Cure For HIV Moves A Step Closer In A Breakthrough Discovery
In a breakthrough discovery, Researchers from the University of Illinois, Chicago have successfully figured out a way to manipulate TAT Gene circuit, a genetic switch that helps the hidden HIV virus under the cells to replicate. By manipulating this genetic switch latent HIV virus can be completely eradicated from the body.
While a human body gets infected with an HIV virus, the DNA of the virus penetrates deep into the nucleus of the host genome. As per reports published in National Academy of Sciences Journal, the HIV DNA has the Tat gene circuit as a key component, which controls the transcription and activation of the virus in the host body. Upon activation, the complete cellular mechanism of the host is taken over by the HIV virus to produce its replicas, simultaneously infecting the neighboring cell.
As per a research, only when the Tat gene circuit is on, and the cells are being used to produce more of the virus, the HIV-specific immune effector cells can kill the virus-infected cells. Whereas the Tat gene circuit is off in cells that are latently infected, thus the cell goes about its normal business all the while harboring quiescent
HIV.Professor Jie Liang at the University of Illinois said that if we target the Tat gene circuit with a drug molecule to activate it, the latently-infected cells then can be modified to produce more of virus which can be further destroyed by the host’s immune system. But as of now, there are no drug molecule studies to attack the circuit.
The HIV virus has the tendency to hide inside the host cells in an inactivated state, thus making it extremely difficult to flush out the latently-infected cells out of their latency. Currently, Lifetime antiretroviral therapy is the only option for HIV infected patients.
As per Liang, the reactivation of the Tat gene circuit in HIV infected cells is a very rare phenomenon. It has a random probability of being active or inactive. Advanced computational algorithms are being developed by researchers to study the functionality of the Tat gene circuit under different conditions.
Researchers identified ways to manipulate the Tat gene circuit to make the “shock and kill” technique more effective. They also studied the “block and lock” strategy, where latent viral particles are locked into latency by permanently blocking activation of the Tat gene circuit.
The scientists concluded that by controlling HIV latency via Tat gene circuit manipulation, an effective therapeutic strategy can be chalked out which could cure HIV completely.
