorporation of tetraspanins into virions, 1 x 107 JurkatLAI cells were treated with 1 µM latrunculin A for 3 h at 37°C, washed, and incubated in RPMI 1640-10% FCS without latrunculin A for 3 h. Viral supernatants were collected, pelleted, and resuspended in PBS-3% BSA, and immunoprecipitations were performed as described above.
p24 Gag ELISA. Antibody-precipitated pellets were resuspended in PBS-3% BSA and inactivated at 56°C for 30 min with 1% Empigen (Calbiochem). Samples were diluted in Tris-buffered saline (pH 7.4) containing 10% FCS and 1% Empigen, and viral p24 was captured with the sheep anti-p24 antibody D7320 (CFAR). Plates were washed, and bound p24 was detected with biotinylated mouse anti-p24 (Aalto Scientific) followed by streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase (Serotec). Plates were developed with the 1-Step Ultra TMB-ELISA (Pierce), and optical density was measured at 450 nm. The p24 content for each precipitation was calculated after subtracting the nonspecific background signal determined by incubating viral supernatants with preblocked Pansorbin cells in the absence of antibody.
VS formation, analysis, and inhibition. JurkatLAI cells (5 x 105) were mixed with an equal number of primary CD4+ target T cells, and conjugates were allowed to evolve by incubating on poly-L-lysine-treated coverslips for 60 min at 37°C. Surface staining of HIV Env was performed using 10 µg/ml of MAb 50-69 (CFAR) that was included during conjugate formation as this MAb has previously been shown not to be inhibitory in this system (26). Conjugate evolution was arrested by fixation with cold 4% paraformaldehyde, and cells were permeabilized and stained for immunofluorescence analysis as described above. Inhibition of synapse formation with antitetraspanin antibodies was performed as follows. JurkatLAI cells (5 x 105) were mixed with primary CD4+ target T cells (prelabeled with Cell Tracker dye from Invitrogen) in the presence of anti-CD63 (diluted 1/250), anti-CD81 (20 µg/ml), or anti-CD9 (20 µg/ml) antibodies that had been dialyzed to remove sodium azide. Conjugates were allowed to evolve for 60 min at 37°C, and the cells were then fixed, permeabilized, and stained for HIV-1 Gag and Env as described above. Coverslips were analyzed by immunofluorescence, and multiple random sections of low-power fields were acquired. The total number of effector cells was counted, and the percentage of effectors within conjugates was quantified. Conjugates were defined as closely apposed pairs of cells containing at least one target T cell and one Env+ or Gag+ cell. Each effector cell was analyzed for polarization to the cell-cell interface of Env and Gag. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, and statistical significance was assumed when P was <0.05.
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FIG. 1. Distribution of tetraspanins in uninfected Jurkat T cells. (A) Uninfected Jurkat T cells were adhered to poly-L-lysine-coated coverslips for 1 h at 37°C, fixed with paraformaldehyde, permeabilized, and stained with MAbs against CD63, CD81, or CD9 (red). Images shown are single confocal sections through the middle of a cell. (B) Cell surface expression of CD63, CD81, and CD9 was measured on uninfected Jurkat T cells by flow cytometry. The mean fluorescence intensity of CD63, CD81, and CD9 staining (solid line) is shown compared to a control MAb (broken line), and the mean fluorescence values (insert) are shown for each plot. Levels of surface expression of CD63 (white bars), CD81 (gray bars), and CD9 (black bars) are compared between HIV-1 infected Jurkat cells and uninfected Jurkat cells (bottom panel). Data are the means of three independent experiments, and error bars represent the standard error of the mean. (C) CD63 does not colocalize with CD81 or CD9 in Jurkat T cells. Jurkat cells were adhered to coverslips, fixed, permeabilized, and stained for CD63 (green) and either CD81 (left panel, red) or CD9 (right panel, red). Primary MAbs were detected with anti-IgG2b (CD63) and anti-IgG1 (CD81 and CD9) isotype-specific conjugated secondary antibodies. The three-dimensional reconstructed z series (top) and a single optical section through the middle of the cell (center) are shown. The bottom panels each show a magnified image of a region from the single optical section selected for strong staining (boxed).
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0.05 by unpaired, two-tailed Student's t test). This suggests that any changes to the cellular localization of tetraspanins after HIV-1 infection are due to a redistribution of tetraspanin-containing compartments within the cytoplasm and/or coalescence of preexisting TEMs at the plasma membrane. Fixation and permeabilization of JurkatLAI (Fig. 2C) and primaryLAI (Fig. 2D) cells followed by labeling of Gag revealed similar labeling patterns to those observed for Env: strong colocalization of capped Gag was observed with CD63 and CD81. Similar to that seen with surface labeling, some colocalization was apparent between CD9 and Gag in primaryLAI cells and little or no colocalization of Gag and CD9 was observed in JurkatLAI cells, but the weak CD9 expression precluded a definitive conclusion. Very little specific colocalization was observed between Gag and the LE/lysosome marker Lamp2, indicating that the CD63/CD81/Gag-positive compartment was unlikely to be lysosomal in nature (Fig. 2E). The percentage of JurkatLAI cells showing colocalization of Env and Gag with CD63 and CD81 was quantified. We routinely detect cocapping of Env and Gag in about 50% of JurkatLAI cells examined by LSCM (26; data not shown), and of these capped cells, colocalization between HIV-1 proteins and CD63 or CD81 was as follows: CD63 or CD81 and Env, 67% ± 11% and 75% ± 9%, respectively; CD63 or CD81 and Gag, 73% ± 11% and 71% ± 9%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between colocalization of Env or Gag with CD63 or CD81 (P > 0.05 by one-way ANOVA). JurkatLAI cells without cocapping of tetraspanins with Env or Gag showed the same CD81 and CD63 staining pattern as uninfected cells: uniform surface staining of CD81 without any obvious polarization and a vesicular cytoplasmic distribution of CD63+ with weak surface expression. Why a percentage of cells do not show cocapping is unclear, but it may be influenced by what stage the infection is at and whether these cells were more recently infected than others in the culture.
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FIG. 2. HIV-1 Env and Gag colocalize with tetraspanins in virus-infected T cells. HIV-1-infected JurkatLAI T cells (A) or primaryLAI cells (B) were surface stained for Env and tetraspanins. Cells were adhered to coverslips for 1 h at 37°C in the presence of the human Env-specific antibody 2G12 and then incubated at 4°C for 30 min with MAbs against CD63 (left panel), CD81 (center panel), or CD9 (right panel). Cells were fixed, and surface staining of Env (green) and tetraspanins (red) was analyzed by LSCM. Images are single sections through the middle of a cell, and areas of colocalization are yellow. JurkatLAI T cells (C) or primaryLAI cells (D) were permeabilized and stained for Gag and tetraspanins. Cells were adhered to coverslips, fixed and permeabilized, and incubated with rabbit antisera against Gag p17 and p24 and MAbs against CD63 (left panel), CD81 (center panel), or CD9 (right panel). Intracellular staining of Gag (green) and tetraspanins (red) was analyzed by LSCM. Images are single sections through the middle of the cell, and areas of colocalization are yellow. (E) Jurkat LAI cells were adhered to coverslips, fixed, permeabilized, and stained for intracellular Gag and Lamp2. Images are single sections through the middle of the cell, and areas of colocalization are yellow.
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FIG. 3. HIV-1 Env accumulates in CD63+ CD81+ TEMs at the plasma membrane of T cells. (A) Jurkat T cells and (B) primary CD4+ T cells were used uninfected (left panel) or infected with HIV-1 (right panel). Cells were adhered to coverslips for 1 h at 37°C in the presence of the human Env-specific antibody 2G12 and then incubated at 4°C for 30 min with MAbs against CD63 and CD81. Cells were fixed, and the surface staining of Env (blue), CD63 (green), and CD81 (red) was analyzed by LSCM. The top panels show a single section through the middle of the cell, and the bottom panels are magnified images of a region selected for strong staining from the single optical section (boxed). Regions of CD63 and CD81 colocalization are yellow, and regions of Env, CD63, and CD81 triple colocalization appear white.
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FIG. 4. CD63 and CD81 are incorporated into budding virions. Ultrathin cryosections of HIV-1-infected JurkatLAI cells were labeled with rabbit antiserum against HIV Gag p17 and a mouse MAb specific for either CD63 (A) or CD81 (B). Primary antibodies were labeled with mouse-specific 5-nm and rabbit-specific 10-nm gold colloids. CD63 and CD81 labeling (5-nm gold colloid) is highlighted with arrowheads. (C) Cryosections were labeled with a mouse MAb against Gag and rabbit antiserum specific for Lamp2. Here Gag was visualized with mouse-specific 5-nm gold colloids and Lamp2 with rabbit-specific 10-nm colloids. Lamp2 labeling is highlighted with arrowheads, and a budding virion (Lamp Gag+) is highlighted with an asterisk. Bar, 100 nm. (D) Virus precipitation with antibodies against HIV-1 proteins or tetraspanins. Cell-free viral supernatants were precipitated with Env-specific antibodies (MAbs 2G12 and IgG1b12), tetraspanin-specific MAbs, or a control antibody, and the Gag p24 content of the precipitated material was measured by ELISA. The nonspecific background signal was determined by incubating viral supernatants with preblocked Pansorbin cells without antibody, and these values were subtracted to calculate the concentration of p24 in ng/ml. Bars represent means of two independent experiments, and variability is represented by the standard error of the mean.
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TABLE 1. Quantification of tetraspanin incorporation into HIV-1 virions
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FIG. 5. Actin depolymerization disrupts TEM-HIV-1 polarized assembly platforms. JurkatLAI cells (5 x 105) were washed, resuspended in RPMI 1640-1% FCS, and adhered to poly-L-lysine-coated coverslips at 37°C. The cells were either untreated (left panel) or treated with latrunculin A (right panels) and stained for HIV-1 Env with the MAb 50-69 (blue). Cells were fixed, permeabilized, and stained for HIV-1 Gag (green) and either CD63 (A [red]) or CD81 (B [red]). Images are single sections through the middle of the cell with the corresponding Nomarski image: areas of red/green colocalization appear yellow, and areas of red/green/blue colocalization appear white.
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FIG. 6. Tetraspanins are components of the T-cell VS. HIV-1-infected JurkatLAI cells (effectors) were mixed with an equal number of freshly-isolated primary CD4+ T cells (targets) and incubated on poly-L-lysine-treated coverslips in the presence of the Env-specific MAb 50-69 (blue) for 1 h at 37°C. Conjugate evolution was arrested by fixing, and cells were permeabilized and stained using rabbit antisera directed against Gag p17 and p24 (green) and mouse MAbs specific for either CD63 (red, left panel), CD81 (red, second panel from left), or CD9 (red, second panel from right). Alternatively, cells were stained with a mouse MAb against Gag (green) and rabbit antisera against Lamp2 (red, right panel). CD81 and CD63, and to a lesser extent CD9, but not Lamp2, are enriched in the effector cell at the conjugate interface and colocalize with HIV-1 Env and Gag. Images are single sections through the middle of a conjugate, and the target cell is labeled with an asterisk. Areas of colocalization appear white, and the corresponding Nomarski image is shown.
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TABLE 2. Effect of tetraspanin antibodies on VS formation
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In macrophages, HIV-1 accumulates in structures resembling MVBs but recently reported to be continuous with the plasma membrane (63). These compartments are positive for CD63, CD81, and CD82, and the tetraspanins are incorporated into virions (51, 54). This differs from HIV-1-pulsed but uninfected dendritic cells, in which surface-bound HIV-1 particles are internalized into a CD81+ CD82+ CD9+ but CD63 endocytic compartment (14) that is then trafficked to the cell surface and presented to T cells at the dendritic cell-T-cell VS (37). There are conflicting reports about whether Gag colocalizes with CD63 in cells that are not of the myeloid lineage. This uncertainty reflects differences in the cell types used but may also be a consequence of expressing HIV-1 Gag in the absence of other viral proteins such as Env, Nef, and Vpu (5, 9, 20, 33, 34, 59, 62). Our findings in Jurkat T cells agree with those of another recent study in which viral antigen-associated TEMs were observed in Jurkat cells and HIV-1 Env colocalized with CD63 and CD9 at the plasma membrane (45). In addition, Booth et al. (5) have recently reported colocalization of Gag with CD63 and CD81 in Jurkat cells expressing recombinant Gag protein. Our observations that CD63, CD81, and, to a lesser extent, CD9 all colocalize with both Env and Gag in primary CD4+ and Jurkat T cells infected with replication-competent virus support and extend these previous studies and provides strong evidence for a universal HIV-1 exit strategy via T-cell tetraspanin-enriched membranes. In addition, we have shown for the first time that the HIV-1 assembly process intersects the tetraspanin sorting pathway in primary T cells, that CD81 and CD63 are incorporated into virions that bud from CD4+ T cells, that a functional actin cytoskeleton is required to maintain the integrity of HIV-1 antigen-containing TEMs, and that TEMs are recruited to the VS. Thus, a consensus is emerging that HIV-1 intersects elements of the secretory pathway to coordinate viral egress in cells that are the natural targets for HIV-1 in vivo.
We did not observe any colocalization of Lamp2 with Env or Gag in virus-infected T cells, nor was Lamp2 incorporated into budding virions, similar to results reported for macrophages (51). Thus, it appears that the compartments through which HIV-1 proteins traffic and the membranes from which virions bud contain similar tetraspan markers in both T cells and macrophages but are distinct from the conventional CD63+ Lamp+ vesicle characteristic of LEs. The association of HIV-1 proteins with tetraspanins such as CD63 has been taken as evidence that HIV-1 budding is targeted to endosomal membranes, be they intracellular vesicles or plasma membrane regions with inserted endosomal membrane patches (5, 44, 51) and that endosomal membranes are the final target in all cell types of the HIV-1 transport pathway. It has been proposed that targeting endosomal membranes would allow HIV-1 to access the ESCRT machinery that is necessary for membrane vesiculation and viral budding (5, 41). An alternate hypothesis is that newly synthesized HIV-1 Gag is targeted directly to the plasma membrane in all cell types, including macrophages (30, 45, 57, 63). The detection of ESCRT proteins at the plasma membrane (63) adds credibility to this proposal. Subsequent plasma membrane endocytosis may then transport viral proteins to LE in some cell types, where they could accumulate and their detection therein would give the impression that HIV-1 proteins are trafficked directly to these organelles (30). In support of a "single-membrane model" of HIV-1 budding it has been reported that a significant fraction of the cellular CD63 (and MHC class II) traffics via the plasma membrane en route to lysosomes (25). The colocalization of Env and Gag with CD63 at the plasma membrane may therefore simply reflect the utilization by these proteins of similar transport pathways, with plasma membrane as the predominant site of HIV-1 assembly in all cell types.
Tetraspanin function is diverse and incompletely characterized due to a lack of defined ligand-receptor interactions and a striking functional redundancy between members (21, 22). Despite this, they are known to exert pleiotropic effects on cell migration, signaling, adhesion, fusion, and cytoskeletal reorganization and are thought to function as adaptor molecules to modulate the function of protein complexes, the so-called "tetraspan web" (reviewed in references 21 and 22). Although almost ubiquitously expressed (21, 22), CD81 and CD9 sorting is less well studied than that of CD63. CD81 is a component of the immunological synapse (40), a multimolecular complex that shares many features with the retrovirus-induced VS (28, 53). By analogy with the immunological synapse therefore, recruitment of CD81 to the VS may contribute to VS stability (61). Alternatively, given the ability of tetraspanins to regulate actin cytoskeleton organization and actin-associated lipid rafts (2, 8), they may be involved in recruitment and/or assembly of HIV-1 proteins. Our observation that actin depolymerization disrupts the polar cap of CD81 and CD63 associated with HIV-1 Gag and Env is consistent with a role for actin-TEM interactions. Likewise, the association of CD81 and CD9 with PIP2 (21), which has been demonstrated to play a role in HIV-1 Gag trafficking (46, 58, 60), may also help direct HIV-1 assembly to the plasma membrane. Once at the plasma membrane, tetraspanins may enhance cell-cell spread of HIV-1 across the VS. Further analysis will shed light on whether tetraspanins confer a significant functional advantage to the virus or whether they are simply passengers during HIV-1 trafficking, assembly, and spread.
This work was funded by grants G0400453 and G0100137 from the Medical Research Council, UK.
Published ahead of print on 23 May 2007. ![]()
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