How HIV is Shielded from Immune Attack

https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/how-hiv-is-shielded-from-immune-attack-306093?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64370422&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8yCqE4HzKbmoetno0i34F-RwzYENcvEiqOGCeKb1aMUZh4wORd-7SsyIjTJzDikYgm6ZygGj7bHo9p68GhHcpNPpQkxg&_hsmi=64370422 HIV forms a protein shell – called a capsid – that shields its genetic material from host defence mechanisms as it enters the cell and makes its way to the nucleus to establish infection. Using a new single-molecule microscopy technique – developed at UNSW’s Single Molecule Science in the Faculty of Medicine – the research teams found that HIV specifically incorporates a small molecule from the host cell – inositol hexakisphosphate – to strengthen its capsid. The host inadvertently provides the key for the virus infecting it to lock down the protective shell, keeping the genetic cargo safe until it is released into the nucleus.