Passage of the HIV capsid cracks the nuclear pore

Upon infection, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) releases its cone-shaped capsid into the cytoplasm of infected T cells and macrophages. The capsid enters the nuclear pore complex (NPC), driven by interactions with numerous phenylalanine-glycine (FG)-repeat nucleoporins (FG-Nups). Whether NPCs structurally adapt to capsid passage and whether capsids are modified during passage remains unknown, however. Here, we combined super-resolution and correlative microscopy with cryoelectron tomography and molecular simulations to study the nuclear entry of HIV-1 capsids in primary human macrophages. Our data indicate that cytosolically bound cyclophilin A is stripped off capsids entering the NPC, and the…

• CZ
  Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft