AEGiS-UPI: Good gene goes bad in HIV

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Good gene goes bad in HIV

United Press International - August 21, 2003
Peggy Peck, UPI Science News

New research indicates the human immunodeficiency virus is able to replicate by "hijacking" a normally protective gene called ATR and turning it into an outlaw gene. Scientists at the University of Rochester and the University of Utah School of Medicine report the ATR gene -- which normally stops damaged cells from replicating -- is used by the AIDS virus gene vpr to inhibit the production of immune-system white blood cells. This raises the possibility of treating AIDS-related immune system damage with medicines that prevent the human ATR gene from being activated by the vpr gene. Researchers predict it could take five to 10 years to develop therapies that target the ATR gene, but theoretically these medicines could offer a big advantage over existing AIDS drugs, which attack HIV but lose effectiveness when the virus mutates. The University of Rochester has a patent pending on the discovery that the AIDS vpr gene activates the human ATR gene. The study was published in the July issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

J Biol Chem. 2003 Jul 11;278(28):25879-86
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UP030805

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