Fig 1.

Validation of the capsid assembly assay. (A) Assay showing that wild-type HIV-1 CA-NC assembles in a concentration-dependent fashion, whereas the assembly-defective CA-NC mutants (the A42D and W184A M185A mutants) do not. CA-NC assembly was detected by capture and immobilization of a fluorescent oligodeoxynucleotide. (B) CAI, a known peptide inhibitor of HIV-1 capsid assembly (33), inhibits CA-NC assembly in a concentration-dependent fashion, whereas a scrambled peptide control (ctrl) does not. The assay was performed with wild-type CA-NC under standard assay conditions, and activities are reported as the percentage of inhibition of the control fluorescence signal.