La protéine Tat du VIH : cible potentielle en chimiothérapie anti-rétrovirale

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) encodes numerous regulatory proteins among which Tat and Rev are essential for virus replication. These proteins control HIV gene expression through interaction with specific regions of the viral RNA. The central role of the Tat protein in transforming HIV from a latent to an infective state makes it an attractive target for antiviral chemotherapy. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the structure and molecular characterization of Tat as well as its pivotal role in virus replication and its contribution to virus pathogenesis. The strategies which have already been applied and possible future approaches to identify the specific inhibitors of the function of this critical viral protein are described.