Binding characteristics of small molecules that mimic nucleocapsid protein-induced maturation of stem-loop 1 of HIV-1 RNA.

ABSTRACT: As a retrovirus, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) packages two copies of the RNA genome as a dimer in the infectious virion. Dimerization is initiated at the dimer initiation site (DIS) which encompasses stem-loop 1 (SL1) in the 5'-UTR of the genome. Study of genomic dimerization has been facilitated by the discovery that short RNA fragments containing SL1 can dimerize spontaneously without any protein factors. On the basis of the palindromic nature of SL1, a kissing loop model has been proposed. First, a metastable kissing dimer is formed via standard Watson-Crick base pairs and then converted into a more stable extended dimer by the viral nucleocapsid protein (NCp7). This dimer maturation in vitro is believed to mimic initial steps in the RNA maturation in vivo, which is correlat

SUBMITTER: Chung J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2921804 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature