The Patterns of Coevolution in Clade B HIV Envelope's N-Glycosylation Sites

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 25;10(6):e0128664. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128664. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The co-evolution of the potential N-glycosylation sites of HIV Clade B gp120 was mapped onto the coevolution network of the protein structure using mean field direct coupling analysis (mfDCA). This was possible for 327 positions with suitable entropy and gap content. Indications of pressure to preserve the evolving glycan shield are seen as well as strong dependencies between the majority of the potential N-glycosylation sites and the rest of the structure. These findings indicate that although mainly an adaptation against antibody neutralization, the evolving glycan shield is structurally related to the core polypeptide, which, thus, is also under pressure to reflect the changes in the N-glycosylation. The map we propose fills the gap in previous attempts to tease out sequon evolution by providing a more general molecular context. Thus, it will help design strategies guiding HIV gp120 evolution in a rational way.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Binding Sites
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Glycosylation
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / chemistry*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / metabolism*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Phylogeny

Substances

  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120