Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the primary cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is a slow, progressive and degenerative disease of the human immune system. The pathogenesis of HIV-1 is complex and characterized by the interplay of both viral and host factors. An intense global research effort into understanding the individual steps of the viral replication cycle and the dynamics during an infection has inspired researchers in the development of a wide spectrum of antiviral strategies. Practically every stage in the viral life cycle and every viral gene product is a potential target. In addition, several strategies are targeting host proteins that play an essential role in the viral life cycle. This review summarizes the main genetic approaches taken in such antiviral strategies.
Highlights
human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a lentivirus belonging to the retrovirus family
One important issue is that HIV-1 makes use of the replication machinery of the host cell, which minimizes the number of potential viral targets
Interfering strategies against HIV-1 The inhibition strategies can be divided into two groups: The RNA-based strategies including anti-sense RNA, RNA decoys, ribozymes, RNA aptamers, small interfering RNA, microRNAs and the proteinbased strategies including transdominant negative proteins (TNPs), chimeric proteins, nucleases, anti-infective cellular proteins, intracellular singlechain antibodies and monoclonal antibodies
Summary
The virus is diploid and contains two plus-stranded RNA copies of its genome. One important issue is that HIV-1 makes use of the replication machinery of the host cell, which minimizes the number of potential viral targets. The aim of this review is to take a comprehensive look at the molecular, intracellularly based antiviral strategies that have been reported in literature, and to discuss their potential for development into clinical protocols. Interfering strategies against HIV-1 The inhibition strategies can be divided into two groups: The RNA-based strategies including anti-sense RNA (or other chemically modified nucleic acids), RNA decoys (sense RNA), ribozymes, RNA aptamers, small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNAs (miRNAs) and the proteinbased strategies including transdominant negative proteins (TNPs), chimeric proteins (fusion proteins), nucleases, anti-infective cellular proteins, intracellular singlechain antibodies (sFvs) and monoclonal antibodies (page number not for citation purposes)
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