Mechanism of HIV crossing mucosal barriers

[vraev]

Hi Guys,

This is completely off from what we generally discuss here. But just wanted to show the new research paper published in our lab and my accompanying video that I made. It was made in such a rush and i never expected it to go this far. lol!! Made it in crappy powerpoint within 2h. LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXZ7YH4zCJs

It was shown apparently yesterday at 6pm on CBC news.

here is a link for those who can udnerstand french.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/regional/ontario/

click the face of the broadcaster bottom right. Go to segment 2 of 5. That's my lab, my supervisor and my lab members. lol!! I went for a dentist appointment on the day they were filming. lol!!

or directly go to 2/5 here: http://www.radio-canada.ca/audio-vi...rnier_CJBCT_LeTelejournalOntario.asx&epr=true


anyways....just wanted to share. It is kinda useful information for the women out there. lol!!

cheers,

varun

 

[Av8tor1]

outstanding V!

ummm but is the reason it was made in such a rush have anything to do with the new gamer's laptop?
I would have rescheduled the dentist appointment too LOL
(tapping pencil on desk, professor mode on LOL)

but very cool old friend, well done indeed
Butch

 

[Hermopolis]

Fascinating.... A teamwork mechanism in a virus. A very interesting discovery.

-Hermes.

 

[vraev]

lol! thanks guys. lol B! this time it wasn't the gaming laptop or my procrastination. My supervisor literally came up on the day of and said... "BTW...CBC people are coming in for an interview and they want a video/pictures of the mechanism." lol! So I was in a pickle and made this in the bus ride back to parents house on the old laptop. lol!

 

[Ant]

what are those little y shaped things one the cells? I thought HIV was wrapped in a membrane that fused with the membrane of a host cell. I do have a poor understanding of viruses though.

Cool discover!

 

[vraev]

The "Y" shaped thing on cells is a receptor. HIV has surface glycoproteins (gp160 complex made of gp40 and gp120) which are those stick and ball on the virus. "Almost" everything attaches through a "lock & key" mechanism. It is still unknown which kind of receptors HIV uses to bind to epithelial cells, but HIV's target cells are CD4+ T cells which are the round cells at the very bottom. For that, the "Y" represents a CD4 receptor which is the primary receptor (along with a co-receptor in form of CCR4/5) that mediates HIV entry into T cells.