HIV type 1 infection of CD4+ T cells depends critically on basic amino acid residues in the V3 domain of envelope glycoprotein 120.

The third variable domain (V3 domain) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp120 is a major determinant of phenotypic variability. The V3 domain of HIV-1 has many basic amino acid residues. Lymphocytotropic HIV-1 tends to have a V3 domain with a higher density of positive charge than does monocytotropic HIV-1. The importance of basic residues in the V3 domain for the HIV-1 infectivity, however, has not been well investigated. Here we show that mutation of basic amino acid residues at positions 303, 306, 309, 313, and 325 in the V3 domain of the lymphocytotropic isolate NL4-3 results in a dramatic elimination of both virus infectivity and syncytium-inducing ability. Three basic amino acid substitutions (at position 306, 309, and 313) induced a decrease in the binding ability of two kinds of neutralizing antibodies (NEA9284 and 0.5 beta) that recognize a different site in the V3 domain. This suggests that the basic residues play an important role in maintaining the tertiary structure of the V3 domain. Monocytotropism was not simply dependent on either decreased positive charge in the V3 domain of NL4-3 or on mutation of lysine to glutamate at position 320, which is a characteristic amino acid of monocytotropic HIV-1. These findings contribute to our understanding of the significance of basic residues on the function of envelope glycoprotein.