Structural and functional studies in lentivirus RNA encapsidation

慢病毒RNA衣壳化的结构和功能研究

• 批准号: G0800142/1
• 负责人: Andrew Lever
• 金额: $ 173.45万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2009 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=G0800142%2F1
• 关键词: Structural; functional; studies; lentivirus; RNA

There is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS. Drug combinations slow the virus but it has developed resistance to all the current ones and new ones are needed which stop virus replication. When HIV assembles it packages its genes, which are on a long piece of RNA similar to our own DNA. There are lots of other RNAs in the cell and HIV recognises its own because this RNA folds up into a complex but distinct ?knot? like shape. The virus captures this RNA at a particular place inside the cell. Drugs blocking this process would provide a potentially very powerful new weapon against HIV. The plan is to deduce the structures of all the molecules involved and also where the capture happens so we can design antiviral molecules and get them to the correct place to work against the virus. The work will also have spin off benefits for gene therapy.

没有艾滋病毒/艾滋病疫苗。药物组合减缓了病毒的速度，但它已经对所有现有的药物产生了抗药性，需要新的药物来阻止病毒复制。当艾滋病毒组装时，它会将其基因打包，这些基因位于一长段类似于我们自己DNA的RNA上。细胞中有很多其他的RNA，艾滋病毒识别自己的RNA是因为这些RNA折叠成一个复杂但独特的RNA。结？比如形状。病毒在细胞内的特定位置捕获这种RNA。阻断这一过程的药物将提供一种潜在的非常强大的对抗艾滋病毒的新武器。我们的计划是推断出所有相关分子的结构以及捕获发生的位置，这样我们就可以设计出抗病毒分子，并将它们带到正确的位置来对抗病毒。这项工作也将对基因治疗产生副作用。