Scientists Find the Invisibility Cloak that Shields HIV-1 from the Immune System (IMAGE)
Caption
The image depicts an HIV-2 virus (left) getting in contact with a dendritic cell (right). When the virus enters the dendritic cell, the capsid shell (cone) containing a viral RNA (line) can get efficiently reverse-transcribed into DNA through activity of the Vpx protein (orange) that degrades SAMHD1 (not shown). The resulting cDNA (double line) has two different fates, which are determined by the sequence of the capsid and its interaction with Cyclophilin A proteins (red drops). In HIV-2 and capsid-mutated viruses described in the paper, the cDNA gets sensed by the cytosolic sensor cGAS (radar) leading to induction of antiviral and immune response gene expression. In HIV-1, the capsid allows the virus to escape sensing of its viral cDNA, leading to productive infection of the cell (integrated cDNA in the nucleus).
Credit
Nicolas Manel
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