HIV translation, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of genetic translation. After viral DNA has been integrated into the genome of the target cell it is infecting (usually CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system), it acts as a template from which more copies of viral RNA and proteins can be made. The first step in this process is transcription (creating RNA using DNA as a template), which is followed by protein translation (creating proteins using RNA as a template). In this image, ribosomes (green; large structures) read HIV RNA (yellow) in order to make viral Gag proteins (red). Gag proteins play a vital role in virus assembly. Width of image is approximately 100 nm. This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.