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NIH Scientists Identify New HIV-Inhibiting Protein
Potential Role in HIV Treatment and Prevention under Study
May 29, 2012 - WHAT:
Scientists have identified a new HIV-suppressing protein in the blood of people infected with the virus. In laboratory studies, the protein,
called CXCL4 or PF-4, binds to HIV such that it cannot attach to or enter a human cell. The research was led by Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D.,
chief of the Section of Viral Pathogenesis in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH.
CXCL4 belongs to a family of molecules called chemokines that help regulate the movement of immune cells around the body. In the mid-1990s,
four chemokines-three discovered by Dr. Lusso, Robert Gallo, M.D., and their colleagues-were found in laboratory experiments to function as
HIV inhibitors. These chemokines as well as CXCL4 may regulate the level of virus replication in infected individuals and thus the pace
at which HIV disease progresses.
According to Dr. Lusso, the site where CXCL4 binds to the outer coat of HIV seems to be different from other known vulnerable sites
targeted by HIV-blocking antibodies and drugs. His team is working with scientists at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center to define the
atomic-level crystal structure of this binding site, which potentially may play a role in the future development of HIV treatments
or vaccines.
CXCL4 differs from the other four major HIV-suppressive chemokines in several respects. The other four chemokines inhibit HIV
infection by binding to either one of two cell receptors-called CCR5 and CXCR4-used by the virus to attach to and enter immune
cells, whereas CXCL4 binds directly to the outer surface of the virus. While the other chemokines bind to forms of HIV that
use either the CCR5 or the CXCR4 receptor, CXCL4 can bind to and block infection by a wide variety of HIV strains, no
matter what their receptor specificity. Finally, while the other chemokines are made primarily by immune cells,
CXCL4 is made by platelets, the blood cells involved in clotting
Dr. Lusso and his colleagues are pursuing further research to better understand CXCL4's role in HIV disease and to determine whether
the chemokine has a protective effect not only in laboratory studies, but also in people.
ARTICLE:DJ Auerbach et al., Identification of the platelet-derived chemokine CXCL4/PF-4 as a broad-spectrum HIV-1
inhibitor. PNAS DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1207314109 (2012).
WHO:
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation; and Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the
Section of Viral Pathogenesis in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, are available for comment.
CONTACT:
To schedule interviews, please contact Laura Sivitz Leifman, (301) 402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov .
NIAID conducts and supports research-at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide-to study the causes of infectious and
immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases,
fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at www.niaid.nih.gov .
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH) : NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is
a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic,
clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov .
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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