title: Characterization of stable Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing wild-type, secreted, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein.
abstract: We generated Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that stably express wild-type, secreted, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored envelope glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The cells expressing wild-type Env (WT cells) express both the precursor gp160 and the mature gp120/gp41 and readily form large syncytia when cocultivated with CD4+ human cells. The cells expressing secreted Env (SEC cells) release 140-kDa precursor and mature 120-kDa envelope glycoproteins into the supernatants. The cells expressing GPI-anchored Env (PI cells) express both 140-kDa precursor and mature gp120/gp41 envelope glycoproteins, which can be released from the cell surface by treatment with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). Both the secreted and PI-PLC-released envelope glycoproteins form oligomers that can be detected on nonreducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. In contrast to the WT cells, the SEC and PI cells do not form syncytia when cocultivated with CD4+ human cells. The availability of cells producing water-soluble oligomers of HIV-1 Env should facilitate studies of envelope glycoprotein structure and function. The WT cells, which readily induce syncytia with CD4+ cells, provide a convenient system for assessing potential fusion inhibitors and for studying the fusion mechanism of the HIV Env glycoprotein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0450.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000378:metabolism; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000378:metabolism; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase; D054801:Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D015686:Gene Products, env; D006023:Glycoproteins; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; D054801:Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase