The human immunodeficiency virus penetrates the cell nucleus by posing as one of the body’s natural proteins. This has been shown by a study published in the journal. Nature.
For human immunodeficiency virus infection to occur, the virus must transport its genetic material into the cell nucleus and integrate it into the host chromosome. The cell nucleus has a protective shell that prevents viruses from entering. But HIV somehow manages to bypass this protection. It then causes the host’s immune cells to produce new virus particles, disrupting the immune system in the process.
As the authors of the new study revealed, special pockets on the capsid (viral shell) serve to make contact with molecules on the core shell. In this case, the nucleus “mistakes” the virus with karyopherin, a normal protein of the host cell, and nothing prevents the virus from integrating into the DNA.
Approximately one million people worldwide are infected with HIV each year. The scientists’ discovery could form the basis of a drug to get rid of the virus or prevent infection. Currently, there are only drugs that suppress the reproduction of the virus – antiretroviral drugs.
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