| Summary: | Plusieurs études ont démontré que le virus d'immunodéficience humaine de type 1 (VIH-1) possède la propriété d’incorporer diverses protéines de la cellule-hôte. Certaines observations indiquent que ce processus d'incorporation est sélectif. Cependant, les mécanismes expliquant la sélectivité des protéines incorporées demeurent largement inconnus. Les travaux présentés ciblent l'identification du facteur responsable de l'incorporation sélective de la protéine cellulaire ICAM-1 par le VIH-1. Parallèlement, nous avons évalué la sensibilité des virus porteurs de l’ICAM-1 à l’action de l’inhibiteur de fusion, T-20. Un système de transfection et d'expression transitoire a été utilisé afin de produire des particules virales isogéniques avec ou sans l’ICAM-1, et de certains de ses variants. Ce système nous a permis de démontrer que le VIH-1 s’approprie la molécule d’adhésion ICAM-1 par un processus indépendant de l’enveloppe virale (Env), mais dépendant de la portion intracytoplasmique de l’ICAM-1. Cette incorporation serait dirigée par une interaction directe ou indirecte entre la molécule d’adhésion et le précurseur immature Gag du VIH-1. Par ailleurs, la présence de l’’ICAM 1 sur le VIH-1 augmente la résistance des virions à l’action du T-20 en accélérant la cinétique de fusion du virion. La présence de l’ICAM-1 à la surface des virions et son rôle dans le cycle réplicatif du VIH 1 sont très importants dans la pathogenèse du VIH-1. === INTRODUCTION Previous works have indicated that incorporation of surface glycoprotein into retroviruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is not a highly specific process since several cellular glycoproteins can be inserted within the mature viral particle. The mechanism(s) that govern the acquisition of such host constituents have remained so far elusive. OBJECTIVES We have examined the molecular basis, associate to ICAM-1 localization and structural viral proteins responsible for the selective incorporation of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 within HIV-1. We also investigated whether sensitivity to the newly developed fusion inhibitor T-20 is affected by incorporation of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 in HIV 1. METHODS We have first investigated the role played by the viral envelope (Env) of HIV-1 in the acquisition of host ICAM-1. The incorporation process of ICAM-1 was also investigated by using different ICAM-1 constructs in which both transmembranes and intracytoplasmic tails were modified. These investigations were performed in combination with virus capture and immunoprecipitation studies, Western blot, confocal microscopy analyses, and infectivity assays. We finally used laboratory isolates of HIV-1 (X4- and R5-tropic) either lacking or bearing ICAM-1 as well as clinical variants into infectivity tests to both evaluate their respective IC50 for the fusion inhibitor and to understand the mechanism of resistance bring by the presence of this host molecule. RESULTS Mutation in the matrix (MA) domain or on Env-deficient viruses produced either in immortalized or primary human cell lines does not affect the incorporation of ICAM-1 by HIV-1. However, the incorporation seems to be conducted by the cytosolic tail of ICAM-1. Further experiments suggested that there is an association – direct or indirect – between ICAM-1 and virus-encoded Pr55Gag. We also demonstrate that ICAM-1-bearing virions are more resistant to T-20 than isogenic HIV-1 particles lacking this host adhesion molecule probably based on a reduction of the kinetic window during which the viral envelope is sensitive to T-20. CONCLUSION This study represents the first demonstration that structural Gag polyproteins mediate the uptake of a host-derived cell surface constituent (ICAM-1) by interacting directly with its cytoplasmic domain or by interacting with a partner into the cytosol. This observation describes a new strategy by which HIV-1 can modulate its replicative cycle considering that insertion of ICAM-1 within nascent virions has been shown to affect virus life cycle and also the sensitivity to the newly develop class of inhibitor including T-20.
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