Researchers Discover New HIV-Replication Pathway

Researchers Discover New HIV-Replication Pathway

Antiretroviral treatments to slow the progression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have significantly extended the lifespan—and improved the quality of life—of infected individuals. These drug cocktails remain the most effective tools in treating HIV and preventing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Scientists across the world, however, continue to research, develop, and test potential new therapies designed to completely eradicate HIV from the body. Now, researchers from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry have discovered a new way in which HIV-1 reproduces itself.

The research, published online this September in the Journal of Virology in a paper titled “HIV-Replication Without Integration,” reveals that HIV-1 may skip the integration step—the process by which HIV must insert its genetic material into a cell’s DNA in order to replicate. Prior to these findings, it was widely believed that unintegrated cells died off. The new study finds that HIV cells can live in a dormant state for many weeks, however—with some unintegrated viruses even replicating without the host DNA cell.

Led by David N. Levy, PhD, an associate professor of basic science and craniofacial biology at NYU College of Dentistry, the study found that certain conditions may generate new viruses that infect new cells—diminishing the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs, which are unable to detect live viruses outside of cells’ DNA. The research, funded by the United States National Institutes of Health, may help in the development of new drugs designed to eliminate all forms of HIV.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

October 2013