HIV reproduces inside disease-fighting T cells, killing them in the
process. But the virus can also replicate in macrophages, which survive
infection and serve as reservoirs of HIV. In T cells, new viral
particles are formed at the plasma membrane, but in macrophages the
viruses assemble inside cytoplasmic containers called virus-containing
compartments (VCCs). To break out of a macrophage, a virus particle
therefore has to travel to the plasma membrane.
A group of researchers led by Philippe Benaroch (INSERM, Paris) showed that the virus hitches a ride with the microtubule-based kinesin motor protein KIF3A. The researchers found that reducing the level of KIF3A dramatically reduced the release of HIV particles from macrophages. Yet the procedure did not have any effect on the amount of HIV escaping from T cells.
A group of researchers led by Philippe Benaroch (INSERM, Paris) showed that the virus hitches a ride with the microtubule-based kinesin motor protein KIF3A. The researchers found that reducing the level of KIF3A dramatically reduced the release of HIV particles from macrophages. Yet the procedure did not have any effect on the amount of HIV escaping from T cells.
KIF3A drives HIV along microtubules, the researchers
discovered; they observed KIF3A proteins and VCCs moving in tandem along
the microtubule filaments. Consistent with this, VCCs build up in cells
lacking KIF3A, suggesting that their movements stall in the absence of
the kinesin. How HIV exits VCCs remains uncertain, but the results
indicate that inhibiting KIF3A might offer a new way to combat the
virus.
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