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Updated: May 15, 2026
Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners
Published on: June 30, 2013
Tyrosine kinases as essential cellular cofactors and potential therapeutic targets for human immunodeficiency virus
F Bertoletti1, E Crespan, G Maga
1Institute of Molecular Genetics, IGM-CNR, via Abbiategrasso 207, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
Insights
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) hijacks host cell metabolism for replication. Understanding cellular tyrosine kinases
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), infecting over 30 million globally and causing 2 million deaths annually.
- Despite numerous anti-HIV drugs, a cure remains elusive, necessitating a deeper understanding of HIV-host interactions.
- HIV-1 is an obligate intracellular parasite, manipulating host cell metabolism and signaling pathways for its replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of cellular tyrosine kinases' roles in HIV infection.
- To explore the potential therapeutic exploitation of these kinases for novel anti-HIV strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on HIV-1 and cellular tyrosine kinases.
- Analysis of signaling pathways affected by HIV-1 infection.
- Identification of potential therapeutic targets within host cell tyrosine kinase networks.
Main Results:
- Cellular tyrosine kinases are crucial mediators of HIV-1 replication and pathogenesis.
- HIV-1 infection alters the activity of specific tyrosine kinases, influencing viral entry, replication, and assembly.
- Dysregulation of tyrosine kinase signaling contributes to immune evasion and disease progression.
Conclusions:
- Targeting cellular tyrosine kinases presents a promising avenue for developing new therapeutic interventions against HIV-1.
- A comprehensive understanding of HIV-1's interplay with host cell kinases is vital for advancing AIDS treatment and prevention.
- Further research into tyrosine kinase inhibitors could lead to more effective strategies to combat the HIV pandemic.
Abstract:
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the cause of the AIDS disease. To date, more than 30 million people worldwide are infected with HIV—1, which causes two millions deaths each year. The pandemic is still ongoing, with three million new infections every year. Even though the current arsenal of anti—HIV drugs is composed of more than twenty different molecules, it became clear that the chemotherapeutic approach will not be able to cure AIDS, at least in its current form. It is essential, in order to develop more effective ways of treating this disease, to better understand the interplay of HIV with its cellular host, in fact HIV—1 is an obligatory intracellular parasite that takes advantage of the host cell metabolism for its own replication. HIV—1 takes control of virtually every aspect of cell metabolism by changing the functional properties of key signaling cellular proteins, thus triggering virus—specific signal transduction pathways. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge about the role(s) of cellular tyrosine kinases in HIV infection and their potential therapeutic exploitation.
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