Cell-surface heparan sulfate facilitates human immunodeficiency virus TypeI entry into some cell lines but not primary lymphocytes

Many viruses have evolved to exploit cell-surface glycosaminoglycans (GAG), particularly heparan sulfate, to facilitate their attachment and infection of host cells. Here, the case for the involvement of heparan sulfate GAG i n cellular infection by human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 (HIV-1) compare d with herpes simplex virus Type 1 (HSV-I) is re-examined. It is shown that HIV-1 infection is facilitated by heparan sulfate GAG in only one of three highly permissive cell lines tested, whereas HSV-1 infection is facilitate d to varying extents in all three. To evaluate the physiological relevance of these findings, primary peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), the physiolo gical host for HIV-I, were examined. It was found that treatment of PBL wit h heparitinase, to remove any traces of heparan sulfate GAG, did not alter their sensitivity to infection by either lymphocyte-tropic. X4-type strain HIV-1(111B), nor the monocyte-tropic, R5-type strain, HIV-1(Ba-L). It is co ncluded that heparan sulfate GAG has little physiological role in the infec tion of lymphocytes by HIV-1 and that evidence derived from studies on immo rtalized cell lines suggesting a significant role must be interpreted with caution. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.