title: Multiple roles of the capsid protein in the early steps of HIV-1 infection.
abstract: The early steps of HIV-1 infection starting after virus entry into cells up to integration of its genome into host chromosomes are poorly understood. From seminal work showing that HIV-1 and oncoretroviruses follow different steps in the early stages post-entry, significant advances have been made in recent years and an important role for the HIV-1 capsid (CA) protein, the constituent of the viral core, has emerged. CA appears to orchestrate several events, such as virus uncoating, recognition by restriction factors and the innate immune system. It also plays a role in nuclear import and integration of HIV-1 and has become a novel target for antiretroviral drugs. Here we describe the different functions of CA and how they may be integrated into one or more coherent models that illuminate the early events in HIV-1 infection and their relations with the host cell.
authors.affiliation: The Wohl Virion Centre and MRC Centre for Medical & Molecular Virology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, Cruciform Building, 90 Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. a.fassati@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ariberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fassati
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D048348:Reverse Transcription; D016662:Virus Integration; D057646:Virus Uncoating
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins