Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase Function

Antiviral strategies against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are a focal point of research directed at combating the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT), the preferred target from the start, are the most studied, both biochemically and clinically. RT consists of RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RDDP) and ribonuclease H activities. The RDDP activity of HIV-1 RT can be measured on both homopolymeric and heteropolymeric RNA templates with appropriate oligodeoxynucleotide primers. The DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (DDDP) activity of HIV-1 RT is a measure of the function required for second strand or plus strand DNA synthesis during viral replication. As with RDDP activity, the DDDP activity can also be measured on homopolymeric templates such as poly(dA) with oligo(dT) primer. Template switching is a key function of HIV RT in vivo that is likely to influence rates of mutation and recombination by HIV RT.