Comments on: Protein that destroys HIV discovered http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered Accelerating Intelligence Sat, 25 May 2013 14:36:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Richard Badge http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered/comment-page-1#comment-624 Richard Badge Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:21:01 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=97776#comment-624 An interesting paper, but I have to agree with throwaway is taken - site directed mutagenesis can tell you that a particular motif when disrupted can alter a proteins activity, but this could be true of many sites... I am much more excited by the work on Trim5a - cyclophilin fusion genes (Neagu et al 2009 PMID: 19741300 and Dietrich et al 2010 PMID: 20554781). An interesting paper, but I have to agree with throwaway is taken – site directed mutagenesis can tell you that a particular motif when disrupted can alter a proteins activity, but this could be true of many sites… I am much more excited by the work on Trim5a – cyclophilin fusion genes (Neagu et al 2009 PMID: 19741300 and Dietrich et al 2010 PMID: 20554781).

]]> By: astronghope24 http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered/comment-page-1#comment-604 astronghope24 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:35:49 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=97776#comment-604 Alright so this is going to sound kind of crazy right now but today I had a very intense day with nature and it was just a weird day all together but i read this earlier and think it is a great step in finding a cure for HIV! upon pondering this most of my day I came upon a daddy long leg spider and then it occurred to could spider zenom help identify or modify the amino acids of the cell. I learned that certain venoms the potential medical uses of spider venoms are largely due to their selectivity and affinity for ion channels [proteins that allow ions to cross cell membranes] and other receptors. This makes them suitable for studying cell function and for designing therapeutic drugs. Just a thought I was really pondering today. Im probably way off though! good luck! and keep up the great research! Alright so this is going to sound kind of crazy right now but today I had a very intense day with nature and it was just a weird day all together but i read this earlier and think it is a great step in finding a cure for HIV! upon pondering this most of my day I came upon a daddy long leg spider and then it occurred to could spider zenom help identify or modify the amino acids of the cell. I learned that certain venoms the potential medical uses of spider venoms are largely due to their selectivity and affinity for ion channels [proteins that allow ions to cross cell membranes] and other receptors. This makes them suitable for studying cell function and for designing therapeutic drugs. Just a thought I was really pondering today. Im probably way off though! good luck! and keep up the great research!

]]> By: RobinSongs http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered/comment-page-1#comment-591 RobinSongs Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:20:37 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=97776#comment-591 "but bad in that they will probably lead to risky behavior re-emerging in sexual activities". Virtual Reality will take care of that. “but bad in that they will probably lead to risky behavior re-emerging in sexual activities”.

Virtual Reality will take care of that.

]]> By: throwawayistaken http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered/comment-page-1#comment-590 throwawayistaken Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:57:59 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=97776#comment-590 Former assistant to postdoc in top-5 HIV lab here, throwaway acct. We've known and been doing research about Trim5 for years and years. This research isn't very helpful -- it deserves no more attention than other steps in current research. Background: All primates have this protein. Trim5 in humans is usually hopeless against HIV but strong against SIV (Simian IV, the prevalent sister disease among species of primates. Yes, that means your immune to an ape STD -- don't test it, you aren't immune to some others). In rhesus/spider monkeys, Trim5 has serious potency, rendering some breeds totally immune to all strains of SIV & HIV. And we've known for 5+ years which chains of the Trim5 protein are different across species, narrowing down the important areas. Read carefully what they have advanced: When these amino acids were altered in human cells, TRIM5a lost its ability to block HIV-1 infection. They've discovered that they could make Trim5a ineffective against HIV-1 by altering a few amino acids. The step forward is that this is more specific than previous work in altering the protein -- before, we had it narrowed down to short chains, not individual amino acids. However, we've been disabling Trim5 by removing larger, less precise sections for years. More importantly, disabling a protein is not the same as finding it's effective areas, or "active zones". I can disable almost any amino acid critical to a protein's folding and change it's shape to render it ineffective, but that doesn't tell me anything about its "active zones". It's like disabling a car by breaking its axle -- the car doesn't go, but I can't conclude that I've located the car's engine. source: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/d4lhp/protein_that_destroys_hiv_discovered/ Former assistant to postdoc in top-5 HIV lab here, throwaway acct. We’ve known and been doing research about Trim5 for years and years. This research isn’t very helpful — it deserves no more attention than other steps in current research.
Background: All primates have this protein. Trim5 in humans is usually hopeless against HIV but strong against SIV (Simian IV, the prevalent sister disease among species of primates. Yes, that means your immune to an ape STD — don’t test it, you aren’t immune to some others). In rhesus/spider monkeys, Trim5 has serious potency, rendering some breeds totally immune to all strains of SIV & HIV. And we’ve known for 5+ years which chains of the Trim5 protein are different across species, narrowing down the important areas.
Read carefully what they have advanced:
When these amino acids were altered in human cells, TRIM5a lost its ability to block HIV-1 infection.
They’ve discovered that they could make Trim5a ineffective against HIV-1 by altering a few amino acids. The step forward is that this is more specific than previous work in altering the protein — before, we had it narrowed down to short chains, not individual amino acids.
However, we’ve been disabling Trim5 by removing larger, less precise sections for years. More importantly, disabling a protein is not the same as finding it’s effective areas, or “active zones”. I can disable almost any amino acid critical to a protein’s folding and change it’s shape to render it ineffective, but that doesn’t tell me anything about its “active zones”. It’s like disabling a car by breaking its axle — the car doesn’t go, but I can’t conclude that I’ve located the car’s engine.

source: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/d4lhp/protein_that_destroys_hiv_discovered/

]]> By: JohnVKaravitis http://www.kurzweilai.net/protein-that-destroys-hiv-discovered/comment-page-1#comment-560 JohnVKaravitis Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:42:28 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=97776#comment-560 John V. Karavitis CONGRATULATIONS! This discovery is a milestone in the fight against AIDS! GOOD JOB! And think about it, this discovery could also pave the way for a complete cure for other viral diseases such as Herpes. Now, the thing to remember is that public education efforts must still be made to ensure that no other virus gains a foothold and spreads like AIDS. Viruses mutate all the time, and the successor to AIDS may not be subject to this particular method of attack. So, discoveries like this are good, but bad in that they will probably lead to risky behavior re-emerging in sexual activities. P.S. I found out about this article through Twitter. Twitter rocks! John V. Karavitis John V. Karavitis CONGRATULATIONS! This discovery is a milestone in the fight against AIDS! GOOD JOB! And think about it, this discovery could also pave the way for a complete cure for other viral diseases such as Herpes. Now, the thing to remember is that public education efforts must still be made to ensure that no other virus gains a foothold and spreads like AIDS. Viruses mutate all the time, and the successor to AIDS may not be subject to this particular method of attack. So, discoveries like this are good, but bad in that they will probably lead to risky behavior re-emerging in sexual activities. P.S. I found out about this article through Twitter. Twitter rocks! John V. Karavitis

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