Source : Escherichia Coli.
HIV-1 protease is an active homodimer having a molecular mass of 21.6kDa (each monomer of 99 amino acids is 10.8kDa).
HIV-1 protease is very significant in the life cycle of the HIV virus. It is expressed in the infected cells as a part of Gag-Pol polyprotein from which it is auto-catalytycaly released after formation of an immature viral particle. The enzyme subsequently cleaves the other parts of viral polyproteins resulting in the maturation of the virus. In HIV-infected patients the enzyme is subjected to intensive mutagenesis and mutants resistant to applied medicines are produced as a result of the selection pressure.
