Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
T-lymphocyte T4 molecule behaves as the receptor for human retrovirus LAV.
Nature. 1984 Dec 20-1985 Jan 2;312(5996):767-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/85086252 Klatzmann D; Champagne E; Chamaret S; Gruest J; Guetard D; Hercend T; Gluckman JC; Montagnier L
Abstract:
Many viruses, including retroviruses, are characterized by their specific cell tropism. Lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) is a human lymphotropic retrovirus isolated from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or related syndromes, that displays selective tropism for a subset of T lymphocytes defined by the expression of a surface glycoprotein of relative molecular mass 62,000 (62K) termed T4 (refs 6-8). This glycoprotein delineates a subset of T lymphocytes with mainly helper/inducer functions, while T lymphocytes of the reciprocal subset express a glycoprotein termed T8, have mainly cytotoxic/suppressor activities, and are unable to replicate LAV. Such a tropism may be controlled at the genomic level by regulatory sequences, as described for the human T-cell leukaemia viruses HTLV-I and -II (refs 2, 3). Alternatively or concomitantly, productive cell infection may be controlled at the membrane level, requiring the interaction of a specific cellular receptor with the virus envelope, as demonstrated recently for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Therefore, we have investigated whether the T4 molecule itself is related to the receptor for LAV. We report here that preincubation of T4+ lymphocytes with three individual monoclonal antibodies directed at the T4 glycoprotein blocked cell infection by LAV. This blocking effect was specific, as other monoclonal antibodies--such as antibody to histocompatibility locus antigen (HLA) class II or anti-T-cell natural killer (TNK) target--directed at other surface structures strongly expressed on activated cultured T4+ cells, did not prevent LAV infection. Direct virus neutralization by monoclonal antibodies was also ruled out. These results strongly support the view that a surface molecule directly involved in cellular functions acts as, or is related to, the receptor for a human retrovirus.
Keywords: Antibodies, Monoclonal/DIAGNOSTIC USE Antigenic Determinants Antigens, Surface/IMMUNOLOGY Glycoproteins/IMMUNOLOGY/PHYSIOLOGY Human Receptors, Virus/*PHYSIOLOGY Retroviridae/IMMUNOLOGY/*PHYSIOLOGY Support, Non-U.S. Gov't T-Lymphocytes/IMMUNOLOGY/*MICROBIOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLE
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