Stopping AIDS

Johns Hopkins scientists have identified 25 human proteins "stolen" by the HIV-1 virus that may be useful to its ability to infect new cells and multiply.  HIV disguises itself from the immune system's sentinels by wrapping itself in membrane and proteins from the host cell. David Graham, an assistant professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, isolated HIV-1 particles from lab-grown human T-cells and human macrophages and used powerful protein sequencing and bioinformatics tools to identify all of the associated human proteins.  They identified 279 proteins taken up by HIV from either T-cell or Macrophage, but only 25 were shared by the virus from both cell types, and one protein, CD44, which helps the virus to bind to cells at the inflammation location.  Using this knowledge scientists may discover a way to keep the virus from multiplying, thus saving people from developing AIDS.   

 Link:

 http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2013/02/27/seeing_through_hivs_disguises.html

NOS Themes:

1.      Role of motivation and curiosity, because many people are trying to find the cure to HIV/AIDS.

2.      Science is based on evidence, Graham conducted experiments.

3.       Role of chance, he and his team had no idea what type of proteins HIV would steal from cells