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HIV Basic Science

Natural Killer Cells Play a Role in Immune Response against HIV

Details: Category: Immune Response to HIV; Published on Friday, 05 August 2011 00:00; Written by Massachusetts General Hospital

A type of immune system white blood cell known as natural killer or NK cells -- one of the first lines of defense against invading pathogens -- has been found to contribute to the body's immune response against HIV, according to a study reported in the August 3, 2011, issue of Nature. alt

Study Sheds Light on Residual Viral Load

Details: Category: Search for a Cure; Published on Tuesday, 05 July 2011 12:04; Written by Liz Highleyman

Residual low-level HIV plasma viremia correlates with size of the CD4 T-cell reservoir, but not immune activation markers. alt

Inflammation Linked to Higher Mortality Even for People with High CD4 Cell Counts

Details: Category: Inflammation & Immune Activation; Published on Friday, 25 February 2011 01:36; Written by Liz Highleyman

Inflammation was associated with an increased risk of death among HIV positive participants in the FRAM study, according to a report in the November 1, 2012, Journal of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes. People with the highest levels of 2 inflammation biomarkers -- fibrinogen and CRP -- had more than 2.5-fold higher mortality than those with the lowest levels. Inflammation remained a predictor of mortality even among people with CD4 counts above 500 cells/mm³.

Monkey T-Cells Don't Express Co-receptor

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 05 July 2011 11:59; Written by Emory

Sooty mangabey monkeys with SIV do not experience disease progression because their CD4 T-cells express little of the CCR5 co-receptor the virus requires to enter cells. alt

Can Statins Reduce Inflammation in People with HIV?

Details: Category: Inflammation & Immune Activation; Published on Friday, 25 February 2011 00:53; Written by Liz Highleyman

Statin medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), usually used to lower blood cholesterol, may also reduce immune activation in HIV positive people, according to a small study described in the March 15, 2011, Journal of Infectious Diseases. Reducing immune activation and inflammation may decrease the risk of chronic non-AIDS conditions such as cardiovascular disease, but a much larger study will be required to demonstrate clinical benefits.

Sugar-Binding Protein Facilitates HIV Cell Entry

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 21 June 2011 02:22; Written by UCLA

A sugar-binding protein known as galectin-9 traps protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) on the surface of CD4 T-cells, making them more susceptible to HIV infection. alt

Researchers Identify Novel HIV Replication Strategy in Macrophages

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 01 February 2011 23:56; Written by University of Rochester

HIV appears to use a previously unrecognized strategy to reproduce in macrophages, according to research published in the December 10, 2010, Journal of Biological Chemistry. This mechanism allows the virus to hide out in these long-lived immune cells and continue replicating, even in the absence of its usual genetic building blocks, and offers a potential new target for anti-HIV therapy.

Researchers Reverse HIV-Related B-Cell Exhaustion

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 07 June 2011 02:36; Written by NIAID

Chronic HIV infection reduces B-cell activity and production of antibodies against the virus, but gene therapy may restore memory B-cell proliferation and responsiveness.

Research Reveals Complete Structure of HIV's Capsid Shell

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Friday, 28 January 2011 07:18; Written by Scripps Research Institute

Researchers have uncovered the complete amino acid structure of the cone-shaped internal capsid that contains HIV's genetic material, according to a report published in the January 20, 2011 issue of Nature. Better understanding of this viral component may aid development of novel targeted anti-HIV therapies.

Untreated HIV Increases Inflammation in Women

Details: Category: Inflammation & Immune Activation; Published on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 03:42; Written by Liz Highleyman

Women with untreated HIV infection had different cytokine patterns and higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers than HIV negative WIHS participants, but antiretroviral therapy largely reversed this effect.

Up to 30% of People with HIV Develop Neutralizing Antibodies that May Slow Disease Progression

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 12:55; Written by Public Library of Science

Between 10% and 30% of people with HIV produce broadly cross-reactive antibodies against the virus during the first few years of infection, according to research published in the January 13, 2011, edition PLoS Pathogens. These early antibodies, which target a conserved region of HIV's outer envelope, are associated with lower plasma viral load, and investigators suggested their findings could aid development of an effective vaccine.

CMV Vaccine Clears SIV in Monkeys

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 04:49; Written by Oregon Health & Science University

Macaques given a CMV vector vaccine showed sustained CD8 T-cell activation, which was associated with control of a virus related to HIV.

RNA Interference Combination Strategy Shows Promise in Laboratory Study

Details: Category: Experimental HIV Drugs; Published on Friday, 14 January 2011 12:55; Written by BioMed Central

Investigators from Johnson and Johnson have devised a set of short hairpin RNA sequences that may be able to inhibit nearly 90% of all known HIV strains, according to findings published in the January 13, 2011 online edition of the open-access journal AIDS Research and Therapy. While HIV can mutate to develop resistance to RNA interference -- as it does to conventional antiretroviral drugs -- combining 4 or more highly conserved hairpin RNA segments may maintain long-term viral suppression.

Tenofovir and Valganciclovir Reduce Inflammation in People with HIV

Details: Category: Inflammation & Immune Activation; Published on Monday, 25 April 2011 21:48; Written by Liz Highleyman

The antiretroviral drug tenofovir and the anti-herpes drug valganciclovir may help reduce harmful immune activation and inflammatory activity in HIV positive people.

Low-level HIV Persists Despite Long-term Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy

Details: Category: Search for a Cure; Published on Friday, 10 December 2010 11:23; Written by Liz Highleyman

People on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) reach an HIV viral load and antibody "set-point," with a low level of persistent virus detectable using sensitive tests, according to study findings reported in the October 23, 2010 issue of AIDS. This research adds to the evidence that ART alone is not sufficient to eradicate all HIV from the body.

Researchers Discover How TRIM5 Protects against HIV

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Monday, 25 April 2011 21:39; Written by University of Zurich

The TRIM5 protein protects against HIV infection in monkeys by attaching to the virus capsid and triggering an antiviral immune response. alt

Human Protein Tetherin Disables Production of New Infectious HIV

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Monday, 29 November 2010 16:00; Written by American Society for Microbiology

A human cellular protein known as bone marrow stromal cell antigen-2 (BST02) -- also called tetherin -- can interfere with maturation and release of newly produced HIV viral particles, thereby offering protection against infection of additional cells, according to findings from a Canadian laboratory study reported in the December 2010 Journal of Virology.

HIV Envelope Discovery Could Reveal New Vaccine Targets

Details: Category: HIV Vaccines; Published on Monday, 11 April 2011 23:09; Written by UC Davis

Researchers have identified how the HIV envelope changes shape after binding to a host cell, exposing conserved proteins that might be good targets for a vaccine.

HIV Tat Vaccine Improves Immune Function in People on Antiretroviral Therapy

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Friday, 19 November 2010 13:59; Written by PLoS ONE

A therapeutic vaccine targeting the HIV Tat protein, which is required for viral gene expression and replication, dampened immune activation and improved immune function in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to an exploratory analysis of a Phase 2 Italian study published in the November 11, 2010 edition of the open access journal PLoS ONE. "Immunization with Tat was safe, induced durable immune responses, and modified the pattern of CD4+ and CD8+ cellular activation," the researchers concluded. What's more, they noted that individuals with more advanced immune deficiency appeared to benefit most.

Does Lack of Anti-HIV Antibodies in Blood Help Protect against Infection?

Details: Category: Immune Response to HIV; Published on Friday, 25 February 2011 02:12; Written by Liz Highleyman

People whose immune systems mount a weaker response to HIV may be resistant to infection, since the T-cells that proliferate in the blood when they encounter invaders provide ideal targets for the virus, suggests research published in the February 9, 2011, advance online edition of Immunity. Investigators found that monkeys who were immunized with a gp41 vaccine and developed mucosal anti-HIV antibodies were almost fully protected against vaginal infection, even though they did not have detectable circulating blood antibodies.

HLA Genetic Variations Play Key Role in Natural Control of HIV

Details: Category: HIV Basic Science; Published on Tuesday, 09 November 2010 13:17; Written by Massachusetts General Hospital

People who naturally control HIV long-term without antiretroviral therapy (ART) have a unique pattern of amino acid variations in genes encoding HLA proteins, which enable immune recognition and response, according to a report in the November 4, 2010 advance online edition of Science. A genome-wide association analysis by more than 300 investigators with the International HIV Controllers Study found several specific amino acid changes in the HLA-B peptide binding groove associated with risk for or protection from HIV disease progression. These results, the researchers suggested, imply that the interaction between HLA and viral peptides is the key to durable control of HIV.

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