Wes Sundquist is Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He will discuss the structure and function of the conical core of the mature infectious HIV-1 virus, which is organized by an outer capsid shell comprising CA protein subunits. Upon infection, the core is released into the cytoplasm of the newly infected cell where it converts into a pre-integration complex that carries the reverse transcribed viral DNA into the nucleus to integrate into the host chromosome. Alternatively, the viral capsid can be recognized and inactivated by components of the innate immune system.
He will discuss: 1) studies showing that the HIV-1 capsid has a fullerene cone architecture comprising CA hexamers and pentamers, 2) the identification, by Gilead Sciences, of new and highly potent capsid inhibitors, 3) the development of a cell-free system for HIV-1 replication and integration, and 4) the use of that system to demonstrate that the capsid plays an essential role in viral replication.