NEF - AN ADAPTER ADAPTER

The Nef protein of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a crucial fac tor in viral pathogenesis. One of the roles of this multifunctional pr otein is to decrease the cell-surface expression of CD4, a component o f the virus receptor complex, and of MHC class I molecules. New result s indicate that Nef can link CD4 to endocytic clathrin adaptor complex es and might also modulate other steps in the endocytic pathway.