July 31, 2007

Green Thumbs Up

In a discovery that may lead to new forms of HIV treatment, researchers at Purdue University have found a way to prevent a similar virus from reproducing in plants. By altering a gene in a host plant, scientists were able to halt the reproduction of Cauliflower mosaic virus—a retrovirus also known as CaMV that attacks plants such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower in a similar way as HIV multiples in human cells—without prohibiting the plant’s growth.