Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
08:21
Visualization of HIV-1 Gag Binding to Giant Unilamellar Vesicle (GUV) Membranes
Published on: July 28, 2016
Virus assembly and plasma membrane domains: which came first?
A Kerviel1, A Thomas, L Chaloin
1Centre d'études d'agents Pathogènes et Biotechnologies pour la Santé, CNRS - UMR 5236, 1919 route de Mende, Montpellier F-34 293, France.
Virus Research
|September 20, 2012
Summary
This review explores how retroviruses like HIV-1 assemble at host cell membranes. It proposes a new mechanism involving the Gag protein trapping acidic lipids to form specialized membrane domains for viral assembly.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Viral assembly is a critical stage in the virus life cycle, particularly for enveloped viruses.
- Retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), assemble at the host cell's plasma membrane.
- This process requires intricate coordination of viral components and interactions with host cell membrane lipids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the assembly mechanisms of retroviruses, focusing on HIV-1 at the plasma membrane.
- To compare HIV-1 assembly with that of other RNA enveloped viruses, like influenza virus.
- To propose a novel mechanism for HIV-1 assembly in membrane domains.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of viral assembly processes.
- Comparative analysis of HIV-1 and influenza virus assembly.
- Molecular docking simulations to investigate protein-lipid interactions.
- Discussion of the roles of viral RNA and cellular actin cytoskeleton.
Main Results:
- Both HIV-1 and influenza virus are believed to assemble in raft microdomains.
- The viral Gag protein can interact with host cell lipids.
- A proposed mechanism involves Gag protein trapping acidic lipids, forming acidic lipid-enriched microdomains (ALEMs).
Conclusions:
- HIV-1 assembly involves complex interactions between viral proteins and host cell lipids at the plasma membrane.
- Acidic lipid-enriched microdomains (ALEMs) may play a significant role in HIV-1 assembly.
- Understanding these mechanisms can inform antiviral strategies.
Related Concept Videos
00:59Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
01:18Membrane Domains
The membrane domains concentrate specific lipids and proteins at one place within the membrane, which helps in cell signaling, adhesion, and other critical cellular processes. These domains can differ in size, composition, function, and lifespan.
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
02:41Protein Complex Assembly
Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types. Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
01:24What are Membranes?
A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries markers that...
01:19Fluid Mosaic Model
Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich with the analogy of...
01:28Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
Biological membranes are more than just a barrier separating cell cytoplasm from the outside environment. They are highly dynamic and help maintain the integrity and physiological stability of the cells as well as membrane-bound organelles. Membranes also play vital roles in cell-to-cell and intracellular communication.
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...