Abbie Smith is a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. She also studies epigenetic control of ERVs.
I found out through Google News yesterday that the FDA approved a new drug for the treatment of Hepatitis B.
Now, normally, I would have ignored a story like that. Im not really all that interested in antivirals-- pharm research is on the opposite end of the research-spectrum of me. And theyre coming out with new drugs all the time (and pulling drugs off the market all the time...). Drugs arent my thing. Plus, Hepatitis B is a DNA virus, not a retrovirus... so, I mean "YAY! New therapy!" but this news story just isnt my cup of tea.
... Or is it? hehehehehe!!
The drug the FDA approved isnt just another drug.
Its an anti-HIV-1 drug that has been on the market since 2001, Viread. Viread is a lot like AZT, the very first anti-HIV-1 drug. These guys are 'fake' nucleotides that jam RT, thus prevent the process of reverse transcription. Blocking reverse transcription means you screw up the retroviruses life cycle.
"WAIT A MINUTE!" you readers might scream. "You just said Hepatitis B is a DNA virus! Why does an RT inhibitor work against a DNA virus?? It doesnt reverse transcribe! That doesnt make any sense. You lie, ERV. Why do you lie?"
Im not lying! Hepatitis B is a DNA virus AND RT inhibitors work against it because Hepatitis Bs life cycle has a reverse transcription step!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! RETROVIRUSES ARENT THE ONLY VIRUSES THAT REVERSE TRANSCRIBE AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
When a Hepatitis B virus infects a cell, its DNA genome gets trafficked to the host cells nucleus. There, a really long RNA is transcribed from the DNA genome (just like 'normal'), and it gets shipped out of the nucleus. In the cytoplasm, a viral protein 'P' reverse transcribes the RNA back into DNA to generate copies of the Hepatitis B genome!
Some of these duplicated genomes get trafficked back into the host cells nucleus (10-20 HBV genomes can be in one cells nucleus), and some get packaged into baby viruses.
Hepatitis B is a DNA virus with a reverse transcription step in its life cycle, so RT-inhibitors work against HBV too! I think thats so cool :)
Medicine & Health
Comments
You're right. That is way cool ...
Posted by: Yoo | August 13, 2008 9:40 AM
This is why I come here...
LMAO!:-)
It's just sad that I have to click on every link to understand what you are talking about! (sigh)
Posted by: Stacy S, | August 13, 2008 9:56 AM
BTW - That "reverse transcription" link is way cool! I vote for more links like that.
Posted by: Stacy S. | August 13, 2008 10:02 AM
It took me a bit to figure out what the hell you were talking about, but, now that I feel I have some very basic understand of what is going on: that is way cool.
Posted by: xander | August 13, 2008 10:57 AM
That is very cool. I clearly don't know as much as I thought I did about hepatitis.
Posted by: kc | August 13, 2008 4:39 PM
Hell yes.
Posted by: Lycosid | August 13, 2008 7:33 PM
Fantastic post. I was wondering exactly how it worked against Hep B and you have provided all the answers... Now heres hoping something comes of the studies into Truvada as a HIV Pre Exposure Prophylactic and vaginal / rectal microbicide...
Posted by: BSE | August 14, 2008 7:54 AM
My former physician was involved in the trials for this therapy, and since I have both HIV and chronic Hep B he was anxious to start me on the regimen. I have been on it for about eighteen months and my numbers are excellent. (I only wish he did not have such a heavy client load. That caused me to go elsewhere.) I am very happy that this treatment is now approved for others dealing with this issue.
Posted by: CRS | August 14, 2008 8:32 AM