In vitro propagation studies have established that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is most efficiently transmitted at the virological synapse that forms between producer and target cells. Despite the presence of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) and CD4 and chemokine receptors at the respective surfaces, producer and target cells usually do not fuse with each other but disengage after the viral particles have been delivered, consistent with the idea that syncytia, at least in vitro, are not required for HIV-1 spread. Here, we tested whether tetraspanins, which are well known regulators of cellular membrane fusion processes that are enriched at HIV-1 exit sites, regulate syncytium formation. We found that overexpression of tetraspanins in producer cells leads to reduced syncytium formation, while downregulation has the opposite effect. Further, we document that repression of Env-induced cell-cell fusion by tetraspanins depends on the presence of viral Gag, and we demonstrate that fusion repression requires the recruitment of Env by Gag to tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs). However, sensitivity to fusion repression by tetraspanins varied for different viral strains, despite comparable recruitment of their Envs to TEMs. Overall, these data establish tetraspanins as negative regulators of HIV-1-induced cell-cell fusion, and they start delineating the requirements for this regulation.The envelope glycoprotein (Env) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is incorporated into released virus particles and enables the virus to attach to and fuse with target cells in order to initiate the infectious cycle. Before Env mediates the fusion of viral and cellular membranes, i.e., while it is still incorporated in the plasma membrane of the infected cell, it drives the adhesion between virus producer cell and target cells, which gives rise to the formation of the so-called virological synapse (VS) (21,24,35,36). The VS shares certain characteristics with the immunological synapse, including an accumulation of specific cellular membrane proteins and lipids (see, e.g., reference 5), and it provides efficient and secure transfer of virus particles from infected to uninfected cells (8). Importantly, the two adhering cells, like the pre-and postsynaptic cells that form an immunological synapse, typically do not fuse during such cell-to-cell transfer events. At first glance this seems surprising, as HIV-1 Env, unlike many other viral envelope proteins, can induce membrane fusion at physiological pH. Also, adhesion of producer and target cell, which can be initiated when the uropod of the infected cell contacts the uninfected cell (8), followed by reorganization of the cytoskeleton (25) and formation of full-fledged synapses, can extend over minutes (see, e.g., reference 20). This process should allow enough time to trigger cell-cell fusion. However, it is now well established that newly synthesized Env is efficiently internalized upon its arrival at the host cell plasma membrane, unless it is recruited ...