The central pore of HIV-1 capsomers promotes sustained stability of the viral capsid
Alex B. Kleinpeter, Donna L. Mallery, Anna Albecka, Ryan C. Burdick, Nadine Renner, J. Ole Klarhof, Boglarka Vamos, Vinay K. Pathak, Leo C. James, Eric O. Freed
This study shows that the central pore of HIV-1 capsomers, mediated by R18 and K25 rings, is critical for capsid stability and post-entry events, with the N21K mutation compensating for R18 loss.
Journal of Molecular Biology · Jul 17, 2026Peer-reviewedMicrobiology