Wed, April 27, 2022 • 5:00pm – 6:00pm (1h) • Olin 149
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“A Journey Through the HIV Lifecycle: Understanding the Vital RNA-Protein Interactions”
Awurama Akyianu, Bella Bettner, Max Gjertson, Miah Kline, Stephen Lavey, Diana Rodriguez, Ananya Shah, David Wilson, and Emma Wrigley
How do retroviruses, such as HIV, successfully infect and integrate their genome into host cells? RNA-protein interactions are essential in many parts of the HIV life cycle. Dr. Karin Musier-Forsyth and her group use a wide range of chemical and biophysical approaches to answer questions related to nucleic acids and proteins involved in the translation of viral genetic code and viral replication. The positively charged nucleocapsid (NC) protein and the Gag polyprotein (Gag) play vital roles in multiple steps of the HIV life cycle. Interactions between RNA and these proteins are facilitated by both electrostatic and more specific interactions between the proteins and regions of the single-stranded viral RNA genome. RNA-protein interactions mediate steps from reverse transcription to viral assembly, at the beginning and end of the life cycle respectively. Each of these interactions differs in mechanism, pathway, and which structural motif of the protein is involved. Understanding the specifics of these different RNA-protein interactions contributes to a broader understanding of the HIV life cycle and the multiple functions of viral proteins.
RNA in biology and disease – Karin Musier-Forsyth (Joe Chihade)
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Meeting ID: 986 1353 0769
Passcode: 028102