3 ms·
Great to see APOBECs in the news! My colleagues and I have been working on solving the structures of these proteins for the last 5 years and more. If HNers have
by shiven 12y ago
Great to see APOBECs in the news! My colleagues and I have been working on solving the structures of these proteins for the last 5 years and more. If HNers have any questions, I'll try answering to the best of my knowledge.
- joeguilmette 12y agoHow close are we to seeing a commercial application for this?
- shiven 12y agoThe fundamentals of activating APOBECs are being worked out by multiple groups across the world. That said, one phrase you'll always read around the APOBEC3 sub-family of proteins (responsible for the anti-HIV effect), is "double-edged sword". The biggest risk, with (cytidine deaminase) enzymes that act on DNA, thereby changing the fundamental genetic code, is causing cancer. More recently, APOBEC3B (no anti-HIV effect, but same sub-family), was shown to have extremely strong correlation with breast cancer[0]! The emerging therapeutic field involving APOBECs will require highly specific targeting of activators(anti-HIV) as well as inhibitors(anti-cancer)[1]. [0]: http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2812%2900528-4 http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2812%2900528-4 [1]: http://www.apogenbiotech.com/ http://www.apogenbiotech.com/