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Comment
. 2020 Nov 6;295(45):15196-15197.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.H120.016022.

HIV fusion: Catch me if you can

Solène Denolly  1 , François-Loïc Cosset  2
Affiliations
Comment

HIV fusion: Catch me if you can

Solène Denolly et al. J Biol Chem. .

Abstract

The penetration of enveloped viruses into target cells requires the fusion of the lipid envelope of their virions with the host lipid membrane though a stepwise and highly sophisticated process. However, the intermediate steps in this process have seldom been visualized due to their rarity and rapidity. Here, using cryo-electron tomography, TIRF microscopy, and cell membrane-derived vesicles called blebs, Ward et al. visualize intermediates of the HIV-cell membrane fusion process and demonstrate how Serinc proteins prevent full fusion by interfering with this process.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest—The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A snapshot of HIV membrane fusion. Top, particles lacking Serinc3/5 can fuse with the host cell, leading to cytoplasmic release of its nucleocapsid. Bottom, the presence of Serinc3 or Serinc5 on HIV particles prevents the completion of membrane fusion with the plasma membrane, inhibiting release.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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