![]() Such a monomeric structure will also facilitate a structural biological characterization of the interactions of the HIV-1 capsid protein with host cell proteins exploited by the HIV-1 virus in its replication cycle, such as cyclophilin A and lysysl-tRNA synthetase. Thus the availability of the structure of the full-length HIV-1 CA monomer would be of critical importance for efforts in the structure-based design of inhibitors. Thus, because of the critical role of CA in the assembly of the immature particles and mature capsids, recently there has been a rather significant interest in the CA protein as an antiviral therapeutic target to design inhibitors of early and late stage events in the HIV-1 virus replication cycle ( 1, 4, 10– 15). Additional intermolecular NTD-CTD and CTD-CTD interactions further stabilize the mature capsid surface lattice ( 1, 3, 8, 9). The surface of the mature capsid of HIV-1 is composed of a hexameric (and pentameric) rings of the N-terminal domains (NTD) stabilized by NTD-NTD interactions, with each ring linked to neighboring hexamers through the inter-hexamer dimerization of the C-terminal domains (CTD). Electron microscopy studies show that the mature capsid of HIV-1 is as fullerene cone, with its surface composed primarily of hexameric CA rings, with twelve pentameric rings of CA that allow the cone to close at both ends ( 4). ![]() Most importantly, intermolcular CTD-CTD interactions appear to be important in the assembly of the hexameric Gag lattice ( 5, 7). Electron cryotomography images of the immature virions have shown that along with the spacer SP1, CA domains also play an important role in the formation of the hexameric Gag lattice ( 5). The capsid protein (CA) of the HIV-1 virus plays a significant role in the early stages of the viral life cycle, controlling the virion size, morphology and Gag assembly ( 5– 7). The HIV-1 capsid is a conical shaped fullerene structure ( 4). Gag is then proteolytically cleaved by the viral protease into the major structural proteins of the virus ( 2, 3), followed by a maturation process in which the capsid proteins condense to form the mature capsid of the virus with a distinct shape characteristic of the genus ( 3). The Gag proteins capture the viral RNA, assemble either in the cytosol (B and D-type retroviruses) or at the cell membrane (C-type, HTLV/BLV and lentiviruses) and bud into the enveloped immature virus particles ( 2). The retroviral capsid proteins are typically ~24 to ~27 kDa in size, and are highly α-helical. The capsids are composed of about 1500 copies of a capsid protein (CA) that is initially part of a Gag polyprotein synthesized in the infected host cell ( 1, 2). Retroviruses typically consist of a central capsid core particle encapsidating two copies of RNA and the viral enzymes. This structure also permits the design of inhibitors directed at a novel target, viz., interdomain flexibility, as well as inhibitors that target multiple interdomain interactions critical for assembly and interactions of CA with host cellular proteins that play significant roles within the replication cycle of the HIV-1 virus. The monomeric mutant allows investigation of interactions of CA with human cellular proteins exploited by the HIV-1 virus, directly in solution without the complications associated with the monomer-dimer equilibrium of the wild-type protein. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanism of the wild-type CA dimerization critical for capsid assembly. The CTD domain shows some differences from that of the dimeric wild-type CTD structures. The structure shows independently folded N-terminal (NTD) and C-terminal domains (CTD) joined by a flexible linker. Here we report the detailed solution structure of the full length HIV-1 CA using a monomeric mutant that, though non-infective, preserves many of the critical properties of the wild-type protein. However, due to its inherent flexibility from the inter-domain linker and the monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution, HIV-1 wild-type CA monomer has defied structural determinations by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. ![]() Thus, there has been a significant interest in the CA protein as a target in the design of inhibitors of early and late stage events in the HIV-1 virus replication cycle. The capsid protein (CA) of the HIV-1 virus plays a significant role in the assembly of the immature virion, and is the critical building block of its mature capsid.
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