Nuclear pore complex and genome organization as determinants of HIV-1 integration and transcription (20)

• Subject Area: Virology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 240245660

HIV-1 capsids enter the central channel of the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and rupture following nuclear import, when the viral genome integrates into the cellular chromatin. Our mechanistic understanding of these steps remains incomplete, although they are pivotal for understanding how the virus becomes an integral part of the host genome cannot be targeted by current therapies. Together with Kräusslich, Müller and Briggs, we will investigate the spatiotemporal regulation of capsid rupture and genome integration, taking into account physical forces and the crowded environment encountered by the virus during nuclear import and at the level of chromatin.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1129: Integrative Analysis of Pathogen – Replication and Spread
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Martin Beck; Dr. Marina Lusic, Ph.D.