Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag, Pol, Env, Nef, Tat, and Vif proteins (HIV-1 Gag/Pol/Env/Nef/Tat/Vif)

The HIV-1 Gag, Pol, Env, Nef, Tat, and Vif proteins represent the core structural, enzymatic, and regulatory machinery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1. Gag provides the structural framework for viral assembly, while Pol encodes the essential enzymes—protease, reverse transcriptase, and integrase—required for the viral life cycle (UniProt P04591, P03367). Env facilitates viral entry into host CD4+ T cells through its surface glycoproteins gp120 and gp41 (UniProt P04578). The regulatory proteins Tat and Nef, along with the accessory protein Vif, modulate the host cell environment to enhance viral transcription and evade the host immune response (UniProt P04608, P03406, P03401). Collectively, these proteins are the primary targets for antiretroviral therapy (ART) and are frequently utilized as antigens in the development of therapeutic and preventative HIV vaccines (NIH HIVinfo).

Other names

HIV-1 polyproteinsHIV-1 structural and regulatory proteinsHIV-1 proteome

Inhibition of viral reverse transcription, integration of viral DNA, proteolytic processing of polyproteins, viral entry/fusion, and capsid assembly/disassembly (NIH HIVinfo).