[AIDS; new developments. V. The role of chemokines and chemokine receptors during infection with HIV]

Abstract

Chemokine receptors appear to be essential coreceptors (next to the CD4 receptor) for viral entry of HIV. Non syncytium inducing (NSI) HIV variants (monocytotropic) use the beta-chemokine receptor CCR5, syncytium inducing (SI) variants (lymphocytotropic) the alpha-chemokine receptor CXCR4. Mutations in CCR5 appear to give protection against HIV infection and to slow disease progression. Blocking of chemokine receptors interrupts HIV infection in vitro and offers new options for therapeutic strategies. Theoretical progress has been made in the development of an animal model for HIV infection owing to the elucidation of the role of chemokine receptors in HIV entry into the cell. In the future HIV variants will be classified according to their interaction with chemokine receptors.