This Week in Virology TWiV 1307: My heart breaks for flu
Mar 22, 2026
A deep dive into how Rep motors package AAV genomes using cryo-EM, revealing helicase transitions and DNA-threading mechanisms. A separate strand follows influenza hitching a ride in myeloid cells to infect cardiomyocytes and trigger interferon-driven heart damage. Brief news and science picks break up the technical discussions.
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Remembering Robin Weiss And His HIV Work
- Robin Weiss, a respected retrovirologist linked to early HIV receptor work, passed away at 86 and is remembered by Rich Condit for his contributions.
- Rich noted Weiss's role at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and seminal observations in HIV biology including CD4 involvement.
How AAV Rep Motors Package Genomes
- AAV Rep proteins act as dynamic motors that switch oligomeric states to both melt double-stranded ends and thread single-stranded genomes into capsids.
- Cryo-EM shows Rep40 forms heptamers on duplex ITRs, donates a subunit to make hexamers, then ATP-driven conformational changes translocate one base per ATP into the capsid.
Use Rep Structures To Improve AAV Yields
- Improving AAV packaging efficiency is a clear translational goal because current genome insertion into capsids is inefficient and limits gene therapy yields.
- Structural insight into Rep oligomer transitions and the cryptic ATP site suggests targets for engineering more effective packaging motors.