Peptide inhibition of HIV-1: current status and future potential.
More than 2 decades of intensive research has focused on defining replication mechanisms of HIV type 1 (HIV-1), the etiologic agent of AIDS. The delineation of strategies for combating this viral infection has yielded many innovative approaches toward this end. HIV-1 is a lentivirus in the family retroviridae that is relatively small with regard to both structure and genome size, having a diploid RNA genome of approximately 9 kb, with only three major genes and several gene products resulting from alternate splicing and translational frameshifting. Most marketed drugs for treating AIDS are inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase or protease enzymes, but new targets include the integrase enzyme, cell surface interactions that facilitate viral entry, and also virus particle maturation and assembly. The emergence of drug-resistant variants of HIV-1 has been the main impediment to successful treatment of AIDS. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop novel treatment strategies targeting multiple stages of the virus life-cycle. Research efforts aimed at developing successful means for combating HIV-1 infection have included development of peptide inhibitors of HIV-1. This article summarizes past and current endeavors in the development of peptides that inhibit replication of HIV-1 and the role of peptide inhibitors in the search for new anti-HIV drugs.
Kaushik-Basu
Neerja
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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. kaushik@umdnj.edu
Basu
Amartya
A
Harris
Dylan
D
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019428:HIV Integrase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016333:HIV Protease / Q000187:drug effects; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects*; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000187:drug effects; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015728:Receptors, HIV / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000187:drug effects; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D019428:HIV Integrase Inhibitors; D010455:Peptides; D015728:Receptors, HIV; C514793:gp120 protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; C514824:reverse transcriptase, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase; D016333:HIV Protease; C514803:p16 protease, Human immunodeficiency virus 1