# Structural basis of the HIV-1 PBS-segment mediated RHA recruitment during assembly to bolster virus infectivity

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · 2021 · $305,494

## Abstract

Project Summary
RNA Helicase A (RHA) is one of the cellular factors recruited into HIV-1 particles during
virus assembly. The reduced infectivity of RHA-deficient virions demonstrates that the
RHA molecules co-assembled with gRNA exert a continuous impact in early infection.
However, it remains unclear how host RHA is specifically recruited during virus
assembly, and how it supports the infectivity of progeny virions. Our laboratory has
recently reported that the recruitment of RHA is mediated by the direct interactions
between RHA and the PBS-segment of the viral genomic RNA during assembly. In
addition, our preliminary studies indicate that the specific RHA:PBS-segment interaction
may coordinate proper tRNA placement on the PBS-segment to initiate reverse
transcription. We propose to employ an innovative integrated NMR/SAXS approach, in
combination with cell-based functional assays, to determine the structural basis of the
PBS-segment mediated recruitment of RHA during virus assembly, and to investigate
the role of RHA during the early stage of viral replication.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10205972
- **Project number:** 5R01AI150460-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Xiao Heng
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $305,494
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-30 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10205972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10205972, Structural basis of the HIV-1 PBS-segment mediated RHA recruitment during assembly to bolster virus infectivity (5R01AI150460-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10205972. Licensed CC0.

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