Direct Control of Human Gene Expression by HIV Proteins

艾滋病是人类历史上最具破坏性的流行病之一。艾滋病毒是艾滋病的病因，已造成2 500多万人死亡，其中仅2005年就有300万人死亡。虽然抗病毒药物可以减缓这种疾病，但仍然没有治愈方法或疫苗。像所有病毒一样，艾滋病毒需要使用细胞的正常机制来复制自己。作为回应，细胞发展出了阻止病毒复制并引发免疫反应的机制。最近，人们已经清楚，艾滋病毒控制其宿主细胞，创造一个有利于病毒复制和传播的环境。艾滋病病毒开启人类基因，帮助感染和关闭基因，帮助免疫反应。这可能是艾滋病的致命弱点。防止艾滋病毒使用人类基因将阻止病毒复制，因为人类基因很少突变，这不会导致艾滋病毒耐药性。理查德詹纳试图利用先进的技术扫描人类基因组，以发现艾滋病毒控制的所有人类基因，并了解艾滋病毒如何控制它们。这项工作将在伦敦大学学院进行，将确定艾滋病毒复制所需的基因，并为预防艾滋病毒感染的药物提供靶点。

AIDS is one of the most destructive epidemics in human history. HIV, the cause of AIDS, has killed over 25 million people, including 3 million people in 2005 alone. Although anti-viral drugs can slow the disease, there is still no cure or vaccine. HIV, like all viruses, needs to use the cell‘s normal machinery to replicate itself. In response, the cell has developed mechanisms that prevent virus replication and trigger an immune response. Recently, it has become clear that HIV takes control of its host cell to create an environment conducive to virus replication and transmission. HIV turns on human genes that help infection and turns off genes that aid the immune response. This may be the Achilles heal of HIV. Preventing HIV from using human genes would block virus replication and, because human genes rarely mutate, this will not lead to HIV resistance. Richard Jenner seeks to use advanced technologies that scan the human genome to discover all the human genes that HIV controls and to learn how HIV controls them. This work, to be carried out at University College London, will identify genes needed by HIV to replicate and provide targets for drugs that will prevent HIV infection.