TUESDAY, Nov. 16, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Boosting a cellular protein called telomerase may help ward off HIV, say UCLA scientists.
They found that telomerase prevents premature aging of immune cells that combat HIV, enabling them to divide indefinitely as they defend the body against HIV.
The findings, published in the Nov. 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology, suggest a potential method of strengthening the immune systems of people with HIV.
The UCLA researchers tested what would happen if telomerase remained permanently switched on in immune cells. Telomerase regenerates telomeres, tiny cellular clocks that limit the number of times a cell can divide.
"Immune cells that fight HIV are under constant strain to divide in order to continue performing their protective functions. This massive amount of division shortens these cells' telomeres prematurely," Dr. Rita Effros, Plott Chair in Gerontology and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
She and co-researcher Mirabelle Dagarag obtained immune cells from the blood of people infected with HIV. Using gene therapy to boost the immune cells' telomerase, they then exposed the cells to HIV.
"We found that the immune cells could divide endlessly. They grew at a normal rate and didn't show any chromosomal abnormalities that might lead to cancer," Effros said.
"We also saw that the telomerase stabilized the telomere length. The telomere didn't shorten each time the cell divided, which left the cell able to vigorously battle HIV much longer," Dagarag said in a prepared statement.
The findings may offer HIV-infected patients a new weapon against the virus.
"To battle HIV infection effectively, we must strengthen the human immune system -- not just suppress the virus as current drugs do," Effros explained. "We need a two-pronged approach, to attack the disease from both sides of the medical equation."
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about HIV infection.
