Transcriptional control of HIV replication by multiple modulators and their implication for a novel antiviral therapy.

Transcriptional regulation is critical for the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) life cycle and is the only step at which the virus amplifies the content of its genetic information. Numerous known and still unknown transcriptional factors, both host and viral, regulate HIV-1 gene expression and latency. This article is a comprehensive review of transcription factors involved in HIV-1 gene expression and presents the significant implications of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and the HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (Tat) protein. We include recent findings on chromatin remodeling toward HIV transcription and its therapeutic implication is also discussed. The current status of small-molecular-weight compounds that affect HIV transcription is also described.