Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Zidovudine (Retrovir) is the only drug found to be useful for managing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex. The drug is virostatic, ie, it prevents replication of HIV by inhibiting the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Zidovudine is well tolerated and provides short-term benefits by improving the quality of life and extending survival time. It is expensive and can be toxic, however, so its use requires close supervision. Zidovudine at present is approved only for patients with documented Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or with a CD4 count below 200/mm3. Other probable indications include HIV wasting syndrome, HIV dementia complex, oral candidiasis, Kaposi's sarcoma, the presence of early markers of HIV infection, and HIV-related symptomatic thrombocytopenia. A stepwise approach to initiating zidovudine therapy should include detailed counseling and close surveillance.
...
PMID:Zidovudine for treating AIDS. What physicians need to know. 266 55

Cell lines originally derived from malignant tumours of the brain were infected by diverse human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) isolates. By surface immunofluorescence it was shown that susceptible cells did not bear the CD4 antigen. They were also non-permissive for the formation of plaques by vesicular stomatitis virus pseudotypes and did not form syncytia with HIV-producing cells. Virus production was of low titre, and reverse transcriptase and the p24 antigen were consistently undetectable in the culture supernatants. Output virus could be detected by cocultivation with a sensitive T cell line, C8166, by the culture of supernatant medium with T cells and by detection of proviral HIV DNA after amplification. A higher multiplicity of input virus was required to establish a brain cell infection than was required for T lymphocytes or monocytes. Some HIV-susceptible brain cells contained mRNA for CD4 but infection was not blocked by anti-CD4 antibodies. Apparently HIV infection of these cells does not involve CD4 as the cellular receptor.
...
PMID:Infection of brain cells by diverse human immunodeficiency virus isolates: role of CD4 as receptor. 267 35

The expression of CD4 antigen on the surface of LeuM3-positive human blood monocytes was found to be variable with 65 to 90% of cells from 46 normal human volunteers being positive by dual staining flow cytometry. When monocytes adhered to plastic (but not when cultured on Teflon), a marked decrease in CD4 expression was observed between 1 and 24 h post-adherence. CD4 expression could not be detected in macrophages adhered to plastic for 5 days by using four anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies in flow cytometry or direct immunofluorescence. Conversely an increasing proportion of adherent cells expressed LeuM3 and OKM5 surface antigens over the 5 days. CD4 mRNA levels were measured by slot-blot and Northern hybridization, and total cellular CD4 protein levels by immunoprecipitation. Both cellular mRNA and CD4 levels remained constant throughout the 5 day period but membrane CD4 protein levels were greatly reduced indicating that the down-regulation of CD4 was post-translational. Infection with two of six fresh human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) isolates showed different kinetic patterns when tested on purified monocytes recently adhered to plastic and macrophages adherent for 5 days. HIV antigen and reverse transcriptase levels in infected monocyte cultures remained high for 3 to 4 weeks before detachment and necrosis of the cells occurred. Infection of macrophages generated much lower levels of antigen and reverse transcriptase which declined to very low or undetectable levels over 2 weeks, leaving persisting viable macrophages. One week after infection HIV nucleic acid was detected in 69 +/- 7% of monocytes and 6 +/- 3% of macrophages by in situ hybridization. Blocking experiments with anti-Leu3a monoclonal antibody suggested that HIV infection of 5 day adherent macrophages occurred mainly by a mechanism other than binding to CD4.
...
PMID:Variations in CD4 expression by human monocytes and macrophages and their relationships to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. 267 36

A combination of antiviral therapies that target different sites in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replicative cycle may be necessary for optimal treatment of HIV-1 infections. We evaluated the interactions of a soluble virus receptor (recombinant soluble CD4 or rsT4) and a reverse transcriptase inhibitor (azidothymidine, AZT) against HIV-1 replication in vitro. A variety of cell types was studied including peripheral blood mononuclear cells, a CD4-positive T-cell line, and a CD4-positive human monocyte cell line. The combination of rsT4 and AZT inhibited HIV-1 synergistically over a broad range of drug concentrations and multiplicities of infection in several different HIV-1 replication assays. Drug interactions were evaluated by the median-effect principle and the isobologram technique using a computer analysis. In all of the cell types tested, combinations of rsT4 and AZT were synergistic in vitro, without additive cytotoxicity.
...
PMID:Synergistic inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in vitro by recombinant soluble CD4 and 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine. 278 46

Human retroviruses, or RNA viruses, including the 2 HIV agents associated with AIDS, and the 2 HTLV agents causing leukemia, are described from the viewpoint of history, detection, serology, transformation mechanism, disease pathophysiology, genetic function, associated disease, and related viruses. Both HTLV and HIV infect the human T-lymphocytes, also known as CD4 or helper cells. Both can now be grown in culture, and their genomes are well characterized. HTLV, an acronym for human T-lymphotropic leukemia virus, causes the fulminating adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATLL), 1st described in 1977. It is prevalent in population clusters, notably in the Caribbean and in southwestern Japan, and is spread by sexual, blood and perinatal routes, as is HIV. It is thought to promote transformation of target cells by release of growth promoting, soluble factor, perhaps a product of the viral "tat" gene. Besides leukemia, HTLV-1 causes a myelopathy sometimes called tropical spastic paraparesis. HIV, formerly known as HTLV-III, causes depletion of the T-cells, and also infects the brain and nervous system. IT has also been isolated from semen, cervical secretions, saliva, monocytes, milk, endothelial cells, tears and cornea. HIV has 5 more genes than HTLV, which regulate transcription, mRNA processing and virus maturation. Parts of the HIV genome are highly heterogeneous, and mutate rapidly, notable sections of the envelope protein. Thus, HIV has 2 main subtypes, but others are known and probably exist. Approaches toward developing AIDS therapeutic agents as of 1987 are outlined: an effective drug should cross the blood-brain barrier. Several anti-viral drugs that block the enzyme reverse transcriptase area being investigated. Possible mechanisms for growth of Kaposi's sarcoma, activation of herpes type viruses, and animal viruses related to HTLV and HIV are discussed.
...
PMID:Retroviruses: new viral infections in man. 289 67

We explored the possibility that normal human monocytes can be infected with the retrovirus human T lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV). The T4 antigen, believed to be the receptor for HTLV-III/LAV binding to CD4 cells, is found on monocytes at low levels. Anti-T4A, which recognizes an epitope on the T4 molecule, inhibits viral binding to monocytes, and virus inhibits anti-T4A binding, although inhibition in both cases is not total. Virus particles were detected in HTLV-III/LAV-pulsed monocytes by electron microscopy as early as 10 min and for up to 3 days after inoculation, although budding virus was not observed. Monocytes were exposed to virus, were washed, and were cultured. Monocyte cultures were monitored by conventional assays for virus replication: immunofluorescence detection of cytoplasmic virus, supernatant reverse transcriptase activity, and supernatant virus antigen. These assays were either negative or at the lower limits of positivity. However, the amount of infectious virus was shown to increase over time in monocyte cultures by harvesting monocytes or their culture supernatants and titrating them into assay cultures containing stimulated T cells. Virus recovery from monocytes and virus recovery from T cells differed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Recovery from T cells and T cell supernatants peaked at 3 to 6 days and declined thereafter. Recovery from monocytes and monocyte supernatants increased over time in culture and never attained the levels of T cell cultures. Taken together, these studies indicate that HTLV-III/LAV binds to monocytes via the T4 molecule and enters the cells. Infectious virus is retained and increases with time in infected monocyte cultures. Both viral binding and infection are at low levels compared with levels in T cells. Unlike the usual infection of T cells characterized by high level virus replication with cell depletion, the infection appears to be persistent in monocytes.
...
PMID:In vitro infection of human monocytes with human T lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV). 301 9

The effect of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT) on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated giant cell formation was studied in vitro. For this purpose we developed a coculture system using Molt-4 and its virus-producing cell, Molt-4/HTLV-III, which induced syncytia very efficiently. Treatment of the cocultures with 1 and 5 microM of AZT did not inhibit induction of multinucleated giant cells, although only 0.1 microM AZT resulted in almost complete inhibition of HIV replication in Molt-4 cells by cell-free virus infection. This was also evidenced by the assays for viral antigen-positive cells, reverse transcriptase activity, and virus particles released from cell cultures after AZT treatment. When the cocultures were treated with 1% neutralizing antibody (NA) from HIV-infected individuals alone, giant cell formation was inhibited to some extent. However, the concomitant treatment of culture with AZT and NA resulted in much stronger inhibition of giant cell formation. The amount of CD4 antigens on the surface of cells was reduced greatly in the HIV producer cells (Molt-4, H9, and MT-4 cells) as compared to their HIV-free counterparts. These data suggest that (1) both CD4 antigen and viral antigens on the surface of cells play central roles in the induction of multinucleated giant cells and (2) AZT is more effective in inhibition of viral spread in patients with higher NA, probably at an earlier stage of the disease than in patients with lower NA titer.
...
PMID:Effect of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT) and neutralizing antibody on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced cytopathic effects: implication of giant cell formation for the spread of virus in vivo. 311 Oct 83

This report describes the isolation and characterization of a retrovirus of the HIV-2 group from a Ghanaian AIDS patient which has different restriction patterns from previously reported HIV-2 viruses. The virus was morphologically very similar to HIV-1 and HIV-2, and had Mg2+-dependent reverse transcriptase. Like previous HIV isolates, it induced severe cytopathic effects in CD4-positive human lymphoid cell lines. Its major proteins were shown to be gp110, p66, p55, p41, gp32, p30 and p26 by Western blot analysis. In dot-blot hybridization experiments, the virus hybridized with a HIV-2 DNA probe, but not with HIV-1 and SIVagm probes in stringent conditions. These data indicate that this Ghanaian virus is a HIV-2 group virus. However, in a Southern blot hybridization experiment, the restriction patterns of this virus, designated HIV-2 [GH-1], were quite different from those of previously reported HIV-2 viruses from West Africa isolated at the Pasteur Institute.
...
PMID:Isolation and characterization of HIV-2 from an AIDS patient in Ghana. 314 68

Two isolates of simian retrovirus related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were obtained from apparently healthy mandrills, Papio (Mandrillus) sphinx, in western equatorial Africa. This virus, designated SIVMND (simian immunodeficiency virus from mandrills), appeared morphologically similar to HIV by electron microscopy, showed Mg2+-dependent reverse transcriptase activity, and induced cytopathic effect in human CD4-positive cells. Western blotting (immunoblotting) analyses revealed that the gag and pol products of SIVMND showed cross-reactivity with those of known HIVs and SIVs. Molecular clones covering full-length viral DNA were obtained from closed circular extrachromosomal DNA of SIVMND-infected cells. By clone-on-clone hybridization with known retroviruses of the HIV and SIV groups, SIVMND showed similar cross-hybridization with HIV-1, HIV-2, SIVAGM (African green monkey-derived SIV), and SIVMAC (rhesus macaque-derived SIV) in the gag and pol regions only at low stringency but not at high stringency, a result indicating that SIVMND is a new member of the HIV-SIV group. The existence of distinct SIVs in different monkey species suggest that recent interspecies transfer of HIV-SIV is unlikely in nature.
...
PMID:Isolation and characterization of simian immunodeficiency virus from mandrills in Africa and its relationship to other human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. 317 37

The titers and isotypes of antibodies to specific proteins of the human immunodeficiency virus were determined by Western blot analysis of sera from 107 homosexual men. Antibody titers were generally lower in sera from patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and in sera from men whose condition subsequently progressed to AIDS than in sera from men who had not progressed to AIDS. We found no evidence of isotypic prominence or restriction of the antibody response. In multivariate analysis, lower levels of CD4 helper cells were most highly associated with progression to AIDS. Lower antibody titers to the envelope protein gp110, the core protein p24, and the reverse transcriptase enzyme p51/65 were also predictive of progression to AIDS independent of their association with CD4 cell levels. These data suggest that differences in antibody levels are not simply a consequence of severe immunodeficiency but may be markers for control of infection.
...
PMID:Antibody response to human immunodeficiency virus in homosexual men. Relation of antibody specificity, titer, and isotype to clinical status, severity of immunodeficiency, and disease progression. 349 76


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>