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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

In Vitro Assay to Evaluate the Impact of Immunoregulatory Pathways on HIV-specific CD4 T Cell Effector Function
Published on: October 16, 2013
Interaction between human interleukin-16 and CD4 receptor of HIV-1
1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecule Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, CAS, Kunming 650223, China.
Aim:
To study the interaction between human interleukin-16 (IL-16) and the receptor CD4 (T-lymphocyte differentiation antigen) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).
Methods:
Two structurally conserved regions (SCRs) of human IL-16 were built by the SYBYL/Biopolymer module using the corresponding transmembrane (TM) domain of human interleukin-4 (HIL-4) and HIL-2 as the templates. The coordinates for amino-terminal residue sequence, carboxyl-terminal residue sequences, and cytoplasm loops were generated using Biopolymer's LOOP SEARCH algorithm.
Results:
HIL-16 first formed a homodimer, then contacted with CD4 dimer further forming a dimeric complex. Subsequently, the dimeric complex constructed the tetrameric complex by two disulfide bridges between the cysteines of HIL-16 (Cys31-Cys31).
Conclusion:
The interaction model is useful to propose the action mechanism of HIL-16 and is beneficial for rational designing of novel anti-HIV drugs.
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