Viral and cellular factors that regulate HIV-1 uncoating : Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS (original) (raw)
Host factors: Basic science
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Correspondence to Christopher Aiken, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, A-5301 Medical Center North, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-2363, USA Tel: +1 615 343 7037; fax: +1 615 343 7392; e-mail: [email protected]
Sponsorship: C.A. was supported by grants from the NIH.
Abstract
Purpose of review
The immediate events in HIV-1 infection following fusion of HIV-1 particles with the target cells are poorly defined and difficult to study. It is generally thought that the viral capsid undergoes a disassembly process that has broadly been referred to as uncoating. The recent identification of species-specific host restriction factors that target the viral capsid has sparked new interest in retroviral uncoating.
Recent findings
Recent studies have used purified HIV-1 cores to study HIV-1 uncoating in vitro. This review summarizes the recent literature relevant to HIV-1 uncoating with a specific emphasis on viral and cellular factors that may regulate capsid stability.
Summary
Uncoating of the viral core is a key step in the infection of HIV-1 that is highly sensitive to alterations in capsid stability. The uncoating step of HIV-1 infection may thus represent an attractive target for the development of novel antiretroviral therapies.
© 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.