Scientists at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles (USC) have uncovered the atomic structure of our bodies’ natural built-in antiviral factor, called APOBEC-3G. The discovery could possibly clear an extra pathway for developing new antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, according to a letter about the process published in the journal Nature.
Other scientists have previously described how APOBEC-3G can work as an antiviral drug inside human cells, keeping viruses from binding to the genes. Unfortunately, HIV carries a protein with it called VIF, which binds to APOBEC-3G, thus disabling its antiviral potential.
Now, however, a USC team of molecular and computational biologists led by Xiaojiang Chen, PhD, have uncovered the atomic structure of the active portion of APOBEC-3G to which the VIF protein binds. This could now allow chemists to design drugs that would bind to the VIF protein; that, in turn, would keep VIF from disabling APOBEC-3G, thus allowing the body’s naturally occurring antiretroviral to fight HIV.
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Marcos, São Paulo-Brazil, 2008-10-16 11:19:21
These news match with others that seem to conceive a new way of combatting the virus, that is, to enhance our body to win it. If so, I -as a pharmacist and pozi since last year- only have to applause this new approuch.
"I'm HIV positive and diabetic (as well as have high cholesterol) and some of my meds specify taking them with 'high fat foods' which I have to do twice a day. I've eaten as healthy as possible, but when it comes to high fat foods, I am in a quandary...about what to eat sometimes..."
