The HIV-1 Viral Protease Is Activated during Assembly and Budding Prior to Particle Release.

ABSTRACT: HIV-1 encodes a viral protease that is essential for the maturation of infectious viral particles. While protease inhibitors are effective antiretroviral agents, recent studies have shown that prematurely activating, rather than inhibiting, protease function leads to the pyroptotic death of infected cells, with exciting implications for efforts to eradicate viral reservoirs. Despite 40 years of research into the kinetics of protease activation, it remains unclear exactly when protease becomes activated. Recent reports have estimated that protease activation occurs minutes to hours after viral release, suggesting that premature protease activation is challenging to induce efficiently. Here, monitoring viral protease activity with sensitive techniques, including nanoscale flow cytometry and

SUBMITTER: Tabler CO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9093094 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature