The HIV-1 capsid core is a dynamic structure that participates in a variety of replication processes. The mature viral capsid core of HIV-1 is a lattice composed of capsid (CA) protein monomers that are thought to assemble first into CA dimers, followed by ~250 CA hexamers and 12 CA pentamers. Assembly of CA into these forms requires conformational flexibility of each CA unit, resulting in the presence of unique, solvent-accessible binding surfaces associated with each assembly form. Despite significant advances in our understanding of CA, there are many unresolved questions regarding CA structural dynamics and their impact on viral biology. Recent work supports the presence of partial Gag hexamers at the edges of the immature hexamer lattice, which could serve as substrates for proteolytic maturation and contribute to assembly of the Gag hexamer lattice. However, further study is required to fully understand the order in which immature Gag hexamer lattice assembly occurs and how it leads to activation of the viral protease, as well as the assembly mechanisms underlying remodeling of proteolytically cleaved CA into the mature capsid core. In addition, the mature capsid core may also undergo some degree of remodeling to facilitate reverse transcription, nuclear entry and integration, although the degree of dissociation required and the location at which dissociation begins remain controversial. Furthermore, we still do not fully understand the broad spectrum of CA interactions with host proteins and their implications for virus replication, and previously undescribed interactions and targetable surfaces likely exist. Notably, limited tools exist for the differentiation of CA assembly states in vivo to assess their contributions to viral replication events. Aptamers are structured oligonucleotides that bind to molecular targets and can be selected to discriminate among very similar proteins, including those with only a single amino acid change or different conformations of the same protein. We have identified aptamers that specifically bind the HIV-1 CA hexamer lattice, as well as those that bind both the CA hexamer lattice and the soluble CA hexamer, but not the CA monomer. Several of these aptamers inhibit HIV replication in cell culture, suggesting that they bind to biologically relevant CA surfaces. Aptamer-mediated interrogation of these binding sites could provide insights into a variety of replication mechanisms and interactions, present new strategies for viral inhibition, and identify novel accessible sites to inform development of therapeutics. Here, we propose to identify key aptamer-CA interactions in vitro and in vivo, examine the impact of inhibitory aptamers on key events in the HIV replication cycle in vitro and in vivo, and to identify aptamers with new specificities and functional properties. This work will enable use of these aptamers as functional tools to better understand HIV biology and the role of CA in HIV replication, identify therapeutically targetable sites, and develop selection techniques to identify aptamers with desired functional phenotypes.

This study will further develop important new tools (aptamers) for studying HIV-1 capsid protein function, leading to a better understanding of the role of capsid in HIV-1 biology. Future work beyond this proposal could aid the discovery of anti-HIV drugs that target aptamer-binding sites on capsid protein, and could be extended to the capsids of other viruses of public health importance.