Scientists unravel HIV genome

Scientists have mapped, for the first time the structure of the entire genome of the virus that causes Aids. Decoding the entire genetic content of HIV-1 gives researchers a clearer picture of how the virus attacks the human body and ‘hides’ from the human immune system. The development is a big achievement because HIV carries its genetic information in more complicated structures than other viruses and the hope is that it can be used to make better drug treatment for the disease.

Carried out by researchers at the University of North Carolina, and published in the journal, Nature, the ground breaking work may also speed up the development of a new class of antiviral drugs to combat not only the incurable and often fatal Aids-causing human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, but also the viruses that cause flu, hepatitis C, and the common cold. "The science reveals big surprises about how HIV works," said Kevin Weeks, the lead researcher on the study. "It has the potential to dramatically change our view of how HIV replicates and infects the human body." Just like the viruses, which cause influenza, hepatitis C and polio, the HIV virus carries its genetic information as single-stranded RNA rather than double-stranded DNA. The information enclosed in DNA is encoded in a relatively simple way, but in RNA this is more complex. "The hallmark of HIV is its rapid mutation," said Mt Weeks. "Our study helps us to better understand how this happens, so we can learn how the virus attacks, replicates, evades and lies in wait."

Present therapies only reduce and never wipe out the virus. If a patient stops taking the drugs, the dormant virus, which hides in a reservoir, is reborn. A cocktail of drugs helps to keep the virus at bay, allowing patients to live for 20 years or more after infection. The complete map of the genetic structure of the virus will help scientists develop more effective drugs to treat HIV, said Weeks. By stopping the replication of the virus, it may be possible to even attack the virus before it gets a chance to sit in the reservoir. "This research could have widespread effects in fighting viruses as common as influenza," said Weeks. "If the rules prove to be broadly general, it will have a big impact on our understanding of viral biology."

Keith Alcorn of the HIV information service NAM told the BBC: "Encouraging the virus to mutate is not a new idea, but it is one of a number of options on the table. "How important this information will be for the development of new drugs remains to be seen, but it is a useful addition to what we know."

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children