The breakthrough was made possible through the use of a molecular "can opener" to expose parts of the virus envelope that can be targeted by antibodies.
The characterization of the new shape of the virus envelope reveals unique details about the vulnerability of HIV that might be useful in strategies aimed at its eradication. This finding opens new paths in the fight against the virus.
In an earlier study published in PNAS in 2015, researchers led by Finzi showed that exposing these vulnerable parts of the envelope facilitates the elimination of infected cells by a mechanism known as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).
Tufts researchers were able to visualize the previously unknown shape of the virus envelope using a new technology -- single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, or smFRET -- that allows researchers to see how distinct elements of the envelope move with respect to one another. This provides a direct means of seeing that the HIV envelope is a dynamic machine with moving parts that allows it to adopt various shapes in response to stimuli such as antibodies or small molecules.
See: An Asymmetric Opening of HIV-1 Envelope Mediates Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. Cell Host & Microbe, 2019; 25 (4): 578 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.03.002
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology
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