HIV Helpers
HIV is a remarkably simple virus, equipped with only 9 genes that code for a
mere 15 proteins. As a result, the virus must exploit multiple host cell
functions in order to ensure its own survival and replication. Brass et al.
described their systematic approach to identifying which host human proteins in
particular are required for HIV infection. Using RNA interference (RNAi)
technology, which enables researchers to inhibit the expression of specific
genes one at a time, the team screened more than 20,000 human genes and
identified 273 HIV-dependency factors -- proteins that help the virus wreak its
havoc on the immune system. These factors -- of which only 36 had previously
been identified -- participate in a broad array of cellular functions including
nuclear transport, sugar modification of proteins, and vesicular trafficking,
and implicate new pathways in the viral life cycle. The new work demonstrates
the power of RNAi to probe the dependencies of human pathogens such as HIV, and
to identify potential new targets for therapy.
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Proteins
That Could Be Used to Halt HIV Are Identified