Proteins could become targets for long-acting therapies for patients suffering from AIDS-related illnesses
HIV-1, which causes AIDS, navigates a labyrinth of immune sensors and anti-viral attackers in order to reach a target-cell nucleus, where it permanently integrates into human DNA and spreads infection. How the virus traffics through this hostile environment has been a relative “black box” of mystery compared to other parts of the life cycle.
“We’re trying to understand the cellular proteins – which ones are helping this (HIV-1 core) structure travel all the way from the entry point to the nucleus, where HIV-1 permanently integrates into the human genome,” said Kvaratskhelia, a professor of medicine.