Some of the drugs used to treat hiv patients are competitive inhibitors of the hiv reverse transcriptase enzyme. unfortunately, the high mutation rate of hiv means that the virus rapidly acquires mutations with amino acid changes that make them resistant to these competitive inhibitors. where in the reverse transcriptase enzyme would such amino acid changes most likely occur in drug-resistant viruses?

Question

Gerardo Barker

Biology

18 October, 01:01

Some of the drugs used to treat hiv patients are competitive inhibitors of the hiv reverse transcriptase enzyme. unfortunately, the high mutation rate of hiv means that the virus rapidly acquires mutations with amino acid changes that make them resistant to these competitive inhibitors. where in the reverse transcriptase enzyme would such amino acid changes most likely occur in drug-resistant viruses?

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Moises Berger · Answer 1

Such changes would occur mostly likely near or in the active binding site of the enzyme.

Because the drugs used are competitive inhibitors of the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme, it means that they connect directly to the active binding site of this enzyme not allowing it to preform its function. If the mutations impede this drugs to work, it is probably because they alter the active binding site of the enzyme, not allowing the drug to bind and have its competitive behaviour permitting the enzyme to work normally.