title: Role of RNA helicases in HIV-1 replication.
abstract: Viruses are replication competent genomes which are relatively gene-poor. Even the largest viruses (i.e. Herpesviruses) encode only slightly >200 open reading frames (ORFs). However, because viruses replicate obligatorily inside cells, and considering that evolution may be driven by a principle of economy of scale, it is reasonable to surmise that many viruses have evolved the ability to co-opt cell-encoded proteins to provide needed surrogate functions. An in silico survey of viral sequence databases reveals that most positive-strand and double-stranded RNA viruses have ORFs for RNA helicases. On the other hand, the genomes of retroviruses are devoid of virally-encoded helicase. Here, we review in brief the notion that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) has adopted the ability to use one or more cellular RNA helicases for its replicative life cycle.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Virology Section, Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. kj7e@nih.gov
authors.forename: Kuan-Teh
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Jeang
authors.forename: Venkat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yedavalli
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D012367:RNA, Viral; D020365:RNA Helicases