title: How to assemble a capsid.
abstract: Retroviral capsids are composed of hexagonal arrays of the viral CA protein. In this issue of Cell, Ganser-Pornillos et al. (2007) provide a molecular model of the hexagonal HIV-1 CA lattice obtained from a new electron cryomicroscopic reconstruction. This study reveals the three principal stabilizing interfaces in the capsid lattice and explains how two different classes of inhibitors can block capsid assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. wes@biochem.utah.edu
authors.forename: Wesley I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Sundquist
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins