Discovery of key component of HIV yields new drug target
HIV is a retrovirus, meaning it has to copy its RNA genome into DNA in order to infect cells. Previously, it wasn't known how the virus acquires the building blocks of genetic material it needs, called nucleotides. Importantly, it also wasn't known how HIV does this without setting off the cells alarm systems that are poised to detect foreign DNA. HIV is surrounded by a protein shell called the capsid. It has now been found that HIV hides within the capsid while it builds DNA. The interdisciplinary team used a hybrid approach that involved discerning the atomic structure of the capsid in different states and creating mutant versions of HIV viruses to see how this altered infection. This allowed the researchers to discover iris-like pores in the capsid that open and close like those in the eye. These pores suck in nucleotides needed for replication at great speed while keeping out any unwanted molecules. This helps to explain why HIV is so successful at evading the immune...