Mol Cell: a new key gene in HIV-1 infection

February 22, 2020 / BIOON / -- after the virus infects the human host, it will use the protein from the host to reproduce and modify the human cells to maintain the infection At the same time, human hosts activate defense mechanisms to fight infection At present, most drugs for virus infection are aimed at the virus itself But scientists are interested in developing therapies that target host proteins or induce the expression of host antiviral genes In this regard, a detailed understanding of the virus host interaction is essential for the success of the strategy Previously, a study led by Dr Nevan krogan of the Gladstone Institute identified the types of host proteins that interact with the virus These interactions reveal key host proteins in the process of virus infection and transmission However, they do not reveal how host proteins work together to promote infection To solve this problem, krogan and others developed a new method to understand how host cells control HIV infection In a recent paper published in the journal Molecular Cell, the team mapped the genes associated with HIV infection in human cells On the one hand, the map reveals new genes needed for virus growth in human cells In addition, the map can be used to analyze how different HIV mutants affect host cells and test drugs that can block the interaction between HIV and host (image source: www Pixabay Com) although HIV is one of the most deeply studied human viruses, and it has been controlled by antiretroviral therapy in clinic, it can not be cured completely In addition, because of the high price of antiretroviral therapy, it may not be practical in countries with limited resources Therefore, it is still an urgent task to find new ways to eliminate virus infection According to the latest mapping, the authors have successfully identified the members of the CNOT family, whose role in HIV biology has not been reported before The authors showed that CNOT complex can promote HIV infection by inhibiting innate immune response in CD4 + T cells "The impact of the CNOT protein family on innate immunity is critical for HIV infection and it will be a potential new therapeutic target in future research," krogan said Sources of information: scientists identify new human genes controlling HIV infection original sources: David E Gordon A quantitative genetic interaction map of HIV infection Molecular cell, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.02.004