The role of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in infection with feline immunodeficiency virus

Infection with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) leads to the development of a disease state similar to AIDS in man. Recent studies have identified the chemokine receptor CXCR4 as the major receptor for cell culture-adapted strains of FIV, suggesting that FIV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) share a common mechanism of infection involving an interaction between the virus and a member of the seven transmembrane domain superfamily of molecules. This article reviews the evidence for the involvement of chemokine receptors in FIV infection and contrasts these findings with similar studies on the primate lentiviruses HIV and SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus).