Also known as: Glycoprotein 120
A glycoprotein on the HIV envelope. gp120 binds to a CD4 receptor on a host cell, such as a CD4 T lymphocyte (CD4 cell). This starts the process by which HIV fuses its viral membrane with the host cell membrane and enters the host cell.
See Related Term(s): Envelope, Fusion, Glycoprotein, Life Cycle