HIV-1 protease with an inhibitor molecule within the active site. Click image to view QuickTime video.

A potential treatment for HIV focuses on the enzyme known as HIV-1 protease, which is essential for the maturation of new virus particles. If an inhibitor that blocks the protease's active site could be developed it might stop the replication of HIV (1). To oversimplify, HIV might be cured. The protease is an excellent candidate for use in explaining enzymatic processes. HIV is a current hot topic that can draw students into a discussion of HIV-1 protease. One can then extend the protease example to a generalized picture of enzymatic processes.

The videotape is approximately seven minutes in length. It shows how the protease functions as an enzyme, the role of cleavage enzymes, why the protease is important to HIV, and an explanation of different ways to model a molecule. Short live-action sequences offer illustrations of ideas related to the protease. One example is a demonstration of the function of the enzyme thrombin in blood clotting. The majority of the videotape contains computer animations of the protease, its substrate, and one of its inhibitors. Molecular modeling provided the three-dimensional images used to illustrate the enzymatic workings of the protease. The videotape includes a voice-over that explains the images on the screen.

A class-tested instructional manual accompanies the videotape. The manual provides background information on proteins and HIV-1 protease that supplements the material on the videotape. There are renderings of the protease, its substrate, one of its inhibitors, and diagrams that illustrate basic concepts of proteins. These figures are suitable for use as overhead transparencies. The manual includes several student activities that use enzymes from everyday life. Two examples are bromelain, an enzyme in meat tenderizer, and tyrosinase, an enzyme in potatoes.