New Study Reveals Structure Of The HIV Protein Shell

New research by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and other institutions provides a close-up look at the cone-shaped shell that is the hallmark of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), revealing how it is held together - and possible ways to break it apart. Previously, scientists had known that the genetic material within HIV is enclosed within a shell called the capsid, which is formed by a honeycomb arrangement of about 250 hexagonal protein building blocks.

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Filed under: Biology on June 19th, 2009