Retroviral capsids are composed of hexagonal arrays of the viral CA protein. In this issue of Cell, Ganser-Pornillos et al. (2007) provide a molecular model of the hexagonal HIV-1 CA lattice obtained from a new electron cryomicroscopic reconstruction. This study reveals the three principal stabilizing interfaces in the capsid lattice and explains how two different classes of inhibitors can bloc...

MS-associated retrovirus (MSRV) in the CSF may have gliotoxic properties and could be associated with a more disabling MS. The authors tested this hypothesis in 15 untreated patients with MS: 6 MSRV- and 9 MSRV+ at the time of CSF withdrawal. After a 3-year mean follow-up, MSRV- patients showed a stable MS course, whereas MSRV+ patients had a progressive course (p = 0.01).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

Embedded in the genomes of all vertebrates are the proviral remnants of previous retroviral infections. Although the overwhelming majority has suffered inactivating mutations, current research suggests that members of one family of human retroelements may still be capable of movement.

Retroviral vectors have been used exclusively for genetic modification of primary T cells. Most T cell infection protocols have been developed for human T cells, whereas systematic investigations of the optimal conditions for transduction of murine primary T cells are limited. In this study, ecotropic and 10A1-pseudotyped retroviral vectors were compared for their efficiency in infecting murine...

Antiretroviral neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses are often evaluated in the absence of Fc-dependent immune effectors. In murine Friend retrovirus infection, Apobec3/Rfv3 promotes a potent polyclonal NAb response. Here, we show that the Apobec3/Rfv3-dependent NAb response correlated with virus-specific IgG2 titers and that the in vivo neutralization potency of Apobec3/Rfv3-resistant antisera...

The recombination process that assembles antigen-receptor genes is now understood in some biochemical detail. The initial steps reflect a common theme seen in retroviral integration and prokaryotic transposition, and the later steps involve the enzymatic machinery for double-strand break DNA repair.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Failure to adhere to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can lead to a range of unfavourable consequences impacting upon people living with HIV (PLH) and society. It is, therefore, paramount that ART adherence is measured in a reliable manner and factors associated with adherence are identified. Lack of such data from West Bengal necessitated undertaking the current study. M...