Dominguez V, Gevorkian G, Govezensky T, Rodriguez H, Viveros M, Cocho G, Macotela Y, Masso F, Pacheco M, Estrada J L, Lavalle C, Larralde C
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, DF, Mexico.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998 Apr 15;17(5):385-90. doi: 10.1097/00042560-199804150-00001.
Fifty-eight of 89 serum samples (65.17%) from HIV-1-infected individuals at various disease stages contain antibodies that react with a platelet peptide located in the cytoplasmic domain of integrin beta3, glycoprotein GPIIIa (aa749-761; sequence DRKEFAKFEEERA). Rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against the synthetic platelet peptide also react with the structurally homologous HIV-1 gp41-derived peptide (EKNEQELLELDKW(A)) and bind to a Western blot band with molecular weight corresponding to HIV-1 gp41. These findings point to molecular mimicry between HIV-1 and a human membrane protein found in platelets and other cells that could be of pathologic consequence.
