Here, we describe an application of the backbone cyclic (BC) proteinomimetic approach to the design and the synthesis of a BC peptide which functionally mimics the nuclear localization signal (NLS) region of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 matrix protein (HIV-1 MA). On the basis of the NMR structure of HIV-1 MA, a library of BC peptides was designed and screened for the ability to inhibit nuclear import of NLS-BSA in digitonin-permeabilized HeLa and Colo-205 cultured cells. The screening yielded a lead compound (IC50 = 3 microM) which was used for the design of a second library. This library led to the discovery of a highly potent BC peptide, designated BCvir, with an IC50 value of 35 nM. This inhibitory potency is compared to a value of 12 microM exhibited by the linear parent HIV-1 MA NLS peptide. BCvir also reduced HIV-1 production by 75% in infected nondividing cultured human T-cells and was relatively resistant to tryptic digestion. These properties make BCvir a potential candidate for the development of a novel class of antiviral drugs which will be based on blocking nuclear import of viral genomes.