Cryo-ET of Env on intact HIV virions reveals structural variation and positioning on the Gag lattice.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35123651.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2022.01.013 and PMC identifier 9000915.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
HIV-1 Env mediates viral entry into host cells and is the sole target for neutralizing antibodies. However, Env structure and organization in its native virion context has eluded detailed characterization. Here, we used cryo-electron tomography to analyze Env in mature and immature HIV-1 particles. Immature particles showed distinct Env positioning relative to the underlying Gag lattice, providing insights into long-standing questions about Env incorporation. A 9.1-Å sub-tomogram-averaged reconstruction of virion-bound Env in conjunction with structural mass spectrometry revealed unexpected features, including a variable central core of the gp41 subunit, heterogeneous glycosylation between protomers, and a flexible stalk that allows Env tilting and variable exposure of neutralizing epitopes. Together, our results provide an integrative understanding of HIV assembly and structural variation in Env antigen presentation.
Medical subject headings
- Cryoelectron Microscopy
- Electron Microscope Tomography
- Virion
- env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus