Trimeric HIV-1-Env Structures Define Glycan Shields from Clades A, B, and G: Cell

Trimeric HIV-1-Env Structures Define Glycan Shields from Clades A, B, and G: Cell

Thursday April 21, 2016

NIAID-Led Team Determines Structure of HIV’s Sugary Disguise

This model of the HIV spike shows the sugar molecules (green) that surround a protein core (blue, pink and brown). Credit: NIAID

One way HIV hides from the immune system is by cloaking itself in sugar molecules called glycans. While scientists have determined the structure of the proteins underneath this sugary disguise, they did not know the structure of the cloak itself—until now. A team led by scientists at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center has defined in atomic level detail the structures of the glycan cloak that covers the HIV proteins of three major families of the virus. These structures provide new information about how HIV evades immune detection. They also suggest ways to create modified glycan cloaks designed for a vaccine to help elicit antibodies that stop the virus from infecting cells.