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Volume 3, Number 3—September 1997
Perspective

Host Genes and HIV: The Role of the Chemokine Receptor Gene CCR5 and Its Allele (∆32 CCR5)

Janet M. McNichollComments to Author , Dawn K. Smith, Shoukat H. Qari, and Thomas Hodge
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Figure 2

Chemokine receptors and cell tropism of HIV. Three cell types are illustrated, an in vitro passaged T-cell line (Tl), a monocyte/macrophage (M), and a circulating T-cell (T). T-cell lines express CXCR4 but not CCR5; macrophages and circulating peripheral blood T-cells express both receptors, although the amounts of CXCR4 are lower on macrophages (as indicated by the small CXCR4 symbol). M-tropic HIV, because of certain envelope amino acid sequences, binds to CCR5 and can enter both macrophages a

Figure 2. Chemokine receptors and cell tropism of HIV. Three cell types are illustrated, an in vitro passaged T-cell line (Tl), a monocyte/macrophage (M), and a circulating T-cell (T). T-cell lines express CXCR4 but not CCR5; macrophages and circulating peripheral blood T-cells express both receptors, although the amounts of CXCR4 are lower on macrophages (as indicated by the small CXCR4 symbol). M-tropic HIV, because of certain envelope amino acid sequences, binds to CCR5 and can enter both macrophages and circulating T cells. T-tropic HIV preferentially binds CXCR4 and enters T cells or T-cell lines. After binding to the chemokine receptor and to CD4, the viruses enter by fusion with the cell membrane. Cells with the 32bp deleted form of CCR5 do not express cell surface CCR5, and, although M-tropic HIV can bind CD4, it cannot enter the cell. If the cells express CXCR4, they can still be infected with T-tropic viruses (not shown). Note that this figure does not depict the actual size relationships of the proteins, cells, or viruses.

Main Article

1Garred P, Eugen-Olsen J, Iversen AKN, Benfield TL, Svejgaard A, Hofmann, B, the Copenhagen AIDS Study Group. Dual effect of CCR5 D32 gene deletion in HIV-1-infected patients. Lancet 1997; 349:1884.

2Martinson JJ, Chapman NH, Rees DC, Lui Y-T, Clegg JB. Global distribution of the CCR5 gene 32-basepair deletion [letter]. Nature Genetics 1997;16:100-103.

3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts about CCR5 and protection against HIV-1 infection; 1997.

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