New ways to pressure HIV

	Tweet

Two new studies showing that protein bits produced by unusual “reading” of the HIV genome can induce immune responses will appear online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on Jan. 11 (http://www.jem.org).

Small, compact RNA viruses like HIV make the most of their limited genomes by stuffing genes that direct protein production into several different reading frames and orientations. When teams—led by Berger et al. at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard; and Bansal et al. at the University of Alabama—examined viral genomes in groups of HIV-infected individuals, they found an accumulation of genetic variations specifically in unusual reading frames and orientations. This finding suggested that mutations in these reading frames may have been caused by pressure from the hosts’ immune systems.

The notion was supported by their finding that HIV-infected individuals exhibited killer immune cell responses specific for protein fragments generated by unconventional reading of the HIV genome. In some cases, mutations in these reading frames allowed HIV-infected cells to escape immune cell killing. 

The information provided by these findings may prove useful during future HIV vaccine design efforts.

###

About The Journal of Experimental Medicine

The Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) is published by The Rockefeller University Press. All editorial decisions on manuscripts submitted are made by active scientists in conjunction with our in-house scientific editors. JEM content is posted to PubMed Central, where it is available to the public for free six months after publication. Authors retain copyright of their published works and third parties may reuse the content for non-commercial purposes under a creative commons license.

Bansal, A., et al. 2010. J. Exp. Med. doi:10.1084/jem.20092060
Berger, C., et al. 2010. J. Exp. Med. doi:10.1084/jem.20091808

Contact: Rita Sullivan

212-327-8603
Rockefeller University Press

RELATED STORIES:
AIDS Prevention Inspires Ways to Make Circumcisions Easier   Bill Gates injects $750 million into troubled AIDS fund   Having a Dog or Cat Helps Women Cope with HIV/AIDS   Saliva HIV test passes the grade   Caution Needed When Choosing Seizure Drugs for People with HIV/AIDS   Drug to Treat HIV in Children Shows Promise Via National Clinical Trial   Study in monkeys raises hope for HIV vaccines   Pathogenic Landscape Of HIV   Bali HIV scare fuels concern over tattoo safety   HIV study named 2011 breakthrough of the year by Science   Study suggests early ART in recently HIV-infected patients preferable to delayed treatment   Gladstone Scientists Identify Human Proteins that May Fuel HIV/AIDS Transmission

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]