Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I Protease

HIV protease, also known as HIV-1 protease or PR, is a retroviral aspartyl protease enzyme that plays an essential role in the life cycle of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. It is responsible for cleaving newly synthesized polyproteins—specifically Gag and Gag-Pol—at multiple sites to generate mature protein components necessary for assembling infectious viral particles. The enzyme’s activity is crucial for viral maturation; without it, HIV particles remain non-infectious. In addition to its well-characterized role in virion maturation, recent research suggests that HIV protease can also cleave certain host cell proteins involved in translation regulation, apoptosis, and antiviral responses. This may help modulate host cell function and promote immune evasion during infection.

Other names

HIV proteaseHIV-1 proteasePR

Competitive inhibition of HIV protease, preventing proper processing of viral proteins.