Scientists find another “weak point” in HIV

A group of scientists, based in the United States, have determined the molecular structure of the HIV protein which plays a key role in the late stages of viral replication. Understanding how HIV replicates inside cells is the key to developing new treatments and prevention methods. The results of the research are published in the journal Science Advances.

A protein called Pol affects the process by which HIV reproduces and is distributed throughout the body. Pol HIV is broken down into 3 enzymes (protease, reverse transcriptase and integrase) that work together to construct a mature form of the virus. Protease plays a crucial role in this process.

To understand this mechanism, the team used cryogenic electron microscopy, one of the imaging methods that revealed the structure of the Pol HIV protein molecule. As a result, experts found out that Pol is formed by two proteins bound together. This discovery came as a surprise because other similar viral proteins are single-protein assemblies. And in this bilateral structure, the protease component Pol is "weakly connected" to the reverse transcriptase component. It is this feature that is a prerequisite for the maturation of the virus.

The team believe that they have managed to identify a new vulnerability in HIV that could be affected by drugs. Experts plan to continue research in this area and "pay close attention to the role of integrase in assembling a mature form of the virus during replication."

In a previous study, American scientists found out how HIV chooses immune cells for infection. It turns out that the virus prefers CD4 T-cells with the largest amount of of two types of sugars on their surface: fucose and sialic acid.