Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Protease (HIV-1 PR)

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 protease (HIV-1 protease, often abbreviated as HIV-1 PR) is a retroviral aspartyl protease essential for the life cycle of HIV-1, the causative agent of AIDS. It is responsible for cleaving newly synthesized viral polyproteins—specifically Gag and Gag-Pol—at multiple sites to generate mature protein components required for assembling infectious virions. Beyond its role in viral maturation, recent research suggests that HIV-1 PR can also cleave host cell proteins involved in translation regulation, apoptosis, and antiviral responses. This activity may help modulate host cell function to favor viral persistence and immune evasion.

Other names

HIV-1 proteaseHIV protease

Competitive inhibition of HIV-1 protease, preventing cleavage of viral polyproteins and thus blocking viral maturation