STRUCTURAL SIMILARITY OF 2 T-CELL SIGNALING REGULATORS SUGGESTS A CONSERVED AND INTERACTIVE MECHANISM OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION

A primary structural element is identified which is present in the Nef protein of immunodeficiency viruses and in the cytoplasmic domain of a regulatory T cell protein, CTLA-4. In both proteins, conserved resid ues that lie within this element have been shown to be important for t he regulation of cellular signaling and endocytic trafficking. The str uctural similarity identified suggests conserved and, possibly, intera ctive mechanisms for Nef- and CTLA-4-dependent modulation of T cell fu nction. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.