Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic is amongst the most important current worldwide public health threats. While much research has been focused on AIDS vaccines that target the surface viral envelope (Env) protein, including gp120 and the gp41 ectodomain, the C-terminal tail (CTT) of gp41 has received relatively little attention. Despite early studies highlighting the immunogenicity of a particular CTT sequence, the CTT has been classically portrayed as a type I membrane protein limited to functioning in Env trafficking and virion incorporation. Recent studies demonstrate, however, that the Env CTT has other important functions. The CTT has been shown to additionally modulate Env ectodomain structure on the cell and virion surface, affect Env reactivity and viral sensitivity to conformation-dependent neutralizing antibodies, and alter cell–cell and virus–cell fusogenicity of Env. This review provides an overview of the Env structure and function with a particular emphasis on the CTT and recent studies that highlight its functionally rich nature.
Highlights
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the aetiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Most studies have focused on the gp120 subunit toward developing an HIV-1 vaccine, removing all or much of gp41, to increase protein expression and produce a soluble immunogen
Be useful to theorize on the means by which the C-terminal tail (CTT) can exert influence on the structure of the Env ectodomain in an effort to provide a framework for understanding the mechanism(s) by which the influence occurs
Summary
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the aetiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). No or only modest efficacy has been observed Most of these trials have focused on the HIV-1 envelope as the primary target. The envelope protein (Env) of the virus is key to the viral infection process as it functions to bind to the receptor and co-receptors at the surface of target cells. Env is the only viral protein exposed on the virion surface, and it is the main target of the host humoral immune system (McElrath & Haynes, 2010). The targeting of Env, through direction of the immune response by vaccination or by traditional small-molecule pharmaceuticals provides arguably the best hope for controlling the epidemic as the goal of these therapies is to prevent the initial infection event (McElrath & Haynes, 2010). The cleaved gp120 and gp products non-covalently associate to form the active trimeric Env unit
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
