Study describes how HIV beats body's defenses

[pinto]

very interesting article, original study citation is also noted

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/14/MNG1NC82261.DTL

Study describes how HIV beats body's defenses
Virus moves in as T-cells drop protein shields

Sabin Russell
Chronicle Medical Writer
April 14, 2005

Scientists in San Francisco have apparently cracked a 20-year-old mystery surrounding the complex relationship between the AIDS virus and the immune system.

In a paper released Wednesday in the online edition of the British journal Nature, UCSF researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology have explained how certain blood cells are able to fend off the AIDS virus naturally but then drop their defensive shields at a crucial moment -- letting the virus in.

Their findings open up exciting new possibilities for drug development.

<snip>

The latest research, conducted by Dr. Warner Greene and colleagues at the Gladstone institute, provides a plausible reason why HIV can only infect T- cells when they are active.


The full report, "Cellular APOBEC3G Restricts HIV-1 Infection in
Resting CD4+ T Cells," was advance online published April 13 in Nature
(2005;doi:10.1038/nature03493).

[sharonking21]

1. thanks for posting this

I found the article very interesting. Looked around for an online full copy of the actual article but so far found only paid subscription access. (Not that I am surprised). I'm particularly interested in the "heavy" and "light" part of it.

[frustrated_lefty]

2. Maybe I'm way off here

My understanding is that initial infection, 90+% of the time, occurs through macrophage-tropic strains of HIV? Eventually, this quasispecies evolves into a strain which can utilize multiple co-receptors and ultimately decimates T-cells?

It's interesting, but provides too little info to judge by.

If they're talking about quiescent T cells or memory T-cells, it's utterly irrelevant.

Bottom line, don't get your hopes up. Sorry. Wish I could say different.