back to Molecular Biology Homepage

back to Objectives and Outlines Page

HIV-1 Gene Expression, Assembly, and Budding

Announcements:

• be sure to pick up an HIV handout--provides a basic summary of today's topics
• our final lab data are now online

Learning objectives for Fri 12/8/00

Students should be able to…

1. List and explain four different mechanisms used by HIV-1 to obtain 14 different protein products from a single primary transcript (alternate splicing is one of the four)
2. (review) Describe the expression and function of the HIV-1 early proteins Tat and Rev
3. Describe the mechanism of expression of the HIV-1 late genes gag, pol, and env (encoding MA, CA, NC, Pro, RT, IN, gp120, and gp41)
4. Describe the maturation of the HIV Env gene product, and the host cell mechanisms involved
5. Outline the process of assembly, budding, and maturation of HIV-1 virions, as it is currently understood
6. Explain the role of HIV-1 protease in the viral life cycle (this is the step blocked by protease inhibitors, which are probably the most successful of anti-HIV drugs to date)

Supplemental figures for today

organization of the proviral HIV genome (from Field's Virology, 3rd edition)

expression of the HIV-1 genome (from the AIDS Knowledge Base, chapter 3 section 2, available online)

maturation of Env protein (from The Retroviridae, Vol 4, Plenum Press, NY. 1995. pg 205)

HIV-1 assembly and budding (ibid, pg 210)

back to Objectives and Outlines Page

back to Molecular Biology Homepage