מעכבי הבשלה והרכבה של ויריונים

When viruses such as HIV enter host cells and replicate, they produce long precursor protein chains called polyproteins, including Gag and Gag-Pol.

Gag makes up the structural parts of the virus, while Gag-Pol contains viral enzymes, including the viral protease.

These polyproteins move to the host cell membrane, where they begin to assemble.

When several Gag-Pol molecules come together, the protease regions form a dimer and become active.

As the viral particle buds from the host cell, the active protease first cleaves itself from the Gag-Pol polyprotein, then cleaves the remaining polyproteins into smaller, functional proteins.

This cleavage reorganizes the virion structure, helping the capsid to form properly and producing a mature HIV virion.

Protease inhibitors are antiviral agents that enter infected host cells and bind to the viral proteases.

This blocks protease activity and viral polyprotein cleavage, keeping HIV virions immature and noninfectious, which slows virus spread in the body.