Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein gp41 (gp41)

The HIV-1 transmembrane glycoprotein gp41 is a critical component of the viral envelope protein (Env) complex, which is initially synthesized as a gp160 precursor and subsequently cleaved into gp120 and gp41. While gp120 is responsible for initial attachment to host CD4 receptors and co-receptors, gp41 mediates the essential process of membrane fusion between the virus and the host cell. Upon gp120 binding, gp41 undergoes a dramatic conformational change, inserting its fusion peptide into the host membrane and folding into a six-helix bundle that pulls the viral and cellular membranes together. Because of its indispensable role in the viral life cycle, gp41 is a major therapeutic target for fusion inhibitors like enfuvirtide, which prevent the virus from infecting new cells. It also serves as a primary target for the host immune response and is a focal point in HIV vaccine research (Source: UniProt P04578; PubMed, PMID: 22503561).

Other names

HIV-1 gp41Transmembrane glycoprotein gp41Env gp41gp41 subunitFusion protein gp41

Drugs targeting gp41, known as fusion inhibitors, bind to the heptad repeat 1 (HR1) region of the glycoprotein. This binding prevents the formation of the six-helix bundle (6HB) structure required for the fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane, thereby blocking viral entry into the CD4+ T cell (Source: PubMed, PMID: 15554720; NIH, AIDSinfo).