Target enzyme: Reverse Transcriptase

 Mode of Action

NRTIs must be converted inside the cell to their active form (i.e. phosphorylated to a nucleoside triphosphate).The NRTIs trick reverse transcriptase into using the fake nucleoside triphosphates. The virus thinks it is inserting a natural nucleoside triphosphate into the DNA chain, but in actual fact it is inserting the drug. When this occurs the chain of DNA being formed will be prematurely terminated.