The Mechanism of HIV-1 Core Assembly: Insights from Three-Dimensional Reconstructions of Authentic Virions
Open accessAbstract
Infectious HIV particles contain a characteristic cone-shaped core encasing the viral RNA and replication proteins. The core exhibits significant heterogeneity in size and shape, yet consistently forms a well-defined structure. The mechanism by which the core is assembled in the maturing virion remains poorly understood. Using cryo-electron tomography, we have produced three-dimensional reconstructions of authentic, unstained HIV-1. These reveal the viral morphology with unprecedented clarity and suggest the following mechanism for core formation inside the extracellular virion: core growth initiates at the narrow end of the cone and proceeds toward the distal side of the virion until limited by the viral membrane. Curvature and closure of the broad end of the core are then directed by the inner surface of the viral membrane. This mechanism accommodates significant flexibility in lattice growth while ensuring the closure of cores of variable size and shape.
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In vivo, other viral components modulate mature core assembly, including integrase, the RNP, and the viral membrane.
“in vivo other viral components modulate mature core assembly, including integrase [75,76 ], the RNP [77], and the viral membrane [78].”
From Retrovirus maturation-an extraordinary structural transformation (2016) · cites this paper as [78]
Only approximately two thirds of the CA molecules within the immature lattice are used to assemble the mature core.
“only approximately two thirds of the CA molecules within immature lattice are used to assemble the mature core [47,83,84].”
From Retrovirus maturation-an extraordinary structural transformation (2016) · cites this paper as [83]
Cites
Assembly Properties of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 CA Protein
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Structure and assembly of immature HIV
Briggs, J. A. G., Riches, J. D., Glass, B., Bartonova, V., Zanetti, G., & Kräusslich, H.-G. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0903535106 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
Self-citationNuclear import of the HIV-1 core precedes reverse transcription and uncoating
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Retrovirus maturation-an extraordinary structural transformation
Mattei, S., Schur, F. K., & Briggs, J. A. (2016) · Current Opinion in Virology · doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2016.02.008 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
“Core growth has been proposed to be initiated at the narrow end [78], the broad end [79], or the sides of the cores [81 ].”
BackgroundSelf-citationHydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Analysis of HIV-1 Capsid Assembly and Maturation
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- Authors
- Briggs, J. A. G., Grünewald, K., Glass, B., Förster, F., Kräusslich, H.-G., & Fuller, S. D.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Human Genetics (GB)
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (DE)
- University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Fuller, Stephen D.
- Venue
- Structure
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-01
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 15-20
- ISSN
- 0969-2126 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2125419134
- Cited by
- 230
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 6.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 2754 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Structure (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › HIV Research and Treatment
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Structural Biology › Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and Retrovirus Studies
- Keywords
- HIV-1, virion maturation, viral RNA, 3D reconstruction, cryo-electron tomography, virus morphology
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Models, Biological, Models, Chemical, Viral Core Proteins, Virion, HIV-1, Gene Products, env, Virus Assembly, Cryoelectron Microscopy
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