Proteins that Block Ebola May Also Block Release of HIV

A recent study has revealed that a family of proteins with the ability to enter the virus-infected cells of people infected with the Ebola virus may also block the release of HIV. The Health Site reports that the findings could be a game-changer.

"This is a surprising finding that provides new insights into our understanding of not only HIV infection, but also that of Ebola and other viruses," said Shan-Lu Liu, associate professor in the University of Missouri School of Medicine's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

For HIV, the cellular protein T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain, or TIM-1 has previously been shown to promote entry of some highly pathogenic viruses into host cells. Now, researchers have found that the same protein possesses a unique ability to block the release of HIV-1 and Ebola virus.

"This study shows that TIM proteins keep viral particles from being released by the infected cell and instead keep them tethered to the cell surface," said Gordon Freeman, associate professor of medicine with Harvard Medical School's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "This is true for several important enveloped viruses including HIV and Ebola. We may be able to use this insight to slow the production of these viruses."

Under the supervision of Liu, Minghua Li, a graduate student in the MU Pathobiology Area Programme, performed a series of experiments that revealed the protein's ability to inhibit HIV-1 release, resulting in diminished viral production and replication.

IFL Science reports that the UM studies revealed that as HIV-1 begins to escape from the host cells, TIM proteins become incorporated into the virions and keep the participles tethered to the cellular membrane. These TIM proteins can also inhibit the release of other viruses, including a mouse virus belonging to the same family as HIV, and the Ebola Virus.

But lead researcher Liu points out that it's not clear yet whether HIV's interaction with TIM proteins is a positive or negative factor.

"However, this discovery furthers our ultimate goal of understanding the biology of TIM-family proteins and potentially developing applications for future antivirus therapies," said Liu.