HIV Protease (HIV蛋白酶)

HIV protease, a homodimeric aspartyl protease, is crucial for the viral life-cycle, cleaving proviral polyproteins, hence creating mature protein components that are required for the formation of an infectious virus. HIV protease cleaves newly synthesized polyproteins at the appropriate places to create the mature protein components of an infectious HIV virion. HIV protease is a critical drug target in designing anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

HIV-1 protease permits viral maturation by processing the Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol polyproteins. It recognizes and cleaves more than 12 different substrates leading to viral maturation. Similar to that of HIV-1, HIV-2 protease is also a homodimeric aspartyl enzyme that plays a vital role in the HIV life-cycle through processing of Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol precursor polyproteins leading to viral maturation.