whereRU: Aresty Poster 145 - Chimeric Viruses Expressing HIV-1 Co-Receptor CCR5 as Potential AIDS Vaccine by Aresty Posters 2009

Chimeric Viruses Expressing HIV-1 Co-Receptor CCR5 Sequence as Potential AIDS Vaccine Components.
Presenter: Sonya Malani
Advisor: Dr. Gail Ferstandig Arnold
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Piscataway, NJ

CCR5 is a co-receptor found on white blood cells called T-helper lymphocytes that is crucial to HIV infection. The envelope protein gp120 on HIV binds to the T-helper lymphocyte at the primary receptor, CD4, causing a conformational change in gp120 that enables it to then bind to CCR5, thereby infecting the cell. Previous studies have shown that people who are homozygous for the deletion of CCR5 are healthy individuals who are safe from infection, despite the fact that they may engage in risky behaviors. CCR5 is also highly conserved, making it an ideal target for HIV/AIDS vaccine research. The CCR5 sequence that is used in this project is derived from its second extracellular loop, a region that has shown great promise for efficient antibody binding.

Human rhinovirus type 14 (HRV14), which causes the common cold, is used as a vector to display a variety of foreign sequences that code for HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5. The resulting virus, containing sequences of both HRV14 and CCR5, is being constructed in order to elicit an immune response and consequently produce antibodies against CCR5. This is being done in hopes that the antibodies will prevent HIV from binding to CCR5, thereby preventing infection.