HIV-1 chooses its lipids carefully

The lipid compositions of the HIV-1 membrane and the cellular plasma membrane of the host cells in which the virus grows are different, say German scientists. Writing in Cellular Microbiology, they described how they isolated cellular membranes from two types of host cell as well as the viral membranes from HIV-1 particles grown on these cells and analysed the lipid composition by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

The HIV-1 membranes were enriched in cholesterol, sphingomyelin, hexosylceramide and saturated phosphatidylcholines compared with the plasma membrane of the host cells. The lipid profiles of both types of host cell had reduced levels of unsaturated phosphatidylcholine species, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol. The differences in the viral and host cell lipid profiles support the idea that the virus selects a specific membrane microdomain from which to bud, as has been proposed for the influenza virus.

The HIV-1 assembly "serves as an example for the induction of raft-like membrane microdomains by protein interaction with the inner membrane leaflet," say the research team.