The Surprising Role of Amyloid Fibrils in HIV Infection
Open Access
- 28 May 2012
- Vol. 1 (1), 58-80
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biology1010058
Abstract
Despite its discovery over 30 years ago, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to threaten public health worldwide. Semen is the principal vehicle for the transmission of this retrovirus and several endogenous peptides in semen, including fragments of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP248-286 and PAP85-120) and semenogelins (SEM1 and SEM2), assemble into amyloid fibrils that promote HIV infection. For example, PAP248-286 fibrils, termed SEVI (Semen derived Enhancer of Viral Infection), potentiate HIV infection by up to 105-fold. Fibrils enhance infectivity by facilitating virion attachment and fusion to target cells, whereas soluble peptides have no effect. Importantly, the stimulatory effect is greatest at low viral titers, which mimics mucosal transmission of HIV, where relatively few virions traverse the mucosal barrier. Devising a method to rapidly reverse fibril formation (rather than simply inhibit it) would provide an innovative and urgently needed preventative strategy for reducing HIV infection via the sexual route. Targeting a host-encoded protein conformer represents a departure from traditional microbicidal approaches that target the viral machinery, and could synergize with direct antiviral approaches. Here, we review the identification of these amyloidogenic peptides, their mechanism of action, and various strategies for inhibiting their HIV-enhancing effects.Keywords
This publication has 136 references indexed in Scilit:
- Oligovalent Amyloid-Binding Agents Reduce SEVI-Mediated Enhancement of HIV-1 InfectionJournal of the American Chemical Society, 2011
- Peptides Released by Physiological Cleavage of Semen Coagulum Proteins Form Amyloids that Enhance HIV InfectionCell Host & Microbe, 2011
- The amyloidogenic SEVI precursor, PAP248-286, is highly unfolded in solution despite an underlying helical tendencyBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 2011
- Kinase Associated-1 Domains Drive MARK/PAR1 Kinases to Membrane Targets by Binding Acidic PhospholipidsCell, 2010
- Combination HIV Prevention: Significance, Challenges, and OpportunitiesCurrent HIV/AIDS Reports, 2010
- The Flavanol (−)-Epigallocatechin 3-Gallate Inhibits Amyloid Formation by Islet Amyloid Polypeptide, Disaggregates Amyloid Fibrils, and Protects Cultured Cells against IAPP-Induced ToxicityBiochemistry, 2010
- Preclinical development of the green tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, as an HIV-1 therapyJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2009
- Vaginal microbicides and the prevention of HIV transmissionThe Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2008
- Life expectancy of individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy in high-income countries: a collaborative analysis of 14 cohort studiesThe Lancet, 2008
- Uganda's HIV Prevention Success: The Role of Sexual Behavior Change and the National ResponseAIDS and Behavior, 2006