image: This image shows HIV-1 locked out in a schematic presentation of an HIV-1 particle blocked prior to the insertion of the gp41 fusion peptide (red) into the host cell membrane. HIV-1 entry is a complex process that can be inhibited at multiple steps. As Forssmann et al. show, a small peptide named VIR-576 (magenta) that interacts directly with the gp41 fusion peptide inhibits viral replication of HIV-1 infected individuals. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Dec. 22, 2010, issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The study, by Wolf-Georg Forssmann of Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany, and colleagues, was titled, "Short-Term Monotherapy in HIV-infected Patients with a Virus Entry Inhibitor Against the gp41 Fusion Peptide." view more
Credit: Image courtesy of F. Kirchhoff/University Hospital Ulm