ABSTRACT
H um an Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and has been investigated most extensively in the history of medical sciences. Molecular analyses of HIV replication have revealed outstanding features of self-contained concerted complexity that regulates viral life cycle.12 Most remarkably, HIV no t only utilizes host cellular machinery to complete its life cycle but it also carries specific genes which encode effector protein molecules such as Tat and Rev to make best use of the cellular mechanisms. Thus, molecular studies on HIV have been providing novel areas of research in the fields of m olecular and cellular biology. In this chapter, I will summarize what has been known about these specific viral gene products with special attention to the development of therapeutic strategies.
