Targeting of Liposomes to HIV-1-Infected Cells by Peptides Derived from the CD4 Receptor

Liposomes can be targeted to HIV-infected cells by either reconstituting transmembrane CD4 in the membrane or covalently coupling soluble CD4 to modified lipids. We investigated whether synthetic peptides could be used as ligands for targeting liposomes. A synthetic peptide from the complementarity determining region 2 (CDR-2)-like domain of CD4 could bind specifically to HIV-infected cells and mediate the binding of peptide-coupled liposomes to these cells. A peptide from the CDR-3-like domain of CD4 inhibited HIV-induced syncytia formation, but failed to target liposomes to infected cells. This apparent discrepancy may be due to the requirement for a conformational change in the CD4 receptor for the CDR-3 region to interact with the HIV envelope protein. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using synthetic peptides to target liposomes containing antiviral drugs to HIV-infected cells.