HIV Disease Processes Flashcards
What type of virus is HIV-1?
Single stranded RNA virus
How is HIV-1 transmitted?
Sexually but can also be intravenously through either blood transfusion or intravenous drug use
What does HIV cause?
Establishes a chronic infection causing progressive immune deficiency and resulting in the onset of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, typically after 2-10 years of infection
Describe the HIV-1 genome
9.2 kilobase ssRNA genome
Multiple reading frames
9 genes producing 9 proteins
Gag and pol are processed to produce a further 4 proteins each
Describe the HIV-1 virion structure
Lipid membrane
Docking glycoprotein gp120
Transmembrane glycoprotein gp41
Matrix protein gag p17
Protease
Capsid gag p24
Reverse transcriptase
Nucleocapsid
Vid, Vpr, Nef and p7
Integrase
RNA
How is HIV infection usually diagnosed?
Through blood tests detecting the presence or absence of HIV Abs
How does the virus enter cells?
Via the genital mucosal epithelium or intravenous routes
What happens once the virus enters?
Entry virus reaches draining lymph nodes and spreads to the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT)
Why is GALT susceptible to infection?
Has a large number of CD4+ T cells
What are the stages of the HIV life cycle?
Binding/Attachment
Fusion
Reverse transcription
Integration
Replication
Assembly
Budding
What is the binding stage?
HIV binds to receptors on the surface of a CD4 cell
What happens in fusion?
HIV envelope and the CD4 cell membrane fuse, which allows HIV to enter the CD4 cell
What happens in reverse transcription?
Inside the CD4 cell HIV releases and uses reverse transcriptase to convert its HIV RNA into HIV DNA
This allows HIV to enter the CD4 cell nucleus and combine with the cell’s genetic material (cell’s DNA)
Describe integration
Inside the CD4 cell nucleus HIV releases integrase
HIV uses integrase to insert its viral DNA into the DNA of the CD4 cell
Describe what happens in replication
Once the HIV DNA is integrated into the CD4 cell DNA, HIV uses the machinery of the CD4 cell to make long chains of HIV proteins
The protein chains are the building blocks for more HIV virions
Describe what happens in assembly
New HIV proteins and HIV RNA move to the surface of the cell and assemble into immature HIV (noninfectious)
Describe budding
Newly formed immature HIV pushes itself out of the host CD4 cell
The new HIV releases protease
Protease breaks up the long protein chains in the immature virus, resulting in mature virus
What drugs inhibit the binding stage?
CCR5 antagonist
Post-attachment inhibitors
What drug classes inhibit reverse transcription?
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
What inhibits uncoating of the virus?
TRIM5a
What prevents reverse transcription of the virus?
APOBEC3G
SAMHD1
What inhibits virus release?
Tetherin
What does Vif do?
Inhibits APOBEC3G
What does Vpx do?
Inhibits SAMHD1
What does Vpu do?
Inhibits tetherin
What components of the immune system are involved in anti-HIV immune response?
Cytotoxic CD8+ T cell response targets infected cells presenting antigens restricted to HLA class I alleles
Generation of neutralising Ab to gp160 envelope glycoprotein
ADCC mediated by NK cells
What are the 3 main stages of HIV disease?
Acute
Chronic
AIDS