This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) An erratum has been published Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wang, S.-W. Articles by Aldovini, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wang, S.-W. Articles by Aldovini, A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, January 2004, p. 716-723, Vol. 78, No. 2
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.2.716-723.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Nucleocapsid-RNA Interactions Are Essential to Structural Stability but Not to Assembly of Retroviruses

Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital,¹ Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115²

Received 20 May 2003/ Accepted 7 October 2003

The process of RNA incorporation into nascent virions is thought to be critical for efficient retroviral particle assembly and production. Here we show that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 mutant particles (which are highly unstable and break down soon after release from the cell) lacking nucleocapsid (NC) core protein-mediated RNA incorporation are produced efficiently and can be recovered at the normal density when viral protease function is abolished. These results demonstrate that RNA binding by Gag is not necessary for retroviral particle assembly. Rather, the RNA interaction with NC is critical for retroviral particle structural stability subsequent to release from the membrane and protease-mediated Gag cleavage. Thus, the NC-RNA interaction, and not simply the presence of RNA, provides the virus with a structural function that is critical for stable retroviral particle architecture.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Larsen, L. S. Z., Beliakova-Bethell, N., Bilanchone, V., Zhang, M., Lamsa, A., DaSilva, R., Hatfield, G. W., Nagashima, K., Sandmeyer, S. (2008). Ty3 Nucleocapsid Controls Localization of Particle Assembly. J. Virol. 82: 2501-2514 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ulbrich, P., Haubova, S., Nermut, M. V., Hunter, E., Rumlova, M., Ruml, T. (2006). Distinct Roles for Nucleic Acid in In Vitro Assembly of Purified Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CANC Proteins. J. Virol. 80: 7089-7099 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ott, D. E., Coren, L. V., Gagliardi, T. D. (2005). Redundant Roles for Nucleocapsid and Matrix RNA-Binding Sequences in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Assembly. J. Virol. 79: 13839-13847 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ono, A., Waheed, A. A., Joshi, A., Freed, E. O. (2005). Association of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag with Membrane Does Not Require Highly Basic Sequences in the Nucleocapsid: Use of a Novel Gag Multimerization Assay. J. Virol. 79: 14131-14140 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Le Pogam, S., Chua, P. K., Newman, M., Shih, C. (2005). Exposure of RNA Templates and Encapsidation of Spliced Viral RNA Are Influenced by the Arginine-Rich Domain of Human Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen (HBcAg 165-173). J. Virol. 79: 1871-1887 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muriaux, D., Costes, S., Nagashima, K., Mirro, J., Cho, E., Lockett, S., Rein, A. (2004). Role of Murine Leukemia Virus Nucleocapsid Protein in Virus Assembly. J. Virol. 78: 12378-12385 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Roldan, A., Russell, R. S., Marchand, B., Gotte, M., Liang, C., Wainberg, M. A. (2004). In Vitro Identification and Characterization of an Early Complex Linking HIV-1 Genomic RNA Recognition and Pr55Gag Multimerization. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 39886-39894 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Stenbak, C. R., Linial, M. L. (2004). Role of the C Terminus of Foamy Virus Gag in RNA Packaging and Pol Expression. J. Virol. 78: 9423-9430 [Abstract] [Full Text]