Presentation Title
Does the Cytoplasmic Tail of HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Regulate Phosphorylation of Ezrin?
Abstract
One mode of efficient Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) dissemination is the cell-to-cell transmission of viral particles between HIV-infected T cells (producers) and uninfected CD4+ T cells (targets) at transient junctions known as the virological synapse (VS). Formation of the VS is mediated by the interaction between the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) expressed on the producer cell surface and the CD4 receptor on the target T cell. Establishment of the VS can sometimes result in membrane fusion of the two cells, forming a small multinucleated cell (syncytium). However, several host and viral factors have been identified to repress excessive cell-cell fusion, one of those being phosphorylated ezrin (p-ezrin). This F actin-binding host protein accumulates at the VS, yet the temporal regulation of ezrin phosphorylation in HIV-1 infected cells remains to be determined.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Markus Thali
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Molecular Genetics
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Health Sciences
Does the Cytoplasmic Tail of HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Regulate Phosphorylation of Ezrin?
One mode of efficient Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) dissemination is the cell-to-cell transmission of viral particles between HIV-infected T cells (producers) and uninfected CD4+ T cells (targets) at transient junctions known as the virological synapse (VS). Formation of the VS is mediated by the interaction between the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) expressed on the producer cell surface and the CD4 receptor on the target T cell. Establishment of the VS can sometimes result in membrane fusion of the two cells, forming a small multinucleated cell (syncytium). However, several host and viral factors have been identified to repress excessive cell-cell fusion, one of those being phosphorylated ezrin (p-ezrin). This F actin-binding host protein accumulates at the VS, yet the temporal regulation of ezrin phosphorylation in HIV-1 infected cells remains to be determined.