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Title: Structural basis of evasion of cellular adaptive immunity by HIV-1 Nef

Journal Article · · Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2328· OSTI ID:1046851

The HIV-1 protein Nef inhibits antigen presentation by class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I). We determined the mechanism of this activity by solving the crystal structure of a protein complex comprising Nef, the MHC-I cytoplasmic domain (MHC-I CD) and the {mu}1 subunit of the clathrin adaptor protein complex 1. A ternary, cooperative interaction clamps the MHC-I CD into a narrow binding groove at the Nef-{mu}1 interface, which encompasses the cargo-recognition site of {mu}1 and the proline-rich strand of Nef. The Nef C terminus induces a previously unobserved conformational change in {mu}1, whereas the N terminus binds the Nef core to position it optimally for complex formation. Positively charged patches on {mu}1 recognize acidic clusters in Nef and MHC-I. The structure shows how Nef functions as a clathrin-associated sorting protein to alter the specificity of host membrane trafficking and enable viral evasion of adaptive immunity.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
Sponsoring Organization:
OTHERNIH
OSTI ID:
1046851
Journal Information:
Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., Vol. 19, Issue (7) ; 07, 2012
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH