Virion stiffness and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 entry

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Title Virion stiffness and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 entry
Publication Type dissertation
School or College School of Medicine
Department Biochemistry
Author Pang, Hongbo
Date 2011-12
Description After budding from infected cells, Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) undergoes a maturation process that is required for viral infectivity. In the immature state, the major structural protein of viral particles, Gag, forms a thick protein shell underneath the viral membrane. During maturation, Gag is cleaved by HIV-1 protease and the resulting mature particles have a much thinner membrane-bound protein layer surrounding a conical core (capsid), which is a dramatic morphological change from the immature state. Employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), Itay Rousso's group together with ours previously discovered a dramatic change in particle stiffness during HIV-1 maturation mediated by the cytoplasmic tail (CT) of HIV-1's envelope protein (Env). A correlation between high particle stiffness and weak viral entry activity led us to investigate whether viral particle stiffness directly regulates viral entry activity. First, after observing that standard viral purification conditions perturb virion structure and stiffness, we determined new purification conditions that preserve both. Next, we showed that CT alone is sufficient to regulate viral particle stiffness. This observation allowed us to independently increase particle stiffness using a construct that lacks the Env ectodomain and thus has no entry ability itself. Using this system, we showed that particle stiffness directly regulates the entry activity of the Env proteins of both HIV-1 and the unrelated Vesicular Stomatatis Virus (VSV). These results suggest a general role for particle stiffness in the regulation of viral entry, linking viral physical properties and biological functions. Mutagenesis studies reveal the important domains within CT or Gag that regulate viral entry activity. Employing an Env mutant with cleavable CT, we obtained preliminary data about the timing of CT's regulation of particle stiffness. Taken together, these studies improve our understanding of viral structure and function during the viral lifecycle and suggest potential novel inhibitory strategies.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Entry; HIV-1; Virion stiffness; Viral entry; Replication
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Doctor of Philosophy
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Hongbo Pang 2011
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 5,793,767 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,59809
Source Original in Marriott LIbrary Special Collections, QR6.5 2011 .P36
ARK ark:/87278/s6gb2jrj
Setname ir_etd
ID 194574
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6gb2jrj
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