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

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Amino acid changes that confer resistance to competitive inhibitors are most likely to occur in or near the active site of the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme, as this is where the drug binds and where amino acid changes could affect the drug's ability to bind and inhibit the enzyme.

Some of the Drugs Used to Treat HIV Patients Are