HIV-1 gp41 binding to human T- and B-lymphocytes and monocytes is modulated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)

HIV-1 gp41 independently of CD4 binds to human T cells, B cells and monocytic cells. Since PMA downmodulates CD4 (HIV receptor) expression and inhibits HIV-1 dependent syncytia formation, we wanted to examine whether PMA could affect gp41 binding protein expression on human cells. The strong binding of HIV-1 recombinant soluble gp41 (rsgp41; Env aa539–684) to monocytes (CD14⁺) and B-lymphocytes (CD19⁺) and B lymphoblastoid cells (Raji) could be clearly decreased by treating the cells with PMA for 48 h, while the weak binding to T lymphocytes was slightly increased by this treatment. The PMA inhibitory- and enhancing-effects could be avoided by pretreatment with staurosporine (protein kinase C inhibitor). The PMA treatment of Raji and U937 (monocytic) cells resulted in a 50–60% decrease of gp41 binding proteins (gp41bps) detectable in cell lysates of these cells in comparison with lysates of buffer-treated cells, while in the case of H9-cells PMA treatment resulted in an increase of available gp41bps by about 35% in comparison with buffer-treated H9. Staurosporine pre-treatment could prevent these effects of PMA. Further studies of rsgp41-eluates from these buffer-treated or PMA-treated cells demonstrated that PMA modulated mainly expression of rsgp41bps of 37, 45, 50 and 62 kDa. These results indicate that PMA exerts different effects on human T, B and monocytic cells. Production by and expression on cells of HIV-1 gp41bps appear to depend on protein kinase C, supporting that the four proteins on human cells may act as receptor proteins for HIV-1 gp41.