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Study reveals how a Rab protein controls HIV-1 replication

Date:
May 4, 2015
Source:
Rockefeller University Press
Summary:
Researchers reveal how a Rab protein that controls intracellular trafficking supports HIV-1 assembly by promoting high levels of an important membrane lipid. The researchers believe that these results open a path to investigate whether manipulating endosomal traffic could be a new target for anti-HIV-1 therapies.
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FULL STORY

HIV-1 replication requires the coordinated movement of the virus's components toward the plasma membrane of an immune cell, where the virions are assembled and ultimately released. A study in The Journal of Cell Biology reveals how a Rab protein that controls intracellular trafficking supports HIV-1 assembly by promoting high levels of an important membrane lipid.

New HIV-1 particles assemble at specialized sites in the plasma membrane that are enriched in PIP2, a phospholipid component of the membrane that recruits a viral protein called Pr55Gag (Gag) that directs HIV-1 assembly. Because certain cell secretion pathways have been suggested to be required for this process, University of Buenos Aires researcher Matías Ostrowski and colleagues investigated whether a role might be played by Rab27a, a protein that guides delivery of membrane-bound compartments called endosomes to the plasma membrane.

Ostrowski and colleagues found that viral replication was impaired in immune cells lacking Rab27a. These cells showed reduced levels of PIP2 at the plasma membrane and thus failed to recruit Gag to form viral assembly sites. The researchers determined that Rab27a boosted PIP2 production at the plasma membrane by controlling the endosomal delivery of an enzyme that is necessary for production of the phospholipid to the cell periphery.

Ostrowski believes that these results open a path to investigate whether manipulating endosomal traffic could be a new target for anti-HIV-1 therapies.


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Materials provided by Rockefeller University Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. P. P. Gerber, M. Cabrini, C. Jancic, L. Paoletti, C. Banchio, C. von Bilderling, L. Sigaut, L. I. Pietrasanta, G. Duette, E. O. Freed, G. de Saint Basile, C. F. Moita, L. F. Moita, S. Amigorena, P. Benaroch, J. Geffner, M. Ostrowski. Rab27a controls HIV-1 assembly by regulating plasma membrane levels of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. The Journal of Cell Biology, 2015; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201409082

Cite This Page:

Rockefeller University Press. "Study reveals how a Rab protein controls HIV-1 replication." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150504094422.htm>.
Rockefeller University Press. (2015, May 4). Study reveals how a Rab protein controls HIV-1 replication. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150504094422.htm
Rockefeller University Press. "Study reveals how a Rab protein controls HIV-1 replication." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150504094422.htm (accessed March 27, 2024).

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