[Evolution of lentiviruses and receptor specificity]

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Molecular Biology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Lentiviruses, including primate lentiviruses and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), are a significant group of retroviruses.
• Primate lentiviruses typically use CD4 as a primary receptor and chemokine receptors as coreceptors for cell entry.
• Understanding lentiviral receptor usage is crucial for comprehending viral tropism and cross-species transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolutionary pathways of lentiviruses.
• To discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying lentiviral cross-species transmission.
• To highlight the distinct receptor usage of FIV compared to primate lentiviruses.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on lentivirus biology, receptor usage, and evolution.
• Comparative analysis of receptor utilization by primate lentiviruses and FIV.
• Discussion of experimental findings on FIV-host interactions and CD134-independent entry.

Main Results:

• FIV utilizes feline CD134 as a primary receptor and CXCR4 as a coreceptor, differing from primate lentiviruses.
• FIV can use both feline and human CXCR4, but primarily feline CD134.
• Certain FIV strains and primate lentiviruses can infect cells independently of their canonical receptors (CD134 and CD4, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Lentiviral receptor usage has evolved, with FIV exhibiting unique tropism mechanisms.
• The CD134-independent entry of FIV and CD4-independent entry of primate lentiviruses suggest alternative infection pathways.
• Understanding these mechanisms is key to predicting and potentially preventing lentiviral cross-species transmission events.