C-28 linker length modulates the activity of second-generation HIV-1 maturation inhibitors.

Maturation inhibitors (MIs) block HIV-1 maturation by preventing the cleavage of the capsid protein and spacer peptide 1 (CA-SP1). Bevirimat (BVM), a first-in-class MI, displayed sub-optimal efficacy in clinical trials due to presence of SP1:V7A polymorphism in the Gag protein.This polymorphism is inherently present in HIV-1 subtype C and conferred resistance to BVM.