Viruses 2010, 2(5), 1239-1260; doi:10.3390/v2051239
Review

HIV-1 Virological Synapse is not Simply a Copycat of the Immunological Synapse

Gaia Vasiliver-Shamis 1,* email, Michael L. Dustin 1 email and Catarina E. Hioe 2,* email
1 Program in Molecular Pathogenesis, Martin and Helen Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine, Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA 2 Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, Manhattan Campus, Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 3 March 2010; in revised form: 5 May 2010 / Accepted: 12 May 2010 / Published: 21 May 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transmission of Retroviruses across Virological Synapses)
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Abstract: The virological synapse (VS) is a tight adhesive junction between an HIV-infected cell and an uninfected target cell, across which virus can be efficiently transferred from cell to cell in the absence of cell-cell fusion. The VS has been postulated to resemble, in its morphology, the well-studied immunological synapse (IS). This review article discusses the structural similarities between IS and VS and the shared T cell receptor (TCR) signaling components that are found in the VS. However, the IS and the VS display distinct kinetics in disassembly and intracellular signaling events, possibly leading to different biological outcomes. Hence, HIV-1 exploits molecular components of IS and TCR signaling machinery to trigger unique changes in cellular morphology, migration, and activation that facilitate its transmission and cell-to-cell spread.
Keywords: HIV-1; HIV; virological synapse; immunological synapse; HIV envelope; gp120; T cell receptor; CD4 T lymphocyte

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Vasiliver-Shamis, G.; Dustin, M.L.; Hioe, C.E. HIV-1 Virological Synapse is not Simply a Copycat of the Immunological Synapse. Viruses 2010, 2, 1239-1260.

AMA Style

Vasiliver-Shamis G, Dustin ML, Hioe CE. HIV-1 Virological Synapse is not Simply a Copycat of the Immunological Synapse. Viruses. 2010; 2(5):1239-1260.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vasiliver-Shamis, Gaia; Dustin, Michael L.; Hioe, Catarina E. 2010. "HIV-1 Virological Synapse is not Simply a Copycat of the Immunological Synapse." Viruses 2, no. 5: 1239-1260.

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