During retrovirus maturation, cleavage of the precursor structural Gag polyprotein by the viral protease induces architectural rearrangement of the virus particle from an immature into a mature, infectious form. The structural rearrangement encapsidates the viral RNA genome in a fullerene capsid, producing a diffusible viral core that can initiate infection upon entry into the cytoplasm of a host cell. Maturation is an important therapeutic window against HIV-1. In this review, we highlight recent breakthroughs in understanding of the structures of retroviral immature and mature capsid lattices that define the boundary conditions of maturation and provide novel insights on capsid transformation. We also discuss emerging insights on encapsidation of the viral genome in the mature capsid, as well as remaining questions for further study.

在逆转录病毒成熟期间，病毒蛋白酶对前体结构Gag多蛋白的切割诱导了病毒颗粒的结构重排，从未成熟状态转变为成熟的感染形式。结构重排将病毒RNA基因组衣壳化在富勒烯衣壳中，产生可扩散的病毒核心，该病毒核心在进入宿主细胞的细胞质后可引发感染。成熟是对抗HIV-1的重要治疗窗口。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了对逆转录病毒未成熟结构和成熟衣壳晶格的理解的最新突破，这些结构定义了成熟的边界条件，并为衣壳转化提供了新颖的见解。我们还将讨论关于成熟衣壳中病毒基因组衣壳化的新见解，以及尚待进一步研究的问题。