Methods are provided for screening natural and synthetic anti-HIV agents
using recombinant cells that are rendered susceptible to productive infection of
various strains, subtypes or clades of HIV from both laboratory and clinical isolates.
The method comprises: taking a culture of recombinant cells in which at least one
of the recombinant cells comprises a reporter sequence comprising a reporter gene
whose expression is regulated by a protein specific to HIV, and a heterologous
sequence which encodes CD4 and one or more additional cell surface receptors, wherein
the heterologous sequence expresses CD4 and the one or more additional cell surface
receptors at elevated levels as compared to the cell in the absence of expression
by the heterologous sequence such that productive infection of the recombinant
cell by HIV is achieved, which is defined by HIV viral replication and the infection
of non-infected cells in the culture of the recombinant cells; contacting the cell
culture with a sample containing HIV; adding a tester agent to the cell culture;
and detecting a change in a level of expression of the reporter gene in the cells
in the culture.
