New insight on HIV life cycle gained through creative use of high-energy X-rays | Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne, Ill. – A key step in the decades-long mystery of the HIV life cycle was uncovered using what formerly was thought of as only a supplementary X-ray technique for structural biology. This advances study of HIV as well as highlights a powerful tool to obtain currently unobtainable high-resolution structural determination and characterization of RNA molecules.

Scientists discovered how the HIV virus recognizes its own messenger RNA amidst the more abundant collection of host cell RNA in order to pass on and replicate the genetic code for the virus. The structural basis for this export has been a mystery for more than 25 years. The use of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique, a solution-based method that does not require protein crystallization and has minimal size limitations, succeed where traditional X-ray techniques have failed.

New insight on HIV life cycle gained through creative use of high-energy X-rays | Argonne National Laboratory