
Scientists discover the function of a mysterious HIV component
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry have discovered the mechanism behind an important step in the life cycle of HIV. Working together with teams at Heidelberg and Yale Universities, they found that the enigmatic “spacer peptide 2,” one of the virus components, plays a key role in converting immature HIV-1 particles into infectious particles. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature. HIV-1 particles are released from infected cells in an immature, non-infectious form. The