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HIV-1 Inhibitor Found In Deer Tick Saliva |
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The HIV-1 virus cripples the human immune system by targeting white
blood cells called T cells that form the body’s first line of defense
in fighting infections. A recent study by researchers from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that a protein called Salp15, found in the
saliva of deer ticks, prevents the HIV-1 virus from attaching to the
surface of T cells, which is the critical first step in the virus’
attack strategy. Results were published in the February 2008 issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. The abstract can be found here.
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