Since it is known that the tat protein of the HIV will enter the cell in vitro and stimulate the production of HIV products, there is almost certainly a receptor site for it on the cell membrane. Segments of this 86 amino acid protein are being synthesized to determine which segment is responsible for the binding to the receptor. This will be evaluated by quantitatively measuring the binding force between several types of human cells grown in tissue culture and the various segments. We hope to use a flow cell and image analysis to determine the average shear force needed to detach cells. The cells will be attached to the bottom of a 96 well plate, which will be moved automatically from well to well under computer control.
