Human alpha1-acid glycoprotein binds to CCR5 expressed on the plasma membrane of human primary macrophages.

We have reported previously that human alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP) inhibits the infection of human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) by R5 HIV-1, and that a disulphide-bridged peptide mimicking the clade B HIV-1 gp120 consensus V3 domain (V3Cs) binds specifically to CCR5 (the major co-receptor of R5 HIV strains) on these cells [Seddiki, Rabehi, Benjouad, Saffar, Ferriere, Gluckman and Gattegno (1997) Glycobiology 7, 1229-1236]. The present study demonstrates that AGP binds specifically to MDM at high- and low-affinity binding sites with K(d) values of 16 nM and 4.9 microM respectively. The fact that heat denaturation of AGP only partly inhibited this binding (43%) suggests that protein-protein interactions are involved, as well as AGP glycans which are resistant to heat denaturation. Mannan, but not dextran, is a significant inhibitor (52%) of this binding, and sequential exoglycosidase treatment of AGP, which exposes penultimate mannose residues, has a strong stimulatory effect ( approximately 2.8-fold). Therefore AGP glycans (probably mannose residues) are involved, at least partly, in the binding of AGP to MDM. In addition, AGP inhibits the binding of V3Cs and macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta (MIP-1beta) to MDM. The anti-CCR5 monoclonal antibody 2D7, specific for the second extracellular loop of CCR5, also inhibited AGP binding (67%), whereas anti-CCR5 antibodies specific for the C-terminus of CCR5 region had no effect. Native AGP, like V3Cs (but not heat-denatured AGP), binds to 46 and 33-36 kDa electroblotted AGP-bound MDM membrane ligands, characterized as CCR5 by their interactions with anti-CCR5 antibodies and with MIP-1beta. Therefore both AGP glycans and MDM CCR5 are involved in the binding of AGP to MDM. This suggests that the inhibitory effect of AGP on the infection of human primary macrophages by R5 HIV-1 may be related to specific binding of AGP to a macrophage membrane lectin or lectin-like component and to CCR5.

Glycans are involved in RANTES binding to CCR5 positive as well as to CCR5 negative cells.

We show that cell surface glycans, sialic acid and mannose-containing species, are involved beside glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate in the binding of full length (1--68) RANTES not only to CCR5 positive human primary lymphocytes or macrophages but also to CCR5 negative monocytic U937 cells. Pretreating the cells with neuraminidase, heparitinase, chondroitinase or adding soluble glycans such as mannan or GAGs (heparin or chondroitin sulfate), significantly inhibited RANTES binding. Such effects were not observed with truncated (10--68) RANTES. Heat-denaturation of (1--68) RANTES strongly decreased its binding to the cells, demonstrating involvement of the three-dimensional structure. Accordingly, full length, but not truncated (10--68) RANTES, specifically bound to soluble mannan as well as to mannose-divinylsulfone-agarose affinity matrix and to soluble heparin or chondroitin sulfate as well as to heparin-agarose. Soluble heparin exerts, depending on its concentration, inhibitory or enhancing effects on RANTES binding to mannose-divinylsulfone-agarose, which indicates that RANTES interaction with glycans is modulated by GAGs. These data demonstrate that full length RANTES, but not its (10--68) truncated counterpart, interacts with glycans and GAGs, in soluble forms or presented either by affinity matrices or CCR5 positive as well as CCR5 negative cells.

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus infection of CD4+ cells by CD4-free glycopeptides from monocytic U937 cells.

We have previously demonstrated that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoproteins have specific carbohydrate-binding properties for mannosyl/N-acetylglucosaminyl residues presented at high density on a carrier in vitro. Here, we investigated whether HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 was able to interact with surface membrane carbohydrates of CD4+ cells by means of such lectin-carbohydrate interactions. CD4-free tryptic glycopeptides, prepared from the membrane of CD4+ monocytic U937 cells and partially purified by ConA-agarose affinity chromatography, could be eluted by mannan but not by methyl-alpha-mannose or methyl-alpha-glucose, which strongly suggests that they displayed oligomannosidic structures. These glycopeptides bound in a mannosyl-specific manner to radiolabeled recombinant gp120. Deglycosylation with N-glycanase which, as expected, strongly diminished binding of the glycopeptides to concanavalin A also abolished their interaction with gp120. In addition, the glycopeptides inhibited HIV infection of both U937 and CD4+ lymphoid CEM cells when preincubated with the virus. These findings indicate that, independently of the binding to CD4, mannosyl structures on CD4+ cells may play a role through lectin-carbohydrate interactions in envelope glycoprotein binding to a putative coreceptor(s) of HIV.