# Cryo-ET Guided Single Particle Reconstruction of HIV

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $193,750

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The atomic resolution structures of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag lattice have
revealed critical molecular contacts that stabilize the HIV-1 immature particle structure and have informed HIV-
1 proteolytic cleavages and Gag lattice disassembly. In order to gain a fundamental understanding of retrovirus
assembly and maturation, atomic resolution maps of immature particles for the Orthoretrovirinae are required.
Here we propose a strategy, i.e., cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) guided single particle reconstruction
(SPR), to achieve atomic resolution reconstruction maps of retrovirus immature particles. We will use human
immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) as the basis for implementation of this image processing strategy. We
will then apply the method to the study of other retrovirus immature particle structures, e.g., human T-cell
leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), and conduct comparative studies about the conservation of key molecular
interactions in HIV-1, HIV-2 and HTLV-1 Gag lattice structures. We will also apply this approach for the study
of membrane anchored HIV-1 envelope protein structure. This proposed hybrid image processing method
takes advantage of the strengths of both cryo-EM imaging methods (i.e. cryo-ET and SPR) and overcomes the
computation challenges that each method bears when processing images of retrovirus immature particles.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10245058
- **Project number:** 5R21AI148328-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Louis M Mansky
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $193,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-21 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10245058

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10245058, Cryo-ET Guided Single Particle Reconstruction of HIV (5R21AI148328-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10245058. Licensed CC0.

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