Helical Conformation of the SEVI Precursor Peptide PAP248-286, a Dramatic Enhancer of HIV Infectivity, Promotes Lipid Aggregation and Fusion

In previous in vivo studies, amyloid fibers formed from a peptide ubiquitous in human seminal fluid (semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI)) were found to dramatically enhance the infectivity of the HIV virus (3–5 orders of magnitude by some measures). To complement those studies, we performed in vitro assays of PAP248-286, the most active precursor to SEVI, and other polycationic polymers to investigate the physical mechanisms by which the PAP248-286 promotes the interaction with lipid bilayers. At acidic (but not at neutral) pH, freshly dissolved PAP248-286 catalyzes the formation of large lipid flocculates in a variety of membrane compositions, which may be linked to the promotion of convective transport in the vaginal environment rather than transport by a random Brownian motion. Furthermore, PAP248-286 is itself fusiogenic and weakens the integrity of the membrane in such a way that may promote fusion by the HIV gp41 protein. An α-helical conformation of PAP248-286, lying parallel to the membrane surface, is implicated in promoting bridging interactions between membranes by the screening of the electrostatic repulsion that occurs when two membranes are brought into close contact. This suggests that nonspecific binding of monomeric or small oligomeric forms of SEVI in a helical conformation to lipid membranes may be an additional mechanism by which SEVI enhances the infectivity of the HIV virus.