Protein that may 'shock and kill' HIV virus identified

Researchers have identified a protein that can potently force the latent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viruses out of hiding and poison them on their way out, leading to potential treatments for the deadly disease.
The findings showed that galectin-9 -- a human sugar-binding protein -- reactivates latent HIV viruses and renders these infected cells visible to the immune system, in a process called the "shock and kill" HIV eradication strategy.
Galectin-9 works by manipulating the sugars on the surface of HIV-infected cells to deliver the signals that force latent HIV out of hiding. 

 "Galectin-9 binds to certain classes of sugars on the surface of cells to start a chain reaction that forces HIV out of hiding," said lead author Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Scientist at Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI) -- a US based research institute.
"This sugar coating may hold the key to new therapeutics that can be harnessed to cure HIV and possibly a range of other infectious diseases," added Abdel-Mohsen.

In addition, galectin-9 was also found to strongly increase the levels of an antiviral protein called "APOBEC3G" -- a lethal mutagen that destroys the genetic code of viruses including HIV, in infected cells.
This ensures that virus that comes out of hiding at the hands of galectin-9 will be sterilised on its way out of the cell, preventing any further infection, the researchers said. 

 The presence of potential, HIV-infected cells, which can reawaken and produce new virus when antiretroviral drug therapy is stopped, poses the ultimate impediment to a cure for HIV infection.


"For nearly two decades, antiretroviral therapy has demonstrated efficacy in suppressing HIV replication, but these drugs do not completely clear viral infection or fully restore health," noted Satish Pillai, Associate Professor at University of California, San Francisco in the US.

"Our findings suggests that future HIV treatments can eliminate all traces of the virus from the body," Pillai stated, in the work published in the journal PLoS Pathogens. 

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Modified citrus pectin could be key to cancer cure

Modified citrus pectin (MCP) could work against cancer, a new review by researchers has suggested.

The study also examines MCP's synergistic relationship with chemotherapy, as well as its ability to modulate immunity, safely remove heavy metals and block the pro-inflammatory protein galectin-3.

The researcher said that the review, in particular, identifies MCP's different mechanisms of action against metastatic cancer, heavy metal toxicity and chronic, life threatening illnesses related to excess galectin-3.

While plant pectins have long been known to support digestive and immune health through their actions in the GI tract, the main obstacle preventing them from exerting systemic benefits throughout the body has been their bio-availability.

The long complex soluble fibers in regular pectin are simply too large to be absorbed into the circulation. This problem was solved with the development of MCP, which is prepared from regular citrus pectin using a modification process to reduce the size and cross branching of the pectin molecules.

The modification allows MCP to easily absorb into the circulation and exert numerous therapeutic effects throughout the body, now demonstrated in multiple peer reviewed studies.

For example, the review discusses MCP's ability to control metastatic melanoma, as well as prostate, breast and colon cancers. These outcomes have been confirmed in multiple published studies, which have also shown MCP's ability to suppress angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth to tumors). Blocking angiogenesis is a key factor in preventing cancer metastasis.

MCP has also been shown to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Apoptosis, known as programmed cell death, is suppressed in tumours, allowing them to grow uncontrollably.

Numerous studies show MCP supports apoptosis in cancer, including a 2010 study from Columbia University which found that MCP induced apoptosis in both androgen dependent and androgen independent prostate cancer cells. This is particularly significant because androgen independent prostate cancer is a highly aggressive, difficult-to-treat cancer.

Other important findings demonstrate MCP's abilities to make chemotherapy more effective. Co-administering MCP with cisplatin, etoposide or doxorubicin makes cancer cells more sensitive to these frontline treatments. MCP is also useful during radiation therapy, helping to protect organs from the damaging inflammatory effects of radiation.




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