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Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Lentivirus Production
Published on: October 2, 2009
Human Retrovirus Genomic RNA Packaging
Heather M Hanson1,2, Nora A Willkomm2,3, Huixin Yang2,4
1Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Abstract:
Two non-covalently linked copies of the retrovirus genome are specifically recruited to the site of virus particle assembly and packaged into released particles. Retroviral RNA packaging requires RNA export of the unspliced genomic RNA from the nucleus, translocation of the genome to virus assembly sites, and specific interaction with Gag, the main viral structural protein. While some aspects of the RNA packaging process are understood, many others remain poorly understood. In this review, we provide an update on recent advancements in understanding the mechanism of RNA packaging for retroviruses that cause disease in humans, i.e., HIV-1, HIV-2, and HTLV-1, as well as advances in the understanding of the details of genomic RNA nuclear export, genome translocation to virus assembly sites, and genomic RNA dimerization.
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