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The genome and proteins of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) have been the subject of extensive research since the discovery of the virus in 1983. [1] [2] "In the search for the causative agent, it was initially believed that the virus was a form of the Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV), which was known at the time to affect the human immune system and cause certain leukemias.
Structure of the RNA genome of HIV-1. The RNA genome consists of at least seven structural landmarks (LTR, TAR, RRE, PE, SLIP, CRS, and INS), and nine genes (gag, pol, and env, tat, rev, nef, vif, vpr, vpu, and sometimes a tenth tev, which is a fusion of tat, env and rev), encoding 19 proteins.
Virions contain one molecule of (each) linear positive-sense single stranded RNA. Total genome length is of one monomer ranges from 8k-10k nt (depending on the virus). Genome sequence has terminal repeated sequences; long terminal repeats (LTR) (of about 600 nt) The 5' end of the genome has a cap; Cap sequence of type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp
Reverse transcriptase. Crystallographic structure of HIV -1 reverse transcriptase where the two subunits p51 and p66 are colored and the active sites of polymerase and nuclease are highlighted. [1] A reverse transcriptase (RT) is an enzyme used to convert RNA genome to DNA, a process termed reverse transcription.
HIV's enzyme for inserting the DNA version of its genome into the host cell DNA is called its "integrase". HIV-1 integrase catalyzes the “cut-and-paste” action of clipping the host DNA and joining the proviral genome to the clipped ends. This protein, which is 288 amino acids in length, contains three “domains”, in this order: [citation ...
HIV-1 protease or PR is a retroviral aspartyl protease (retropepsin), an enzyme involved with peptide bond hydrolysis in retroviruses, that is essential for the life-cycle of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS. [1][2] HIV-1 PR cleaves newly synthesized polyproteins (namely, Gag and Gag- Pol [3]) at nine cleavage sites to create the mature ...
Identical LTR sequences at either end of a retrotransposon. A long terminal repeat (LTR) is a pair of identical sequences of DNA, several hundred base pairs long, which occur in eukaryotic genomes on either end of a series of genes or pseudogenes that form a retrotransposon or an endogenous retrovirus or a retroviral provirus.
The main function of IN is to insert the viral DNA into the host chromosomal DNA, an essential step for HIV replication. Integration is a "point of no return" for the cell, which becomes a permanent carrier of the viral genome (provirus). Integration is in part responsible for the persistence of retroviral infections. [10]