Figure 4.

Infectivity of CLDN-7²¹¹- or CLDN-7¹⁵⁸-modified Env(-) virus. A) Western blot of proteins isolated from the virus generated from the transfected 293T cells by pNL4-3-EGFP-Env(-) and CLDN-7. Cell culture medium collected from cells transfected with CLDN-7 was used as a control to assess the background of CLDN-7 in microvesicles. Cellular proteins isolated from CLDN-7 plasmid-transfected cells were used as a positive control. The monomers of CLDN-7 are approximately 22 kd. Lane M is a molecular marker lane. The monomers of CLDN-7 are approximately 22 kd. B) CLDN-7-modified HIV_NL4-3 Env(-) virus showed significantly higher infectivity for 293T cells. C) Infection of either LNCaP or CEM CD4(+) T-lymphocyte cell lines by CLDN-7-modified HIV, with approximately a 1.5- to 2-fold increase of viral infection. D) CLDN-7-modified HIV_JRCSF virus with intact gp120 showed significantly higher infectivity for a CD4(-) cell line, PC-3, than the virus with no CLDN-7 on its surface.