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Previous work has shown that the Tat protein of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 is released by acutely infected cells in a biologically active form and enters dendritic cells upon the binding of its arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) domain to the α5β1, αvβ3, and αvβ5 integrins. The up-regulation/activation of these integrins occurs in endothelial cells exposed to inflammatory cytokines that are increased in HIV-infected individuals, leading to endothelial cell dysfunction. Here, we show that inflammatory cytokine-activated endothelial cells selectively bind and rapidly take up nano-micromolar concentrations of Tat, as determined by flow cytometry. Protein oxidation and low temperatures reduce Tat entry, suggesting a conformation- and energy-dependent process. Consistently, Tat entry is competed out by RGD-Tat peptides or integrin natural ligands, and it is blocked by anti-α5β1, -αvβ3, and -αvβ5 antibodies. Moreover, modelling-docking calculations identify a low-energy Tat-αvβ3 integrin complex in which Tat makes contacts with both the αv and β3 chains. It is noteworthy that internalized Tat induces HIV replication in inflammatory cytokine-treated, but not untreated, endothelial cells. Thus, endothelial cell dysfunction driven by inflammatory cytokines renders the vascular system a target of Tat, which makes endothelial cells permissive to HIV replication, adding a further layer of complexity to functionally cure and/or eradicate HIV infection.

Citation

Aurelio Cafaro, Giovanni Barillari, Sonia Moretti, Clelia Palladino, Antonella Tripiciano, Mario Falchi, Orietta Picconi, Maria Rosaria Pavone Cossut, Massimo Campagna, Angela Arancio, Cecilia Sgadari, Claudia Andreini, Lucia Banci, Paolo Monini, Barbara Ensoli. HIV-1 Tat Protein Enters Dysfunctional Endothelial Cells via Integrins and Renders Them Permissive to Virus Replication. International journal of molecular sciences. 2020 Dec 30;22(1)

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PMID: 33396807

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