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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Two Genes May Stop HIV Infection


Recently, scientists have successfully isolated two genes that may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS.


The genes were isolated by comparing the genetic profiles of people in their first year of HIV infection with those who managed to resist infection despite repeated exposure to the virus. In addition, the "good" versions of the two genes were present in 12.2 percent of those who resisted infection compared with only 2.7 of patients in primary HIV infection. However, researchers are not yet sure, how this protection works.

One of the genes codes for a receptor on the surface of the immune system's natural killer cells, which destroy infected cells in the body. The other codes for a protein that binds the first gene and dampens the natural killer cell activity. Moreover, the most likely explanation is that HIV prevents the protein that dampens the killer cell activity from being expressed, allowing the killer cells to destroy cells infected with HIV.

Since this can happen very soon after the initial infection, people carrying those genes may be able to more efficiently destroy infected cells and lower their chances of developing AIDS. However, it seems that more research is needed to determine the exact mechanism behind the protection that researchers have observed. Undoubtedly, these findings have revealed a promising avenue. In the future, researchers’ findings could be used to somehow 'boost' the innate immune system and thus fight the virus as soon as it enters the body.

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