HIV and AIDS Tutorial

HIV and AIDS Problem Set

Problem 6: Protease inhibition

Tutorial to help answer the question

Protease inhibitors prevent:

A.	HIV attachment to helper T cells
B.	Reverse transcription of viral RNA
C.	Integration of viral DNA into host DNA
D.	Cutting of a large protein (polypeptide) into multiple smaller proteins essential for viral reproduction

Tutorial

When a virus infects a host cell it "hijacks" the cell's protein-producing machinery, using the host to make viral proteins needed for viral replication. In HIV-infected cells, the host produces one long viral protein, or polypeptide. Protease is the enzyme that cuts this long polypeptide chain into multiple smaller proteins essential for viral reproduction.

Graphic © James A. Sullivan. Used with permission

Protease inhibitors block the action of the protease enzyme. Protease inhibitors are the second class of anti-HIV drugs currently available.

View animations of the HIV lifecycle and descriptions of drug actions, courtesy of CellsAlive
http://www.cellsalive.com/hiv0.htm

The Biology Project
The University of Arizona
Monday, April 3, 2000
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