Supercomputer Creates Atom-By-Atom Model Of HIV Virus Shell

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - 12:30 in Biology & Nature

Atomic Model of an HIV Capsid Courtesy of TCBG-UIUC The envelope in which HIV keeps its genetic material gets an unprecedentedly detailed look. The human immunodeficiency virus' capsid is both a shield and an open backdoor. Located in the center of every HIV particle, the capsid protects the virus' load of genetic material. Once the virus has entered a human cell, the capsid is programmed to come apart in an orderly way, kicking off the virus' takeover of the cell. Yet the capsid may be vulnerable to certain drugs, which researchers are now studying as potential treatments. (No current HIV drugs target the capsid.) "The timing of the opening of the capsid is essential for the degree of virulence of the virus," Klaus Schulten, a physicist at the University of Illinois, said in a statement. "This is where we could perhaps best interfere with HIV infection." Schulten was part of a team...

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