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HIV Science

HIV is a retrovirus that causes AIDS by destroying the immune system. It contains two strands of RNA and viral proteins surrounded by a lipid membrane. Key enzymes like reverse transcriptase and integrase allow HIV to replicate by transcribing its RNA into DNA and inserting the DNA into host cells. Drugs that target these enzymes and other viral proteins have helped treat HIV infection and improved life expectancy, though a vaccine remains elusive. HIV primarily infects CD4+ T cells through binding and fusing with the cells before integrating its genetic material and hijacking the cells to produce new virus particles.

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Khadija Prescott
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51 views

HIV Science

HIV is a retrovirus that causes AIDS by destroying the immune system. It contains two strands of RNA and viral proteins surrounded by a lipid membrane. Key enzymes like reverse transcriptase and integrase allow HIV to replicate by transcribing its RNA into DNA and inserting the DNA into host cells. Drugs that target these enzymes and other viral proteins have helped treat HIV infection and improved life expectancy, though a vaccine remains elusive. HIV primarily infects CD4+ T cells through binding and fusing with the cells before integrating its genetic material and hijacking the cells to produce new virus particles.

Uploaded by

Khadija Prescott
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a slowly replicating retrovirus. It is the retrovirus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

A retrovirus, as defined by the Britannica Encyclopedia, is a group of viruses that carry their genetic blueprint in the form of RNA (ribonucleic acid). The condition gradually destroys the immune system, making it harder to fight infections. HIV is a chief STD, however, it is generally contracted from infected body fluids. E.g. from mother to child in breastfeeding, blood transfusion or sharing needles with an infected person. It is not spread by casual contact, mosquitoes, or touching items infected persons may have touched. According to WHO and UNAIDS estimates at the end of 2011, some thirty four (34) million people were living with HIV. HIV composes of two strands of RNA, 15 types of viral proteins, and a few proteins from the last host cell it infected, all surrounded by a lipid bilayer membrane. Together, these molecules allow the virus to infect cells of the immune system and force them to replicate the virus. Each molecule in the virus has a role in this process, from the rst steps of viral attachment to the nal process of budding. Resulting from 25 years of study on the viruss biology, researchers have designed new treatments for HIV infection, including effective drug regimens that halt the growth of the virus. The structures also provide new hope for development of a vaccine. Reverse transcriptase is one of the viral enzymes contained in the HIV structure. It constructs a DNA from the viral RNA genome which allows for the viruss duplication. . This structure captures the enzyme as it is building a DNA strand (red) from the viral RNA (yellow). It will then destroy the RNA and build a second DNA strand. Many of the drugs currently used to ght HIV infection block the action of reverse transcriptase. Integrase is another, which takes the DNA copy of the viral genome and inserts it into the infected cellular genome. HIV can lie dormant in cells for decades in this form, making it incredibly difcult to ght. Anti-HIV drugs that block integrase have been developed. Finally, HIV protease is essential for the maturation of HIV particles. The proteins contained in HIV are structured as long polyproteins, which are cleaved into the proper functional pieces by HIV protease. Protease inhibitors are widely used as anti-HIV drugs, often in combination with drugs that block reverse transcriptase and integrase. Several structural proteins such as matrix, capsid, envelope and nucleocaspid are components of the viruss structure as well. Accessory proteins include viral protein u, viral infectivity factor, viral protein r, viral regulatory factor and P6. Rev and Tat are accessory pigments as well. Rev conducts splicing and transport of viral RNA and Tat binds to viral RNA and enhances the proteins made. (http://www.pdb.org/pdb/education_discussion/educational_resources/struct_bio_hiv_hires.pdf; RCSB Protein Data Bank; 2011) The main target of the virus is the CD4 lymphocyte, also called a T-cell or CD4 cell. When a CD4 cell is infected with HIV, the virus goes through a series of steps to duplicate itself and create many more virus particles. The process is broken up into the several steps. The process of budding and fusion is where HIV binds to a specific type of CD4 receptor and a coreceptor on the surface of the CD4 cell. This has similarity to a lock and key mechanism. Once

unlocked, HIV then fuses with the CD4 cell and releases its genetic material into the cell. The previously mentioned enzyme, reverse transcriptase alters the genetic material of the virus, so it can be integrated into the host DNA. The virus new genetic material enters the nucleus of the CD4 cell and uses an integrase enzyme and integrates itself into ones own genetic material, where it may hide and stay inactive for several years. When the host cell becomes activated, the virus uses the hosts own enzymes to create more of its genetic materialalong with a more specialized genetic material which allows it make longer proteins. A protease cuts the longer HIV proteins into individual proteins. When these come together with the virus genetic material, a new virus has been assembled. Budding is the final stage of the virus life cycle. Here, the virus pushes itself out of the host cell, taking part of the membrane of the cell. This outer part covers the virus and contains all of the structures necessary to bind to a new CD4 cell and receptors and repeat the process.

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