Figure 2.

PSGL-1 mediates the production of membrane defective HIV-1 particles. The infected target cell (1-5) produces viral RNAs and proteins that are normally assembled (6a-8a). These new viral particles can infect new cells in which the HIV-1 replication cycle would therefore take place. Conversely, in the presence of PSGL-1 (6b-8b), novel viral particles possess a defective membrane within which PSGL-1 is incorporated. Such a phenotype leads to the production of membrane defective virions that, in the absence of crucial elements such as gp120 and gp41, are unable to attach to or infect new target cells.