Nelfinavir: Difference between revisions

When [[HIV]] infects a host, it directs the synthesis of several polyproteins during its maturation process. The maturation of the virus to its infectious form requires that these polyproteins be cleaved to their component proteins by [[HIV Protease]]. The two subunits of <scene name='Nelfinavir/Prot/1'>HIV Protease</scene> come together to form a catalytic tunnel capable of binding the nascent peptides and cleaving them into their mature form. Buried within this tunnel lies <scene name='Nelfinavir/At/1'>two Asp-Thr-Gly conserved sequences</scene>, which contain the <scene name='Nelfinavir/Asp/1'>catalytic Asp residues</scene>. These catalytic Asp residues carry out the hydrolytic cleavage of the viral polyproteins. Saquinavir <scene name='Nelfinavir/Nelfinavir_b/1'>binds very precisely</scene> to these conserved sequences within the HIV Protease tunnel, preventing the nascent polyproteins from entering. Unable to actively cleave the nascent proteins into their functional form, HIV is unable to mature and proliferate, allowing the patients immune system to fight off the infection more easily.<ref>PMID:1799632</ref><ref>PMID:17243183</ref>