The present invention relates to synthetic peptide inhibitors (Seq ID No. 67-71) useful as anti-HIV therapeutics. The invention also relates to a novel screening method for screening anti-HIV molecules. The present invention relates to a synthetic peptide useful as anti-HIV therapeutic. The invention also relates to a novel screening method for screening of anti-HIV therapeutics. In particular, the present invention relates to reporter gene constructs for the detection of the HIV Nef and host ASK1 protein interaction. Furthermore, the invention relates to a functional interaction for Nef-ASK1 proteins prepared in a recombinant manner, a method for identifying of Nef-ASK1 interaction which causes activation of pathway to activate apoptosis presumably causing immune evasion for HIV in infected cells. The reporter gene construct according to the present invention, after it had been introduced into cells, in the presence of HIV Nef and host ASK1 proteins result in the expression of reporter luciferase protein which may be used for quantitative/qualitative interaction of HIV Nef and host ASK1 protein. The both interacting construct cloned in fluorescence expression vector when transfected in eukaryotic cells inhibits ASK1 mediated apoptosis and were reversed by the inhibitors. Furthermore, the invention was used to identify the inhibitor for the interaction of Nef-ASK1 in the cell.