Development of a Modular Anti-HIV Transducer Protein

The combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suppresses Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and allows restored long-term health in people living with the HIV. Current treatment provided infection management but not a complete cure. In the absence of treatment, virus level rebound due to the latent reservoir of the virus in a small percentage of infected cells. New approaches to eradicate the HIV infection are mainly targeting the latent reservoir cells. The combinations of the drugs that activate latently infected cells and subsequently kill them are getting attention. Here, we proposed the design and development of anti-HIV transducer proteins, which will enter the cells and induce apoptosis only in cells infected with HIV. The initially inactive transducer is activated by the HIV protease cleavage forming a rearranged protein structure capable of activating procaspase 8 and procaspase 9, thus leading to apoptosis. The anti-HIV transducer can be used to treat the cells actively infected with HIV. We have prepared the anti-HIV transducers and demonstrated that they induce apoptosis in the presence of HIV protease in the H9 T-Cell line. We believe using our transducer in combination with a compound activating latently infected cells; we can achieve viral eradication within an individual.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biochemistry

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• More, Abhijit A. 1986-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Fox, Robert O.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Briggs, James M.
• Zhang, Xiaoliu Shaun
• Cirino, Patrick C.

• HIV Protease
• Apoptosis

Statement dc:rights

• The author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/3952

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/3952