HIV-1 attacks T-cells (lymphocytes) in the immune system. The virus then attaches to the T-cell's molecular machinery destroying the original cells. The person is susceptible to deadly diseases and viruses. The T-cells are not completely alone, they have an anti-virus defense mechanism a protein called APOBEC3s "they have the ability to block the HIV-1s replication." Unfortunately HIV-1 also has a counter protein called Vif that cons the T-cells into destroying the APOBEC3s.
A research team decided to build on this original research led by doctoral student Eric Refsland and Reuben Harris of the University's College of Biological Sciences and Medical School. The researchers decided to take a closer look to see if there was a genetic variation in the susceptibility of HIV-1. They found that the "HIV-1 boosts one kind of production of the APOBEC3, the APOBECH." This led the researchers to believe that this was a main player in fighting the virus. The researchers used an experimental separation technique called mutagenesis. The researchers found that "different people have different strengths/potencies of APOBEC3H, with some proteins expressed stably and other inherently unstable." The stable variations were able to limit the success of the replication of the HIV-1 virus if the HIV-1 virus had a weak version of Vif. Unfortunately they were not able to stop the replication if the HIV-1 virus had a strong version of Vif. Refsland and Harris think the next step "is to figure out how to stop Vif from disabling the APOBEC3 enzymes."
This article shows a potential new pathway that could lead to a cure for HIV-1 in the near future. This could help the millions of people that are currently diagnosed with HIV and family members that are affected. This is very early research, so you just hope that this cure pan outs, unlike so many other HIV-1 'cures' that have come before.
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