Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Yamaguchi K

Yamaguchi K, Sugiyama T, Kato S, Kondo Y, Ageyama N, Kanekiyo M, Iwata M, Koyanagi Y, Yamamoto N, Honda M. · Department of Perinatology, National Center for Child Health and Development, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. · J Med Virol. · Pubmed #18551617 No free full text.

Abstract: In this study, we found that the electric potential derived from the redox reaction of ultraviolet (UV)-illuminated CD4-conjugated titanium dioxide (TiO2) inactivated a wide range of high-titered primary HIV-1 isolates, regardless of virus co-receptor usage or genetic clade. In vitro incubation of HIV-1 isolates with CD4-conjugated TiO2 (CD4-TiO2) followed by UV illumination led to inhibition of viral infectivity in both H9 cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as to the complete inactivation of plasma virions from HIV-1-infected individuals. Treatment with a newly established extra-corporeal circulation system with the photocatalyst in rhesus macaques completely inactivated plasma virus in the system and effectively reduced the infectious plasma viral load. Furthermore, plasma viremia and infectious viral loads were controlled following a second therapeutic photocatalyst treatment during primary SIV(mac239) infection of macaques. Our findings suggest that this therapeutic immunophysical strategy may help control human immunodeficiency viral infection in vivo.

Barnor JS, Miyano-Kurosaki N, Yamaguchi K, Abumi Y, Ishikawa K, Yamamoto N. · Department of Life and Environmental Science, Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba, Japan. · Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids. · Pubmed #16247965 No free full text.

Abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) silences gene expression via short interfering 21-23 mer double-stranded RNA (siRNA) segments that guide cognate mRNA degradation in a sequence-specific manner. On the other hand, HIV-1 decoy TAR RNA are known to competitively interact with the HIV-1 Tat protein, to downregulate the enhanced gene expression from the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoters. Here we report that a novel expression construct, encoding both HIV-1 decoy TAR and Vif siRNA, as a single RNA substrate, was expressed under the control of the human U6 promoter, and later the TAR and siRNA were cleaved into their respective separate RNA by the endogenous RNase III-like enzyme. Each of the cleaved HIV-1 anti-genes then synergistically contributed toward enhancing the inhibition efficacy (>80%) of HIV-1 replication in transduced Jurkat cells. These results suggest that targeting HIV-1 mRNA with simultaneously expressed intracellular decoy TAR and Vif-siRNA could lead to an effective gene therapy strategy for the control and management of HIV-AIDS.

Yamaguchi K, Ushijima H, Hisano M, Inoue Y, Shimamura T, Hirano T, Müller WE. · Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. · Microbiol Immunol. · Pubmed #11529562 links to  free full text

Abstract: Induction of IL-2 production and increased expression of CD25 were observed in C57BL/10 mice after weekly treatment with gold sodium thiomalate (GST). LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus (MuLV) infected mice treated with GST survived longer, had less cervical lymph node swelling, lower spleen weight, and fewer abnormalities in the expression of the cell surface markers, CD4, CD8a and CD45R/B220 on spleen cells than those that were not treated with GST. Thus, GST treatment may be beneficial through a decrease in disease progression via IL-2 induction in MuLV infected mice. This may have application in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals.

Yamaguchi K, Mori A, Oka S, Takeyama M, Okabe N. · No affiliation provided · Nippon Naika Gakkai Zasshi. · Pubmed #11307341 No free full text.

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