HIV Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Mechanisms of AIDS

本项目旨在了解HIV调控在病毒生命周期和疾病发展中的作用及其功能机制；并对核胞质中大分子的转运机制进行剖析。这项工作的结论也适用于设计更好的艾滋病疫苗方法。在这一时期，我们的研究重点是Rev和Vpr与细胞成分的相互作用；并进一步了解基因表达过程中的重要步骤转录后调控和核质输出。我们的研究结果有助于进一步了解大分子核胞质运输的基本机制。了解HIV基因表达的调控机制具有许多重要的实际应用价值。我们已经将这些知识应用于开发改进的DNA疫苗接种方法。

This project aims to understand the role and mechanism of function of HIV regulation in the virus life cycle and disease development; and to dissect the mechanisms of nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of macromolecules. The conclusions of this work are also applied towards the design of better vaccine approaches against AIDS. We have focused our studies in this period on the interactions of Rev and Vpr with cellular components; and on the further understanding of posttranscriptional regulation and nucleocytoplasmic export, which are important steps in the process of gene expression. Our results contribute significantly to the further understanding of the basic mechanisms of nucleocytoplasmic traffic of macromolecules. The understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of HIV gene expression has many important practical applications. We have applied this knowledge to the development of improved DNA vaccination approaches.