One family of viruses is responsible for the infection of many species of vertebrates. These are the retroviruses whose genomic RNA is used to support genetic information and ensures many essential functions that are required for the formation of an infectious viral particle. These functions depend on structures formed by the folding of the genomic RNA.

Structures and Functions of Retroviral RNAs describes the formation of these structures and their specific interactions with nucleic acids and proteins. In light of recent advances in molecular virology, it provides an understanding of the various facets of the retroviral genome. It emphasizes in particular that the study of the structure–function relationship of retroviral RNAs is a driving force behind increased research into HIV-1, the main causal agent of AIDS.

Indeed, one of the challenges of pharmacology lies in the exploitation of several targets which allow us to anticipate and stem the emergence of resistance to anti-HIV drugs. The book also presents structures and interactions that may be potential future targets in this regard.

Philippe Fossé is a research director at the CNRS and also works at the Ecole normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, France. His research focuses primarily on the structure–function relationship of the nucleic acids that regulate the reverse transcription of the HIV-1 genome.