HIV’s Latent Reservoir: New Insights Into NeF Protein Offer Potential Strategy to Improve Treatment

HIV’s Latent Reservoir: New Insights Into NeF Protein Offer Potential Strategy to Improve Treatment


Transmission Electron Micrograph of HIV-1 Virus Particles. Credit: Niaid

A new study LED by Western Researchers is the first to identify a factor that count influence how fast the pocket where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) HIDES DORMANTS DONKS ShRINKS WHENKS WHENKS WHENKS WHENKS WHENKS

HIV is Difential to Cure, Partly Due to the Virus’ Ability to Create a “Latent Reservoir” – WHERE IT HONE HOLTES DORMANT Inside of Cells, Safe from Detection.

“When this virus is expressed within infected cells, it can trick the immune system into not knowing it’s there,” said jimmy dikeakos, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Professor and The Study Professor and The Study ‘ Author.

Nef Protein, which is expressed by HIV during infection, shields the virus from immune detection. This protein reduces a molecule on the surface of the cell that acts as a marker to help the immune system recognize it is infected.

The study, Published in The Lancet MicrobeFound the ability of nef protein to reduce the marker molecule, called cell surface mhc-i, is linked to the speed at which the latent reservoir shrinks during long-term antytrovir Treatment.

“For people infected with the virus with highly active nef-meining the nef protein is really good at depleting mhc-i molecules from the cell surface-thehe rate at which the latent reservoir decayed Slower than in individuals with less active nef, “said dikeakos, professor in the department of microbiology and immunology.

The study was part of a large, collaborative global initiative involving the dikeakos lab in partnership with professor jessica prodger at western, andrew redd at the nih and rakai health Sciences Program in Uganda. This discovery opens the door to new strategies that specifically targetin as a way to help improvements for HIV.

Discovery Expands Treatment Possibilites

“By identifying the correlation, it showed Efforts, “Said Mitchell mumby, postdoctoral researcher at schulich medicine & dentistry and lead auth.

Currently, Art Treatment is unable to complete eliminate

“If we’re going to propose curved strategies, we need to understand what the virus is doing in individuals under treatment,” said dikeakos.

Researchers conducted this study with 14 people living with hiv and receiving arts in uganda over a five-yar period where changes in the size of the latent reservoir was measure.

Based on the evidence showing highly active Nef Slowed The Reduction in the Size of the Latent Reservoir, The Researchers are Now Focusing on Developing Nef Inhibitors whose wouleds wouled detail Than the host cell.

“The idea would be to include a potential nef inhibitor that works well with the current arts and other cure approaches currently being explred. The Hope is that HOPE is that approoch will result in a Targeted Reduction in the size of latent reservoirs.

“It’s really about about removing that toxic effects from HIV that we know exist, and by reducing this reservoir in this manner, we can let’s mitigate a lot of those effects that are made.”

This study was also conducted in collaboration with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Researchers Greg Dekaban, Art Poon, Corby Fink, Cassandra Edgar, Steven Trothen and Roux-Cil Ferreiraa.

More information:
Mitchell j mumby et al, Association Between HIV-1 NEF-Deeded MHC-I Downregulation and the Maintenance of the Maintenance-Compent Latent Latent VIRARVOIR in India in India exploratory cohort study, The Lancet Microbe (2025). Doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.101018

Provided by University of Western Ontario


Citation: HIV’s Latent Reservoir: New Insights Into NeF Protein Offer Potential Strategy to Improve Treatment (2025, March 13) Retrieved 13 March 2025 from

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