Group-specific antigen

Group-specific antigen (gag) is the genetic material that codes for the core structural proteins of a retrovirus. [1]

## gag in HIV[edit | edit source]

gag proteins are encoded by the gag gene, and provide structural elements of the virus.

gag = p24 + p6 + p7 + p17

p24 makes up the viral capsid. When a Western blot test is used to detect HIV infection, p24 is one of the three major proteins tested for, along with gp160 (= gp120 + gp41). p6 and p7 are included in the nucleocapsid. p17 provides a protective matrix (a protein that forms a scaffold during virion assembly). [1]

## External links[edit | edit source]

* Diagram at stanford.edu

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group-specific_Antigen