(Press-News.org) An interdisciplinary team of scientists from KU Leuven in Belgium has developed a new technique to examine how proteins interact with each other at the level of a single HIV viral particle. The technique allows scientists to study the life-threatening virus in detail and makes screening potential anti-HIV drugs quicker and more efficient. The technique can also be used to study other diseases.
Understanding how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reproduces itself is crucial in the effort to fight the disease. Upon entering the bloodstream, HIV viral particles, or virions, 'highjack' individual immune cells. The virion binds to and then penetrates the immune cell. Once inside, the virion reprograms the genetic material of the immune cell to produce more HIV virions. In this way, HIV disables the disease-fighting 'bodyguards' in our blood and turns them into breeding machines for new HIV virions.
Integrase plays a key role throughout this whole process: "Integrase is the HIV protein that causes the genetic material of HIV to link to that of the hijacked cell. It ensures the programming of the human cell upon infection. In our study, we wanted to track integrase during the different stages of infection," explains postdoctoral researcher Jelle Hendrix (Department of Chemistry). The challenge is to do this at the level of a single virion: "HIV has multiple ways of doing the same thing. This is the case for cell penetration, for instance. So it is certainly useful to be able to see exactly how the individual HIV virions are behaving."
To achieve this, the researchers used single-molecule fluorescence imaging. They engineered a genetically modified HIV virion that was capable of infecting the cell but incapable of reproducing inside it. The virion was programmed to produce a fluorescent form of integrase. "This allowed us to examine the interactions of the florescent integrase under the light microscope both in vitro in a single HIV virion as well as in a human cell infected with it."
"We then used the technique to study both clinically approved and newly developed HIV inhibitors. Some of these drugs were thought to affect interaction between integrase particles. With our new technique, we were able to observe that this was indeed the case."
"There are already a few dozen medications available for HIV, but further research is essential. Whenever HIV multiplies by hijacking an immune cell, there is a chance of mutation, and there is no guarantee that an HIV drug will be able to handle that mutation. A medication may not be as effective over the course of a patient's lifetime. Moreover, current HIV drugs are very expensive. Hence the importance of being able to test anti-HIV medications quickly and efficiently."
The good news is that this new technique can be broadly applied: "It may seem surprising, but we can also use a genetically modified version of a dangerous virus to examine other pathogens. Essentially, we have created a nano test tube out of an HIV virion, inside of which protein interactions can be studied. In principle, we can make any protein fluorescent, be it from HIV, from another disease or from a human cell."
"Researchers have been studying protein interactions for some time, but studying them at the level of a single viral particle was not possible until now," says Jelle Hendrix. Our technique allows scientists to quickly test many molecules – potential medications – for many diseases using minimal material. In future research, we will be using the technique to study integrase proteins of other viruses."
INFORMATION: END
New technique tracks proteins in single HIV particle
Using HIV virions as nano test tubes speeds up screening of anti-HIV drugs
2014-05-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Low testosterone levels may indicate worsening of disease for men with prostate cancer
2014-05-05
For men with low-risk prostate cancer, low levels of testosterone may indicate a worsening of their disease. That's the conclusion of a new study published in BJU International. The findings may help physicians identify patients with low-risk prostate cancer who should receive aggressive anticancer treatment.
Men with prostate cancer that is not life threatening and is only slowly progressing, can often forego treatment and instead undergo active surveillance. This involves close monitoring to ensure that their disease does not become serious and jeopardize their health. ...
Stigma: At the root of ostracism and bullying
2014-05-05
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Increasing evidence shows that stigma – whether due to a child's weight, sexual orientation, race, income or other attribute -- is at the root of bullying, and that it can cause considerable harm to a child's mental health.
Experts in pediatric mental health, bullying and ostracism will gather May 5 for a symposium titled "Stigma, Ostracism and Bullying: Dangers, Prevention and Interventions" at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. Researchers will present evidence of stigma associated with various ...
Being born 4-6 weeks premature can affect brain structure, function
2014-05-05
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The brains of children who were born just a few weeks early differ from those born on time, and these differences may affect learning and behavior, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Studies have shown that children who were born between 34 and 36 weeks' gestation (late preterm) have more social, behavioral and academic problems than children born at full term (37-41 weeks). However, few studies have looked at the brain structure ...
Electronic tool helps reduce drug errors among hospitalized children
2014-05-05
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – When children are admitted to the hospital, sometimes the medications they take at home are lost in the shuffle, or they may be given the wrong dose.
Having a system in place at hospital admission to record and review a child's medication history results in fewer errors, potentially avoiding harm to the patient, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care ...
Disease outbreak may not spur parents to have children vaccinated
2014-05-05
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Conventional wisdom holds that when the risk of catching a disease is high, people are more likely to get vaccinated to protect themselves.
This may not be the case, however, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Researchers, led by Elizabeth R. Wolf, MD, FAAP, compared rates of infant vaccination with the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTaP) before and during an epidemic of pertussis (whooping cough) in Washington ...
Few children receive dental care before recommended age of 1 year
2014-05-05
TORONTO, May 5, 2014—Less than one per cent of healthy urban children surveyed in Toronto had received dental care by the recommended age of 12 months and less than two per cent had seen a dentist by the age of 24 months.
Children most susceptible to cavities were least likely to receive early dental care, according to the study by Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital.
Of the 2,505 children around 4 years of age who were surveyed from 2011-13, 39 per cent had never been to a dentist. The children were part of TARGet Kids! (The ...
Food security increased by new scientific model in agricultural production
2014-05-05
Farmers are used to optimizing crop production on their own lands. They do soil tests to choose the right amount of fertilizers to apply, and they sometimes plant row crops on some fields while keeping others in pasture.
But is it possible to optimize production across a much bigger area—say, the whole East Coast of the United States? That's the question a team of USDA-ARS scientists in Beltsville, MD, has begun to tackle by developing a sophisticated new modeling tool.
Known as the Geospatial Agricultural Management and Crop Assessment Framework (GAMCAF), the tool ...
Study exposes risk of nutritional deficiencies in obese teens
2014-05-05
A new study exposes the risk of nutritional deficiencies in severely obese teens – both those who had weight loss surgery and those who did not.
At least five years after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, teens and young adults maintained significant weight loss but were at risk of nutritional deficiencies, particularly low iron, mild anemia and low vitamin D. The study also found low iron and low vitamin D in severely obese teens who did not undergo weight loss surgery. Those who didn't have surgery also had low levels of protein in their blood.
The Cincinnati Children's ...
Lean patients with fatty liver disease have higher mortality rate
2014-05-04
Chicago, IL (May 4, 2014) — Despite being of a healthier weight, lean patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have a higher overall mortality rate than patients with NAFLD who are overweight or obese, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). In addition to finding higher mortality rates, an international team of researchers found that lean patients [a body mass index (BMI) less than 25] with NAFLD were more likely to be male, non-Caucasian and to have lower rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension. ...
Arizona Sate University scientists take steps to unlock the secrets to the fountain of youth
2014-05-04
ASU scientists, together with collaborators from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, have published today, in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, a first of its kind atomic level look at the enzyme telomerase that may unlock the secrets to the fountain of youth.
Telomeres and the enzyme telomerase have been in the medical news a lot recently due to their connection with aging and cancer. Telomeres are found at the ends of our chromosomes and are stretches of DNA which protect our genetic data, make it possible for cells to divide, and hold some secrets as ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Bringing modern science to vitamin biology: Isha Jain wins NIH Transformative Research Award
University of Houston scientists learn that rare bacterium ‘plays dead’ to survive
Introduced animals change how island plants spread, new global study finds
Mayo Clinic researchers discover ‘traffic controller’ protein that protects DNA, and may help kill cancer cells
Protein sidekick exhibits dual roles in stress granule assembly and disassembly
New hope for MS
Kennesaw State professor receives grant to study cancer origins
Pain and antidepressant drug combo linked to increased seizure risk in older adults
Cancer researchers shape new strategies for immunotherapy
Physical exercise can ‘train’ the immune system
Calm red brocket deer can learn to "Come" and other commands - but the flightiest, most restless individuals struggle
China, the world's largest tea producer, is predicted to experience increases in land suitable for tea-growing under climate change, with the overall range shifting northwards, per AI modeling study
Composing crews for Mars missions
Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones
1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico
Bears and pandas in captivity develop significantly different gut microbiomes compared to their wild counterparts, and giant pandas in particular have less diverse microbiomes than their wild counterp
Prenatal and postnatal support apps might not work
Dancing dust devils trace raging winds on Mars
Raging winds on Mars
Real-time biopsies uncover hidden response to glioblastoma therapy
Repeated brain tumor sampling uncovers treatment response in patients with glioblastoma
Novel immunotherapy combination destroys colorectal liver metastases
Farmed totoaba could curb poaching
Avalanches: user-carried safety device increases survival time fivefold
It’s all in your head: Select neurons in the brainstem may hold the key to treating chronic pain
Time-restricted eating can boost athletes' health and performance
Burning issue: study finds fire a friend to some bees, a foe to others
Insights from 15 years of collaborative microbiome research with Indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon
Designing polymers for use in next-generation bioelectronics
Losing Nemo: Almost all aquarium fish in the US are caught in the wild
[Press-News.org] New technique tracks proteins in single HIV particleUsing HIV virions as nano test tubes speeds up screening of anti-HIV drugs