April 1, 2008

Evolutionary Accident Makes HIV Deadly

HIV may have “accidentally” evolved to become deadly, rather than benign, like similar viruses in monkeys, say researchers at a presentation at the General Microbiology’s 162nd Meeting today in Edinburgh, Scotland. These new data may help explain why HIV damages the immune system in most humans, whereas its close cousin, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), doesn’t harm most monkeys.

While most people would intuitively assume that an active immune system response to the virus is a good thing, researchers have actually shown that an overactive response in people with HIV causes great harm to the immune system. What remained unknown, however, was why human immune systems react so powerfully to HIV, when monkey immune systems barely respond to SIV.

Building on previous studies, researchers today presented data showing that differences in the viruses’ NEF proteins may explain this discrepancy. The NEF protein in both SIV and HIV helps the viruses evade detection by the immune system. SIV’s NEF protein, however, also removes a receptor called CD3 from the surface of T cells, which allows them to become active. HIV’s NEF protein does not remove this molecule, thus resulting in the hyperstimulation of the immune system and, eventually, its destruction.

The researchers stated that their next step is to genetically alter SIV in such a way that it makes NEF proteins that, like HIV, don’t remove CD3 receptors and see if this will cause SIV to become deadly in monkeys. Should those experiments confirm that NEF plays such a key role, it may be possible to develop treatments for HIV that play off the unique immune-dampening quality of SIV’s version of NEF.

NEW! Scroll down to comment on this story.

Name:	(2-50 characters)
Email:	(will not show)
City:	(optional)

Comment (500 characters left):

(Note: The POZ team review all comments before they are posted. Please do not include either ":" or "@" in your comment.)

| Posting Rules

Previous Comments:

Claude, West Milford, 2008-08-06 12:35:23
Excellent research. It's obviously really important to investigate the virus and its affects in many, many areas.

Juan Carlos, Guayaquil, 2008-04-05 13:00:43
I think this process can be done in laboratory without actually involving alive monkeys, they will just take the blood, change the NEF and do some tests in labs. If they would be the opposite they would face a legal argument for hurting animals.

Mark, Toronto, 2008-04-03 22:25:11
"... It's sad that innocent animals have to die to make life better for humans, but that is the way of the world, I guess... ... You guess?!...the WAY of the world?! How about 35 MILLION Men, Women and Children dying?

Drake, Annapolis, 2008-04-02 17:13:56
To Reese, Thank you, thank you. I could not agree with you more. What are we be comming?

Stephen, Jackson, 2008-04-02 14:39:53
Also, with that in mind, I don't think creating ANOTHER deadly virus is a good thing. Remember, HIV is a mutation of SIV so God only knows what would come out of this new virus they would make.

Jimmy Holliman-Perry, Granbury, 2008-04-02 12:42:27
Why not for the same buck conduct tests in both humans and monkeys to see what kind of results happen? Humans are animals too.

Reece, Baltimore, 2008-04-02 12:32:25
Wouldn't it be nice if the researchers would alter HIV in such a way that it makes NEF proteins that, like SIV, removes CD3 receptors and see if this will cause HIV to not become deadly in humans, rather than alter the SIV so that it becomes deadly in monkeys? It's sad that innocent animals have to die to make life better for humans, but that is the way of the world, I guess.