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Self assembly and pore formation of HIV GP160 revealed at molecular resolution

This paper demonstrates that HIV virus proteins can self assemble into pores big enough for viral DNA to pass through, in particular allowing understanding of transfection from the virus to the cell. The proteins can be resolved into molecular features with six molecules forming a distinctive pore. Such structures have never previously been observed in virus particles. From these model systems we can research unexplored mechanisms of HIV viral infection at the molecular level, in order to explore how viral protein assembly could be used in the development of new therapeutic targets.