Like all retroviruses, the human immunodeficiency virus selectively packages two copies of
its unspliced RNA genome, both of which are utilized for strand-transfer-mediated …

Many viruses carry more than one segment of nucleic acid into the virion particle, but
retroviruses are the only known group of viruses that contain two identical (or nearly …

In this study we demonstrate that the HIV-1 leader RNA exists in two alternative
conformations, a branched structure consisting of several well-known hairpin motifs and a …

Each viral particle of HIV-1, the infectious agent of AIDS, contains two copies of the full-
length viral genomic RNA. Encapsidating two copies of genomic RNA is one of the …

Background: An important step in retroviral replication is dimerization of the genomic RNA
prior to encapsidation. Dimerization is initiated by the formation of a transient 'kissing-loop …

RNA loop–loop interactions are frequently used to trigger initial recognition between two
RNA molecules. In this review, we present selected well-documented cases that illustrate …

Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
are routinely used to determine structures of macromolecules with molecular weights over …

In comparison with the pervasive use of protein dimers and multimers in all domains of life,
functional RNA oligomers have so far rarely been observed in nature. Their diminished …

Retroviral assembly proceeds through a series of concerted events that lead to the formation
and release of infectious virion particles from the infected cell. Upon translation, structural …

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the concept of human immunodeficiency virus
type 1 (HIV‐1) RNA packaging. RNA encapsidation by retroviruses is a remarkable process …