title: Insights into the trimeric HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein structure.
abstract: The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer is responsible for receptor recognition and viral fusion with CD4(+) T cells, and is the sole target for neutralizing antibodies. Thus, understanding its molecular architecture is of significant interest. However, the Env trimer has proved to be a challenging target for 3D structure determination. Recent electron microscopy (EM) and X-ray structures have at last enabled us to decipher the structural complexity and unique features of the Env trimer, and how it is recognized by an ever-expanding arsenal of potent broadly neutralizing antibodies. We describe our current knowledge of the Env trimer structure in the context of exciting recent developments in the identification and characterization of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center and Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: abward@scripps.edu.
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Center and Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: wilson@scripps.edu.
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D015686:Gene Products, env; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins
keywords: HIV-1; broadly neutralizing antibodies; envelope glycoprotein trimer; structure