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Scientists have presented a complete picture of the spread of HIV in the human body
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Scientists from the Gladstone Institute, led by Nevane Krogan, have announced the completion of a study that explains how the human immunodeficiency virus spreads in the human body. This discovery could help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Krogan conducted the study in a laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
In his work, published in the journal Nature, Dr Krogan describes how HIV infects specific human proteins, which leads to a weakening of the body's defenses.
AIDS has killed more than 25 million people worldwide. In the United States alone, more than one million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Krogan's experiments show promise for developing effective antiretroviral therapy for people with HIV.
In his experiments, Dr. Krogan conducted a two-part study of protein interactions. First, he conducted a systematic, global analysis of all potential interactions that occur between human proteins and proteins produced by HIV (HIV proteins). Second, he isolated all the interactions between viral proteins and human proteins that facilitate the spread of HIV in the body. The most important was the relationship between the human protein CBFß and the HIV protein Vif.
During HIV infection, a specific factor called APOBEC3G is activated, which acts as a molecular checkpoint, preventing the virus from reaching its target, the CD4 T cells. Dr. Krogan found that when the HIV Vif protein binds to the human CBFß protein, Vif is upregulated and APOBEC3G is inactivated, allowing the virus to infect CD4 T cells.
"This study is the first comprehensive look at how HIV interacts with components of human cells," said Judith G. Greenberg, PhD, acting director of the National Institutes of Health. "This work is a good example of how biophysical research can improve our understanding of disease and point the way to the development of potential therapeutics."
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