HIV Protein Structure Unraveled by Scientists: New Treatments Possible

First Posted: Jul 06, 2015 09:32 AM EDT

Scientists may have managed to unravel the elusive structure of the HIV protein. This could lead to new findings in terms of threatening this immunodeficiency virus, which could help patients across the world.

HIV is a retrovirus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Globally, about 35 million people are living with HIV, which constantly adapts and mutates, creating challenges for researchers. Now, scientists are gaining a clearer idea of what a key protein in HIV looks like, which will help explain its vital role in the virus' life cycle.

In recent years, scientists have used various techniques to determine the structure of the capsid protein, which is the building block of an inner shell of HIV. Until now, though, the clearest image had been of a mutated protein. That's why researchers have focused on capturing details of the capsid protein.

"The capsid shell acts as an 'invisibility cloak' that hides the virus' genetic information, the genome, while it is being copied in a hostile environment for the virus," said Stefan Sarafianos, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Fine-tuned capsid stability is critical for successful infection: too stable a capsid shell and the cargo is never delivered properly; not stable enough and the contents are detected by our immune defenses, triggering an antiviral response. Capsid stability is a key to the puzzle, and you have to understand its structure to solve it."

In this latest study, the researchers created the most complete model yet of an HIV capsid protein. More specifically, the research team used a technique called X-ray crystallography to unravel the protein's secrets. By taking many copies of the protein, they coaxed them into forming a patterned, crystalline lattice.

The researchers then shot high-powered X-ray beams at the crystal. By interpreting how the beams scattered when they ricocheted off the proteins, the scientists managed to create a 3D map of the protein. The researchers actually found "ordered" water molecules at areas between the viral proteins.

The findings reveal a bit more about the structure of HIV. This, in turn, may lead to treatments in the future.

The findings are published in the journal Science.

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