[Recent Progress and Practical Prospects for the HIV-1 Capsid Structure].

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Structural Biology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) poses a global health challenge, often developing antiviral resistance.
• The HIV-1 capsid protein (CA) is crucial for viral assembly and maturation.
• There is a continuous need for new, effective antiretroviral therapies with reduced toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the spatial structure of the HIV-1 capsid protein.
• To describe the structural characteristics of the NTD-NTD, NTD-CTD, and CTD-CTD interfaces.
• To review antiviral strategies targeting CA and propose a novel approach combining CA targeting with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

Main Methods:

• X-ray crystallography was used to determine the spatial structure of the HIV-1 capsid protein.
• Structural analysis focused on the interfaces between N-terminal domains (NTD) and C-terminal domains (CTD).
• Literature review of existing antiviral approaches targeting CA.

Main Results:

• Detailed structural characteristics of the HIV-1 capsid protein, including NTD-NTD, NTD-CTD, and CTD-CTD interfaces, were elucidated.
• Understanding these structural features provides insights into viral assembly and maturation.
• A new antiviral strategy integrating CA-targeting with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing was proposed.

Conclusions:

• The structural insights into the HIV-1 capsid protein are vital for developing targeted antiviral therapies.
• Targeting CA offers a promising avenue for novel antiretroviral drug development.
• Combining capsid protein inhibition with gene editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 presents a potential next-generation strategy against HIV-1.