HIV Gag polyprotein: processing and early viral particle assembly.

Over the past several decades, extensive research into the Gag polyprotein, the main structural protein of HIV-1 and all other retroviruses, has changed the way that we describe Gag's role within viral lifecycles. Initially thought of as a simple scaffold protein forming the viral core, Gag has demonstrated the ability to specifically recognize genomic RNA and both viral and host proteins as it traffics to the cell membrane. There, Gag forms higher ordered structures required for the correct assembly, budding, and maturation of new infectious particles.