Given the actin-severing activity of gelsolin and the fundamental role of HIV-1 Env-gp120-orchestrated cortical actin reorganization in virus-mediated receptor aggregation, as well as in efficient HIV-1 fusion and entry, we investigated the functional role of intracellular gelsolin in early HIV-1 infection in permissive lymphocytes. The gene discussed is GSN; the disease is HIV-1 infection.