Dissecting the Unique Self-Assembly Landscape of the HIV-2 Capsid Protein.

ABSTRACT: Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is a lentivirus closely related to HIV-1 but exhibits distinct molecular and clinical features that influence viral infectivity and efficacy of antiretroviral therapy. The HIV capsid is a critical structural component with multifaceted roles during infection and mediates some of the observed divergence between HIV-1 and HIV-2. Unlike HIV-1, study of the HIV-2 capsid is limited and standard protocols for the in vitro assembly of HIV-1 capsid protein (CA) lattice structures have not been successfully translated to the HIV-2 context. This work identifies effective approaches for the assembly of the HIV-2 CA lattice and leverages this to biochemically characterize HIV-2 CA assemblies and mutant phenotypes. Our findings elaborate on the sensitivity of

SUBMITTER: Cook M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12568027 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature