Researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (SIBS) may have found the key to stopping the HIV-1 engine from starting.
HIV is a deadly virus that remains dormant until conditions are favorable for it to begin replication and eventually knocking out the immune system. It is a long this same train of thought that researchers are trying to figure out how to keep the virus asleep permanently or as long as possible.
(Katherine Jones, Yupeng Chen & Lirong Zhang)
As part of this research, scientists at SIBS have discovered a protein that takes part in waking up the HIV virus. The protein, called Ssu72, interacts directly with an HIV-created protein called Tat. Tat acts a bit like a lookout for the HIV, signaling to the virus when it should get out of bed and start wreaking havoc.
What the scientists found was that Ssu72 binds directly to Tat, which helps to kick off the transcription process. It was previously thought that Tat only interacted with CycT1, a protein that’s required for normal cell function and therefore not a feasible candidate as an antiviral target.
The blob of death
Ssu72, however, isn’t required for making RNA in most host cell genes, which makes it ideal target for blasting away or inhibit with drugs.
“Many proteins that Tat interacts with are essential for normal cellular transcription so those can’t be targeted unless you want to kill normal cells,” according to Yupeng Chen, a co-author of the research at SIBS. “Ssu72 seems to be different—at least in the way it is used by HIV.”
Now that there’s something them to target, the SIBS scientists are investigating the possible ways of inhibiting Ssu72 from setting off the HIV alarm.
Source: salk.edu
Image:*uiowa.edu
Read More: http://ift.tt/1tkOf8g
HIV is a deadly virus that remains dormant until conditions are favorable for it to begin replication and eventually knocking out the immune system. It is a long this same train of thought that researchers are trying to figure out how to keep the virus asleep permanently or as long as possible.
As part of this research, scientists at SIBS have discovered a protein that takes part in waking up the HIV virus. The protein, called Ssu72, interacts directly with an HIV-created protein called Tat. Tat acts a bit like a lookout for the HIV, signaling to the virus when it should get out of bed and start wreaking havoc.
What the scientists found was that Ssu72 binds directly to Tat, which helps to kick off the transcription process. It was previously thought that Tat only interacted with CycT1, a protein that’s required for normal cell function and therefore not a feasible candidate as an antiviral target.
Ssu72, however, isn’t required for making RNA in most host cell genes, which makes it ideal target for blasting away or inhibit with drugs.
“Many proteins that Tat interacts with are essential for normal cellular transcription so those can’t be targeted unless you want to kill normal cells,” according to Yupeng Chen, a co-author of the research at SIBS. “Ssu72 seems to be different—at least in the way it is used by HIV.”
Now that there’s something them to target, the SIBS scientists are investigating the possible ways of inhibiting Ssu72 from setting off the HIV alarm.
Source: salk.edu
Image:*uiowa.edu
Read More: http://ift.tt/1tkOf8g
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