New broad-spectrum antiviral protein can inhibit HIV, different pathogens in some primates
The new research, which was recently published in the journal PLOS Pathogens , f ound that SLFN11's antiviral potency is highest in non-human primate species such as chimpanzees and orangutans, but less effective in humans and gorillas, indicating that the gene's effects have become highly species-specific over time when it comes to fighting off HIV-1. "The findings suggest that HIV-1 has been able to take advantage of this relaxed selection in humans," said Alex Stabell, a graduate researcher in CU Boulder's BioFrontiers Institute and lead author of the new research. The human immune system contains various protein-encoding genes that are able to recognize the foreign signatures of RNA viruses and prevent their replication, providing a genetic line of defense against animal-based (zoonotic) diseases. HIV-1 is one of several zoonotic retroviruses that has been able to subvert these defenses and adapt to human hosts via mechanisms that are still being studi...