Computational assisted modeling was carried out to investigate the importance of specific residues in the binding site of scFv. In this study, scFv against HIV-1 epitope at the C-terminal on p17 (scFv anti-p17) was used as a candidate molecule for evaluating the method. The wild-type p17 and its nine natural mutants were docked with scFv anti-p17. Potential mean force (PMF) scores predicted the...

HIV-1 gag p17 protein is an attractive target for molecular intervention, because it is involved in the viral replication cycle at both the pre- and postintegration levels. In the present experiments, we targeted p17 by intracellularly expressing a cDNA encoding an Ab to p17. cDNA from a hybridoma-secreting Ab to p17 was cloned, sequenced, reconstructed as a single-chain Ab fragment (scFv), and...

OBJECTIVE AIDS-related lymphomas are high grade and aggressively metastatic with poor prognosis. Lymphangiogenesis is essential in supporting proliferation and survival of lymphoma, as well as tumor dissemination. Data suggest that aberrant lymphangiogenesis relies on action of HIV-1 proteins rather than on a direct effect of the virus itself. HIV-1 matrix protein p17 was found to accumulate an...

We report single-point mutations that are located in the matrix protein domain of the gag gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and that prevent Gag particle formation. We show that mutations of p17 that abolish human immunodeficiency virus particle assembly also prevent the dimerization of p17 protein, as measured directly by a protein-protein binding assay. In the three-dimensional stru...

Despite the growing knowledge with regard to the immunomodulatory properties of host defense peptides, their impact on macrophage differentiation and on its associated microbicidal functions is still poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that the P17, a new cationic antimicrobial peptide from ant venom, induces an alternative phenotype of human monocyte-derived macrophages (h-MDMs). This phe...

Amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) achieves neurodegeneration through unknown mechanisms. To elucidate some of these mechanisms, we conducted a cDNA subtraction analysis of Abeta-mediated neurotoxicity in neuronal cells and observed an up-regulation of the novel gene p17. The p17 protein was also found elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model. Here, we characterised p17 primarily in cell line...

Evaluation of the immune response of individuals exposed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an important component of any plan designed to lead toward the development of an AIDS vaccine. Since the levels of antibodies to HIV p17 and the synthetic p17 peptide HGP-30 correlate with stages of progression to AIDS, studies were initiated to determine whether cytotoxic lymphocytes directed towa...

We systematically evaluated multiple and recombinant infections in an HIV-infected population selected for vaccine trials. Seventy-nine HIV-1 infected persons in a clinical cohort study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were evaluated for 1 year. A combination of molecular screening assays and DNA sequencing showed 3 dual infections (3.8%), 6 recombinant infections (7.6%), and 70 (88.6%) infections in...

HIV-1 replication is a dynamic process influenced by a combination of viral and host factors. The HIV-1 matrix protein p17 is a structural protein critically involved in most stages of the life cycle of the retrovirus. It participates in the early stages of virus replication as well as in RNA targeting to the plasma membrane, incorporation of the envelope into virions and particle assembly. Bes...