Researchers reveal HIV peptide's possible pathway into the cell

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Special HIV peptide interacts with a cell membrane to open a hole in the cell offering scientists a new pathway for delivering materials to a cell. Credit: Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteAngel Garcia
Special HIV peptide interacts with a cell membrane to open a hole in the cell, offering scientists a new pathway for delivering materials to a cell. Credit: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute/Angel Garcia

Two theoretical physicists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have uncovered what they believe is the long-sought-after pathway that an HIV peptide takes to enter healthy cells. The theorists analyzed two years of biocomputation and simulation to uncover a surprisingly simple mechanism describing how this protein fragment penetrates the cell membrane. The discovery could help scientists treat other human illnesses by exploiting the same molecules that make HIV so deadly proficient.


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