Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Assessing the Innate Sensing of HIV-1 Infected CD4+ T Cells by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Using an Ex vivo Co-culture System.
Published on: September 1, 2015
Vpu protects HIV-infected cells from antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis by counteracting tetherin
Brian J Snow1, Nida K Keles1, Ahmed Ali1
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Abstract:
Tetherin is an interferon-inducible transmembrane protein that inhibits the detachment of enveloped viruses from infected cells. HIV-1 Vpu counteracts this restriction by removing tetherin from sites of virus release. Accordingly, Vpu mutations that disrupt tetherin antagonism increase Env accumulation on the surface of HIV-infected cells. We found that Vpu mutations that impair tetherin antagonism also increase the susceptibility of HIV-infected cells to antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). Increased sensitivity to ADCP was lost in tetherin-knockout cells and conditionally restored by doxycycline-inducible tetherin. Thus, Vpu protects HIV-infected cells from ADCP by preventing virion accumulation on the cell surface, similar to its protection against antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). By serving as a link between innate and adaptive immunity, the antiviral activity of tetherin may be amplified in vivo by Fc-mediated antibody effector functions and therefore much greater than initially appreciated based solely on its ability to inhibit virus release in cell culture assays.
Related Concept Videos
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

