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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2009 Nov;9(11):1369–1382. doi: 10.1517/14712590903257781

Figure 1.

Figure 1

HIV-1 transcription can be blocked by targeting host factors. The p53 pathway is known to be suppressed by HIV-1 and its reactivation can inhibit the replication of HIV-1. This is evident by upregulation of p21/waf1 in 9AA treated cells. Similarly, viral transcription requires the host’s cdk2 and cdk9 enzymes. Inhibiting these cdks using ATP analogs can halt viral transcription without killing the host cell. Additionally, HIV-1 possesses the ability to suppress RNAi in host cells. Although the overall downstream consequences are still being investigated, siRNAs can be directed against host factors that are essential to viral replication.