No, I'm saying that they were splicing genes into the plasmid to go along with the HIV backbone, probably a spike protein along with the luciferase reporter.

I think that they were using the plasmids to produce altered viral DNA in order to create a modified virus. There is a diagram of the plasmid in your image, but it is too blurry to read.

No, I'm saying that they were splicing genes into the plasmid to go along with the HIV backbone, probably a spike protein along with the luciferase reporter.

I think that they were using the plasmids to produce altered viral DNA in order to create a modified virus. There is a diagram of the plasmid in your image, but it is too blurry to read.

I wouldn't say that proteins are "infectious". They cannot replicate by themselves and would be dismantled by the cell.