HIV maturation, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

  • David S. Goodsell, The Scripps Research Institute
  • Digital Images
  • Online

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Description

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of HIV maturation. After fully assembled virus particles have been released from an infected target cell (usually CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system), they undergo a process of maturation in order to become fully infectious viral particles. Two virus particles (virions) are visible here: an immature viron in the process of maturation (bottom right) and a nearly-mature virion (upper left). HIV protease (dark red; small molecules visible in the virion undergoing maturation) cleaves the Gag and gag-pol proteins into functional proteins. Width of image is approximately 100 nm. This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

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