Activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease inhibitors against the initial autocleavage in Gag-Pol polyprotein processing.

ABSTRACT: Inhibitors of HIV protease have proven to be important drugs in combination anti-HIV therapy. These inhibitors were designed to target mature protease and prevent viral particle maturation by blocking Gag and Gag-Pol processing by mature protease. Currently there are few data assessing the ability of these protease inhibitors to block the initial step in autoproteolytic processing of Gag-Pol. This unique step involves the dimerization of two Gag-Pol polyproteins and autocleavage of the Gag-Pol polyprotein by the embedded dimeric protease. We developed a plasmid encoding a modified form of Gag-Pol that can undergo autoprocessing only at the initial cleavage site between p2 and nucleocapsid. Using an in vitro transcription/translation system, we assessed the ability of six different approved

SUBMITTER: Davis DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3393404 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature