Monitoring early fusion dynamics of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 at single-molecule resolution.

ABSTRACT: The fusion of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to host cells is a dynamic process governed by the interaction between glycoproteins on the viral envelope and the major receptor, CD4, and coreceptor on the surface of the cell. How these receptors organize at the virion-cell interface to promote a fusion-competent site is not well understood. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy, we map the tensile strengths, lifetimes, and energy barriers of individual intermolecular bonds between CCR5-tropic HIV-1 gp120 and its receptors CD4 and CCR5 or CXCR4 as a function of the interaction time with the cell. According to the Bell model, at short times of contact between cell and virion, the gp120-CD4 bond is able to withstand forces up to 35 pN and has an initial lifetime of 0.27 s and an

SUBMITTER: Dobrowsky TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2446967 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature