The Sound of Evolution
Nelfinavir
Mechanism of action:
Nelfinavir is an HIV protease inhibitor. HIV protease is responsible for cleaving viral polyprotein precursors, including gag and gag-pol polyproteins, into mature and functional structural and enzymatic proteins. After nelfinavir binds to the active site of the protease, it prevents cleavage of these polyprotein precursors, resulting in the production of noninfectious viral particles.
Reference(s):
1. Kaldor SW et al. (1997). Viracept (nelfinavir mesylate, AG1343): a potent, orally bioavailable inhibitor of HIV-1 protease. J Med Chem.
2. Konnyu B et al. (2013). Gag-Pol processing during HIV-1 virion maturation: a systems biology approach. PLoS Comput Biol.
3. Takagi S et al. (2017). FRET analysis of HIV-1 Gag and GagPol interactions. FEBS Open Bio.