US: Scientists have identified a protein in monkeys that blocks the replication of the HIV virus that causes AIDS and could provide a new method to stop the deadly infection in humans.
Although a similar protein in people is less potent than it is in monkeys, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts said it could be a potential new weapon against the illness that afflicts 40 million people worldwide.
"The discovery is important not only because there is a new way to intervene in HIV infection but there is also a sense that we have suddenly got some insight into a potential role for what have previously been very mysterious cell components," Dr Joseph Sodroski said in an interview yesterday.
The protein, called Trim5-alpha, prevents HIV from shedding a protective coating and inserting its genetic material into the infected cell, combining with the cell's own DNA. If the virus does not complete this integration process quickly it decays and becomes non-infectious.
Trim5-alpha is a very specific inhibitor of HIV. Sodroski and his colleagues believe its potency may differ in individuals, which could explain why some people infected with the virus proceed to AIDS more quickly than others. It may also be possible for scientists to find a way to increase its potency.
The researchers also suspect it could be the first of more Trim proteins in humans which determine the susceptibility of cells to viruses and other infectious agents.