Defective HIV proviruses hinder immune system response and cure
In a report on the study, conducted on laboratory-grown human cells and published April 12 in the journal Cell Host and Microbe , the investigators say their experiments show that while defective HIV proviruses -- the viral genetic material -- cannot create functional infectious HIVs, a specific subset called "hypermutated" HIV proviruses creates proteins that cytotoxic T cells recognize as HIV. HIV proviruses can outnumber functional HIV 1000 copies to one and the faulty proteins they create can complicate efforts to measure a patient's viral load, exhaust immune systems, shield functional HIV from attack by natural means or drugs, and seriously complicate the development of a cure. Researchers believe that if they can exploit the "hypermutated" form of these proviruses, it could help them eliminate more of the defective HIV proviruses and develop a cure for HIV infection. "The virus has a lot of ways, even in its defective forms, to distract our im...