Body's Anti-HIV Drug Explained

Humans have a built-in weapon against HIV, but until recently no one knew how to unlock its potential. A study published online by the journal Nature reveals the atomic structure of this weapon – an enzyme known as APOBEC-3G – and suggests new directions for drug development. APOBEC-3G is present in every human cell. It is capable of stopping HIV at the first step of replication, when the retrovirus transcribes its RNA into viral DNA. The study's authors, led by Xiaojiang Chen of the University of Southern California, were able to show the atomic structure of the active portion of APOBEC-3G. The discovery suggests how and where the enzyme binds to the viral DNA, mutating and destroying it. "We understand how this enzyme can interact with DNA," said Chen, a professor of molecular and computational biology at USC. "This... [read full story]