FIG 8.

Nullbasic incorporation in HIV-1 leads to increased core disassembly kinetics in vitro. Purified cores from HIV-1 or HIV-1 containing Nullbasic were incubated at 4 or 37°C for 0, 60, or 120 min. (A) Western blot analysis of treated cores. The treated samples underwent ultracentrifugation, and the protein sediment was solubilized in an SDS–2% PAGE loading dye and analyzed by Western blotting with a monoclonal anti-CA antibody and a secondary antibody conjugated to HRP. The blots were developed using chemiluminescence. (B) Disassembly kinetics of viral cores in vitro at 37°C. Quantification of the protein bands from all experiments was calculated using digital images and ImageJ software. The percent disassembly was calculated by comparing values at 60 and 120 min to those at time zero. The results show mean values and standard errors of the mean. The experiment was repeated three times, and the results of a representative result are shown.