Integrated HIV Successfully Cut Out of Human Genome

Chris writes "German scientists have succeeded in snipping HIV out of human cells after it has integrated itself into a patient's DNA. The procedure is a breakthrough in bio-technology and fuels hope of a cure for AIDS. The group is only cautiously optimistic, though, as treating a full-on infection would be substantially different than succeeding in a controlled lab environment. 'Researchers ... began with the bacterial enzyme Cre recombinase, which exchanges any two pieces of DNA flanked on either end by a certain pattern of nucleotides (DNA subunits) known as loxP. HIV does not naturally contain loxP sites, so the team created a hybrid of the two DNA molecules, which they used to select a series of mutated Cre enzymes that were increasingly able to recognize the combined DNA. The final enzyme, Tre, removed all traces of HIV from cultured human cervical cells after about three months, the researchers report online today in Science.'"

Comments

Different Strains?

[svendsen]

They are about 26 different stains of HIV. Article didn't mention it but I am curious if each strain might require a different technique or if this is strain independent? Either way pretty cool stuff.

Re: Different Strains?

[torstenvl]

You fail at reading comprehension.

HIV does not naturally contain loxP sites, so the team created a hybrid of the two DNA molecules, which they used to select a series of mutated Cre enzymes that were increasingly able to recognize the combined DNA. The final enzyme, Tre, removed all traces of HIV from cultured human cervical cells after about three months, the researchers report online today in Science. When "a series of mutated" forms of X are "select[ed for,]" resulting in a "final" Y, that's evolution, not contrivance. The initial cutting with Cre was contrived; Tre is a new enzyme which doesn't need the LoxP sites and recognizes HIV as it is.

Basically, they played that "You have 5 steps to change NET to PAWN changing/adding/removing one letter each time: NET NEW SEW SAW PAW PAWN" game with an enzyme.

Re:Seems like cheating

[BlueLightSpecial]

It may be 'cheating' but it does prove that the process can be done. It proves that one can cut HIV, albeit a prepared version, out of DNA If the procedure can be done under perfect lab conditions, it can be tweaked and changed to work outside the lab A major accomplishment if you ask me

Re:Proof of concept

[StuckInSyrup]

Maybe a genetically-engineered virus designed to attack various HIV strains?
No. That's not how a virus works. A virus, outside of a living cell is a inert bunch of proteins, nucleic acids and sometimes lipids. A "genetically-engineered" virus could only work if it would infect the same cell as the HIV. If two different viruses infect the same cell, a process called interference can occur. This can screw both of the virus types, but the cell is screwed as well. And to kill all of the HIV infected cells, we would need the engineered virus to be more infective as HIV. So essentialy we would end up killing HIV with some kind of uber-HIV. No good.