HIV and X-ray Crystallography

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Recommended: An essay on HIV/AIDS effects

WHAT IS AIDS?

AIDS stand for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

ACQUIRED, how? The blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people with the AIDS virus contains enough of the virus to transmit it to another person. Most people who have acquired the AIDS virus have done so by having sex with an infected person, sharing a needle with one, or being born to a mother who is infected.

IMMUNE DEFICIENCY? Catching the AIDS virus can be lethal because it affects the immune system, which is the system in the body that fights against diseases. A person with the AIDS virus has lower levels of CD4+ cells. These cells, commonly called "T-helper" cells are an essential part of the immune system. Normal people usually have between 500 to 1,500 CD4+ cells in a milliliter of blood.

SYNDROME, what syndrome? A syndrome is a health related problem that accompanies a disease. Acquiring AIDS has many side affects. As the CD4+ levels in an AIDS patient decrease, side affects including fevers, night sweats, diarrhea or swollen lymph nodes increase.

Some frequently asked questions

Q: What's the difference between AIDS and HIV?

A: AIDS is caused by the virus called the Human Immunodefiency Virus or HIV. HIV is a retrovirus. Initially when your body is infected with the virus, it takes time for it to take its toll on the immune system. At this point its affect may not be apparent for years. HIV becomes AIDS when one has less than 200 CD4+ cells per milliliter in their blood.

Q: Can you tell whether a person has AIDS just by there physical appearance?

A: No. You can't tell by simply looking at someone. They may appear completely healthy.

Q: Is it possible to get AIDS by the transmission of fluids such as tears or saliv...

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...osure of the gp41 ectodomain. Thus, the HIV virus invades a human cell and causes infection.

Implications of this experiment

Although the isolation and crystallization of the gp120-CD4 complex is a milestone for HIV research, there is still much work to be done. With further research of this nature, we can learn even more about the initial interactions between HIV and the human lymphocyte cells. The more we learn about these interactions, the closer researchers will come to developing some type drug to prevent infection. In this case the ultimate goal is to discover some type of chemical that will bind to gp120 and keep it from binding to CD4. However, as there is currently no cure for AIDS, and the drugs to ease the disease's symptoms tend to be quite expensive, it is crucial that each and every person be properly educated about AIDS prevention.

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