HIV Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about HIV, including details on human immunodeficiency virus, testing, treatment, prevention, vaccines, aids.

Suppression of HIV-1 infection in primary CD4 T cells transduced with a self-inactivating lentiviral vector encoding a membrane expressed gp41-derived fusion inhibitor.

Perez EE, Riley JL, Carroll RG, von Laer D, June CH

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Peptidomimetics of HIV-1 gp41 sequences required for membrane fusion are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 entry. We hypothesize that expression of a membrane-bound gp41-derived fusion inhibitor will confer HIV-1 resistance to primary CD4 T cells. Efficient gene delivery and stable expression of a membrane-bound gp41-derived fusion inhibitor to primary CD4 T cells was accomplished using a self-inactivating lentiviral vector. A potent antiviral effect was observed when transduced CD4 T cells were challenged with a highly virulent CXCR4-tropic strain of HIV-1. Production of soluble p24 in the supernatant was inhibited 100-fold, and cytopathic effects were evident early in non-transduced cells and absent in transduced cells. Expression of the gp41 sequences was not detrimental to CD4 cells as transduced CD4 T cells exhibited a population doubling time that was equivalent to T cells transduced with a control vector. Results from this study support the rationale to use this lentiviral vector targeted at HIV entry as a potential gene therapy for HIV infection.

Published 4 May 2005 in Clin Immunol, 115(1): 26-32.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 HIV Research Today. All Rights Reserved.