Regulation of HIV-1 Gag expression by SR proteins

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HIV infection causes AIDS and is a worldwide pandemic. In 2010, there were 2.7 million new infections, 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths, and 34 million people living with HIV. Currently, there are approved antiretroviral drugs targeting four stages of the HIV life cycle and in 2010 there were over 7 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy. However, drug resistant strains of HIV are a significant problem and there is still a great need for novel drug targets. One promising approach to develop new antiviral drugs is to target cellular proteins. This proposal will investigate how a family of cellular proteins, called SR proteins, regulate expression of the HIV structural protein Gag, which is necessary to make virions. We will identify which of the 12 human SR proteins regulate Gag expression and mechanistically characterise how they do so. This will identify which SR proteins could be targeted by antiretroviral drugs to inhibit HIV Gag expression.