AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 266, Issue 5 C1135-C1156, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society
Viral gene products and replication of the human immunodeficiency type 1 virus
C. D. Morrow, J. Park and J. K. Wakefield
Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294.
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic represents a
modern-day plague that has not only resulted in a tragic loss of people
from a wide spectrum of society but has reshaped our viewpoints regarding
health care, the treatment of infectious diseases, and social issues
regarding sexual behavior. There is little doubt now that the cause of the
disease AIDS is a virus known as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The HIV virus is a member of a large family of viruses termed retroviruses,
which have as a hallmark the capacity to convert their RNA genome into a
DNA form that then undergoes a process of integration into the host cell
chromosome, followed by the expression of the viral genome and translation
of viral proteins in the infected cell. This review describes the
organization of the HIV-1 viral genome, the expression of viral proteins,
as well as the functions of the accessory viral proteins in HIV
replication. The replication of the viral genome is divided into two
phases, the early phase and the late phase. The early phase consists of the
interaction of the virus with the cell surface receptor (CD4 molecule in
most cases), the uncoating and conversion of the viral RNA genome into a
DNA form, and the integration into the host cell chromosome. The late phase
consists of the expression of the viral proteins from the integrated viral
genome, the translation of viral proteins, and the assembly and release of
the virus. Points in the HIV-1 life cycle that are targets for therapeutic
intervention are also discussed.
