The Virus
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Tat (transcriptional domain) and Rev are important bcause the aid in viral replication (#17)
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HIV promotor is in the 5' LTR that has two NF-kB binding sites and a transactivation response element (where tat binds to) (#17)
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env encodes gp160, which gets cleaved by protease to gp41 and gp120 (#17)
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gp120 "is essential for viral infection as it facilitates HIV entry into the host cell" and target for neutralizing antibodies in drug/vaccine development (#18)
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gp41 is within the envelope membrane and noncovalently bound to gp120
The HIV virus is a lentivirus. It is a retrovirus that is composed of two strands of RNA. It uses it's own reverse transcriptase to reverse transcribe its RNA into DNA that can be intergrated into the host cell's genome. The HIV virus is about 1/10,000mm in diameter and is not composed of either a cell wall or nucleus. Instead the virus is composed of a viral envelope, matrix proteins, and a viral core. (#19)
Below is a video on how HIV replicates in our body.