ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the mechanisms by which human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) regulates gap junctions and hemichannels and provides detailed methods uniquely optimized to investigate such conditions. HIV entry into the immune cells requires binding of the envelop protein of the virus, glycoprotein-120 to CD4 and coreceptor CCR5 or CXCR4. The infection of leukocytes begins with cell–virus fusion and binding of the virus protein gp120 to the host CD4. During HIV infection, the circulating leukocytes are the major tropic cells, with the infection occurring in both macrophages and lymphocytes. ATP release into the extracellular milieu is achieved by three major mechanisms: cell death, vesicular release, and opening of pannexin1 channel and connexin hemichannels. The examination of the interaction that HIV has on connexin and pannexin containing channels will elucidate the key steps into the pathology of the infection and the ability of the virus to hijack channel mechanisms in host cells.
