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Issue No.
27
| June 19, 2009
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AIDSinfo.nih.gov is pleased to provide you with a weekly update of highlights about what has happened in the world of HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research. We hope you find this encapsulated view of HIV/AIDS news useful. |
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Study: HIV Capsid Visualized
"The mature capsids of HIV and other retroviruses organize and package the viral genome and its associated enzymes for delivery into host cells. The HIV capsid is a fullerene cone: a variably curved, closed shell composed of approximately 250 hexamers and exactly 12 pentamers of the viral CA protein. ... A ring of six CA N-terminal domains form an apparently rigid core, surrounded by an outer ring of C-terminal domains. Mobility of the outer ring appears to be an underlying mechanism for generating the variably curved lattice in authentic capsids. Hexamer-stabilizing interfaces are highly hydrated, and this property may be key to the formation of quasi-equivalent interactions within hexamers and pentamers. The structures also clarify the molecular basis for capsid assembly inhibition and should facilitate structure-based drug design strategies."
Study: Interleukin-10 Affects HIV-1 Susceptibility and Pathogenesis Differently
"Interleukin (IL)-10 directly inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication, but it may also promote viral persistence by inactivation of effector immune mechanisms. Here, we show in an African cohort that individuals with genotypes associated with high IL-10 production at 2 promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms (-1082 and -592) were less likely to become HIV-1 infected but had significantly higher median plasma viral loads during the acute phase (3 months after infection). However, as the infection progressed, the association between genotype and median viral load was reversed. Thus, IL-10 may influence HIV-1 susceptibility and pathogenesis, but effects on the latter may differ according to the infection phase."
Study: Update of Worldwide HIV Epidemiology
"The global prevalence of HIV has stabilized in this decade, but with important regional differences in trends and modes of transmission. Prevention and treatment programs have an expanding impact in preventing HIV infection and AIDS deaths."
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