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DC-SIGN interactions with human immunodeficiency virus: virus binding and transfer are dissociable functions

S Pöhlmann1, G J Leslie, T G Edwards

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

Journal of Virology
|October 3, 2001
PubMed

Insights

DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR capture and transfer HIV, but this process is not solely due to virus tethering. The study reveals distinct binding and transfer steps in DC-SIGN/DC-SIGNR-mediated human immunodeficiency virus transmission.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Virology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • C-type lectins like DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR are implicated in capturing and transferring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
  • The precise mechanism by which these lectins facilitate HIV transmission to susceptible cells remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR-mediated HIV transmission.
  • To determine if HIV transmission is solely dependent on the prolonged tethering of the virus to the cell surface.

Main Methods:

  • Investigating the binding and transfer dynamics of HIV in the presence of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR.
  • Analyzing the dissociable nature of the binding and transfer steps involved in viral transmission.

Main Results:

  • DC-SIGN/DC-SIGNR-mediated HIV transmission comprises distinct binding and transfer phases.
  • These two steps, binding and transfer, can be dissociated, suggesting a more complex mechanism than simple virus tethering.

Conclusions:

  • Efficient human immunodeficiency virus transmission via DC-SIGN/DC-SIGNR is not solely a consequence of virus tethering to the cell.
  • The findings reveal a multi-step process involving separable binding and transfer events critical for HIV transmission.

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