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Retroviruses

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Book cover Viral Genome Replication

Retroviruses are a large group of enveloped RNA viruses infecting vertebrates. The viral particles are spherical and acquire their envelope during budding from the infected cell. The lipid bilayer therefore contains cellular proteins as well as the viral envelope glycoproteins. These glycoproteins are constituted by a transmembrane subunit (TM) associated to the surface protein (SU), present on the virion. Underneath the membrane is a spherical shell constituted by the matrix (MA) protein. Internally is the viral capsid, whose shape varies in different viruses, constituted by the CA protein. This core contains the retroviral enzymes (the reverse transcriptase, RT, the integrase, IN, and the protease, PR), together with the genomic RNA, coated by the nucleocapsid protein (NC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Régulation Enzymatique des Activités Cellulaires, CNRS-URA 2185, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France; Present address: Architecture et reactivité de l’ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 15 rue René Descartes, 67084, Strasbourg, France

    Matteo Negroni

  2. Cellectis SA, 102 avenue Gaston Roussel, 93235 Romainville, France

    Román Galetto

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  1. Román Galetto
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    Galetto, R., Negroni, M. (2009). Retroviruses. In: Raney, K., Gotte, M., Cameron, C. (eds) Viral Genome Replication. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/b135974_6

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