viruses Article Challenging the Existing Model of the Hexameric HIV-1 Gag Lattice and MA Shell Superstructure: Implications for Viral Entry Joy Ramielle L. Santos 1, Weijie Sun 1, Tarana A. Mangukia 1, Eduardo Reyes-Serratos 1 and Marcelo Marcet-Palacios 1,2,* 1 Department of Medicine, Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2S2, Canada;
[email protected] (J.R.L.S.);
[email protected] (W.S.);
[email protected] (T.A.M.);
[email protected] (E.R.-S.) 2 Laboratory Research and Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences Technology, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, AB T5G 2R1, Canada * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Despite type 1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) being discovered in the early 1980s, significant knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of the superstructure of the HIV-1 matrix (MA) shell. Current viral assembly models assume that the MA shell originates via recruitment of group-specific antigen (Gag) polyproteins into a hexagonal lattice but fails to resolve and explain lattice overlapping that occurs when the membrane is folded into a spherical/ellipsoidal shape. It further fails to address how the shell recruits, interacts with and encompasses the viral spike envelope (Env) glycoproteins. These Env glycoproteins are crucial as they facilitate viral entry by interacting with receptors and coreceptors located on T-cells. In our previous publication, we proposed a Citation: Santos, J.R.L.; Sun, W.; six-lune hosohedral structure, snowflake-like model for the MA shell of HIV-1. In this article, we Mangukia, T.A.; Reyes-Serratos, E.; improve upon the six-lune hosohedral structure by incorporating into our algorithm the recruitment Marcet-Palacios, M.