Researchers Have Discovered The Achilles' Heel Of HIV

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/protein-enables-hiv-to-thwart-the-immune-system-2012-7



One reason the human body cannot fight off an HIV infection is because a single protein the virus produces thwarts human defenses, a new study says.

When HIV enters the human body, it produces a protein called vpu that directly combats a critical defense protein of the human immune system, the study showed.

Normally, this immune system protein stops invading viruses from replicating and spreading throughout the body. But vpu disables this defense mechanism, allowing HIV to invade.

When the researchers genetically engineered the virus to lack vpu, human immune system cells could fight back against the virus, the researchers' experiments with cells in lab dishes showed.


Read more: http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2836-hiv-human-immunity.html#ixzz20bDRsn6A

[pinto]

1. More background on the research here -

from Infection Control Today

Scientists Discover Why Human Body Cannot Fight HIV Infection

University of Washington researchers have made a discovery that sheds light on why the human body is unable to adequately fight off HIV infection.

The work, directed by Dr. Michael Gale, Jr., a professor in the Immunology Department, will be featured in the August print issue of the Journal of Virology.

The researchers discovered that the viral protein vpu, which is created by HIV during infection, directly interferes with the immune response protein IRF3 to dampen the ability of the immune system to protect against virus infection.

"By understanding exactly what HIV does to hamper the innate immune response during early infection, we can develop a clearer picture of how the virus is able to evade immunity to establish a long-term infection," says Brian Doehle, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the article.

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2012/07/scientists-discover-why-human-body-cannot-fight-hiv-infection.aspx

[sulphurdunn]

9. Go Dogs Go!

Now they need to do some research on why the football team can't win.

[myrna minx]

2. K&R!

[jimlup]

3. This is very significant!

Thanks! The solution is suddenly much closer.

[pinto]

4. (Side note) University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions

state supported... ~ pinto

"Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world."

http://www.washington.edu/discover/

[mrs_p]

6. my alma mater

and former employer... one of the best institutions in the world imho

[Soylent Brice]

5. k&r

[Auggie]

7. Huge! K&R!

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Rec this up Duers!

[WinstonSmith4740]

10. This news is beyond wonderful.

HIV and AIDS has been pushed to the back of our minds for years now, but people are still dying from it, and it's still out there. I teach high school, and the number of kids having unprotected sex is scary...HIV and AIDS is not something they hear about on a regular basis, so for them, it doesn't exist!

[busy being free]

11. I smell a vaccine in the horizon...

Happy happy joy joy

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. ?

odd attitude, I must say. Also, I was just in a jury on another one of your posts. 5-1 hide it.

[busy being free]

13. Hopefully you were Juror #5

If not, then buzz off!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. why the attitude? what is so wrong with a vaccine for HIV?

all the snide aside. what is your deal?

[Kali]

15. and gone

(they are too fast for me)

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. yeah. got to play with this one a little bit! wheeeeeeeeeee!