The HIV-1 capsid serves as a nanoscale reaction vessel for reverse transcription.

ABSTRACT: The viral capsid performs critical functions during HIV-1 infection and is a validated target for antiviral therapy. Previous studies have established that the proper structure and stability of the capsid are required for efficient HIV-1 reverse transcription in target cells. Moreover, it has recently been demonstrated that permeabilized virions and purified HIV-1 cores undergo efficient reverse transcription in vitro when the capsid is stabilized by addition of the host cell metabolite inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6). However, the molecular mechanism by which the capsid promotes reverse transcription is undefined. Here we show that wild type HIV-1 virions can undergo efficient reverse transcription in vitro in the absence of a membrane-permeabilizing agent. This activity, originally terme

SUBMITTER: Jennings J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11398657 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature