title: The effect of purification method on the completeness of the immature HIV-1 Gag shell.
abstract: Elucidating the structure of the immature HIV-1 Gag core is an important aspect of understanding the biology of this virus. In doing so, preservation of the fragile Gag lattice is essential. In this study, the effects of purification methods on the structural and mechanical integrity of immature HIV-1 are examined. The results show that the morphological and mechanical properties of the virion are preserved to a significantly higher degree by Iodixanol (OptiPrep) purification compared to the standard sucrose method. In conclusion, these results indicate that OptiPrep instead of sucrose purification should be employed when conducting structural studies on the HIV-1 virion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Nitzan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kol
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsvitov
authors.forename: Liron
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hevroni
authors.forename: Sharon G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Hong-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: Itay
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rousso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013395:Sucrose; D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids; D014461:Ultracentrifugation / Q000379:methods*; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids; D013395:Sucrose; C044834:iodixanol