Abstract

USUGA, XIOMARA; RUIZ, YORLEIDY; MONTOYA, CARLOS JULIO  and  RUGELES, MARÍA TERESA. Role of the regulatory and accesory proteins of HIV- 1 in its pathogenisis. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2009, vol.14, n.3, pp.3-18. ISSN 0120-548X.

Since the discovery of HIV-1 as the etiological agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the main processes involved in its replication cycle and responsible for the complex physiopathology of this infection have been described. Despite the advances in the development of new antiretrovirals and their impact in the quality and life expectancy of infected individuals, the current therapy does not allow a complete immune reconstitution and is also associated with deleterious side effects and the appearance of viral resistance. Therefore the search for new therapeutic targets is required to face this pandemic. The role of the accessory and regulatory proteins of the HIV- 1 in the replication cycle and in the pathogenesis of the infection has been ignored for several years now; however, recent studies indicated that these proteins play essential roles in the replication cycle, being responsible for several processes associated to viral pathogenesis. These findings have underlined the importance of these proteins as promissory targets in the development of new therapeutic agents. In this review, we detailed the role of each one of the HIV-1’s regulatory and accessory proteins in the replicative cycle and in the pathogenesis of this infection.

Keywords : HIV-1; accessory proteins; regulatory proteins; viral pathogenesis.

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