MSc Exit Seminar – Laxsha Thaya (Guzzo Lab)

The Effect of Virion-Incorporated Host Proteins on the Expression and Conformation of the HIV-1 Envelope Protein

Abstract

The envelope (Env) glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the sole target for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. However, due to the extensive glycosylation and the metastabile nature of Env, targeting the viral Env glycoprotein is very challenging. Recently, several host proteins have been described to be incorporated on the viral surface and to alter the course of HIV-1 infection, suggesting virion-incorporated host proteins could be a potential target for therapeutics and vaccine development. This thesis examined the impact of a panel of virion-incorporated host proteins on the infectivity of HIV-1. Our results showed that the incorporation of host proteins, CD162 and α4β7, significantly decreased the infectivity of HIV-1. Furthermore, we found that virion-incorporated host proteins can alter the conformation of Env and affect the amount of Env incorporated onto the surface of viral particles. Taken together, our work shows that selected virion-incorporated host proteins can have an impact on the infectivity of HIV-1 and defining the effects of host proteins on the viral Env glycoprotein could be useful for designing new antiviral strategies.

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https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/83108082906

Host: Christina Guzzo (christina.guzzo@utoronto.ca)