Funding Organization(s): National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS), National Science Foundation (NSF, United States)
Experimental Data Snapshot
Method: SOLID-STATE NMR
Conformers Calculated: 87 
Conformers Submitted: 1 
Selection Criteria: inner turns of helical assembly 
Primary Citation of Related Structures:   6WAP, 6X63
PubMed Abstract: 
HIV-1 capsid plays multiple key roles in viral replication, and inhibition of capsid assembly is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Here, we report the atomic-resolution structure of capsid protein (CA) tubes, determined by magic-angle spinning NMR and data-guided molecular dynamics simulations. Functionally important regions, including the NTD β-hairpin, the cyclophilin A-binding loop, residues in the hexamer central pore, and the NTD-CTD linker region, are well defined. The structure of individual CA chains, their arrangement in the pseudo-hexameric units of the tube and the inter-hexamer interfaces are consistent with those in intact capsids and substantially different from the organization in crystal structures, which feature flat hexamers. The inherent curvature in the CA tubes is controlled by conformational variability of residues in the linker region and of dimer and trimer interfaces. The present structure reveals atomic-level detail in capsid architecture and provides important guidance for the design of novel capsid inhibitors.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.