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Updated: May 17, 2026

Rapid Screening of HIV Reverse Transcriptase and Integrase Inhibitors
Published on: April 9, 2014
Inhibition of reverse transcriptase activity increases stability of the HIV-1 core
Yang Yang1, Thomas Fricke, Felipe Diaz-Griffero
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Abstract:
Previous studies showed that HIV-1 reverse transcription occurs during or before uncoating, linking mechanistically reverse transcription with uncoating. Here we show that inhibition of reverse transcriptase (RT) during HIV-1 infection by pharmacologic or genetic means increased the stability of the HIV-1 core during infection. Interestingly, HIV-1 particles with increased core stability were resistant to the core-destabilizing effects of rhesus TRIM5α (TRIM5α(rh)). Collectively, this work implies that the surface of the HIV-1 core is dynamic and changes upon the ongoing processes within the core.
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