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 it resistant to these competitive inhibitors.Where in the reverse transcriptase enzyme would such amino acid changes most likely occur in drug-resistant viruses?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Amino acid changes that make the virus resistant to competitive inhibitors are most likely to occur in or near the active site of the reverse transcriptase enzyme. This is because the inhibitors block the active site and any mutations that alter the shape or chemical properties of this region can prevent the inhibitor from binding, allowing the virus to continue transcription.

Some of the Drugs Used to Treat HIV Patients Are