The laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and evasion of the immune system by human retroviruses, human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). The role of the regulatory genes of HTLV-1 in initiating T cell leukemogenesis is being studied. These studies are assisted by defective retroviral vectors based on HIV-1 that are being developed to deliver genes efficiently to primary hematopoietic cells.

The HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins are being studied for their role in virus entry, cytopathic effects, and elicitation of neutralizing antibodies. The structural features on the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins that modify interactions with the target cell and with the immune system are being defined. New primate animal models of AIDS are being developed to explore the in vivo role of HIV-1 proteins in CD4 lymphocyte depletion and as targets for protective immune responses. Optimization of immune responses to provide protection against a variety of HIV-1 geographic strains is a goal of the research.

Selected Publications

Li J, Halloran M, Lord C, Watson A, Ranchalis J, Fung M, Letvin N, and Sodroski J. Persistent infection of macaques with simian-human immunodeficiency viruses. J Virol. 1995;69:7061-71.

Wyatt R, Moore J, Accola M, Desjardin E, Robinson J, and Sodroski J. Involvement of the V1/V2 variable loop structure in the exposure of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 epitopes induced by receptor binding. J. Virol. 1995;69:5723-33.

Sullivan N, Sun Y, Li J, Hoffman W, and Sodroski J. Replicative function and neutralization sensitivity of envelope glycoproteins from primary and T cell line-passaged human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolates. J Virol 1995;69:4413-22.

Choe H-R and Sodroski J. Adaptation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to cells expressing a binding-deficient CD4+ mutant (lysine 46 to aspartic acid). J Virol 1995;69:2801-10.

Parolin C, Dorfman T, Palu G, Gottlinger H, and Sodroski J. Analysis of cis-acting sequences in HIV-1 vectors affecting gene transfer into human lymphocytes. J Virol 1994;68:3888-95.