3D model of HIV, the lentivirus that causes AIDS. The trimeric glycoproteins in the viral envelope are shown in orange. They are heavily glycosylated, which prevents an efficient antibody response by the infected host. The nucleocapsid is shown in blue (with pentameric capsomeres highlighted in yellow) and contains the two copies of the viral RNA genome (not shown). The structure of the capsid was obtained by cryo-EM in 2013 and published in Nature.
The second illustration shows the immature virus before the capsid adopts its final form.
