Host DHX9/RHA is recruited in HIV-1 virions to support infectivity.
Cell-based assays identified the 5′-UTR necessary to RHA recruitment to virions.
NMR data of the complex (290 kDa) pinpointed PBS as the RHA-binding site.
A PBS point mutation that precluded RHA binding attenuated virion infectivity.
Our work sheds light on the RHA involvement in the early viral replication events.