Prehistoric Gene Reawakened To Battle HIV 360
Linuss points out research published in PLoS Biology that demonstrates the reawakening of latent human cells' ability to manufacture an HIV defense. A group of scientists led by Nitya Venkataraman began with the knowledge that Old World monkeys have a built-in immunity to HIV: a protein that can prevent HIV from entering cell walls and starting an infection. They examined the human genome for any evidence of a latent gene that could manufacture such a protein, and found the capability in a stretch of what has been dismissively termed "junk DNA." "In this work, we reveal that, upon correction of the premature termination codon in theta-defensin pseudogenes, human myeloid cells produce cyclic, antiviral peptides (which we have termed 'retrocyclins'), indicating that the cells retain the intact machinery to make cyclic peptides. Furthermore, we exploited the ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to read-through the premature termination codon within retrocyclin transcripts to produce functional peptides that are active against HIV-1. Given that the endogenous production of retrocyclins could also be restored in human cervicovaginal tissues, we propose that aminoglycoside-based topical microbicides might be useful in preventing sexual transmission of HIV-1."
Prehistoric? (Score:5, Funny)
Praise Raptor Jesus!
The Dilemma (Score:5, Funny)
I do that all the time (Score:5, Funny)
/* This code commented out because I'm sure they're going to change their mind and I don't want to redo all the work. */
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:5, Funny)
Just don't stick your junk in the wrong treasure and you'll be fine.
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:5, Funny)
One man's junk is another man's treasure!
I'll just treasure my own junk, thank you very much.
Turning on Monkey DNA? (Score:5, Funny)
So how long till we're all having hot monkey sex with each other? Count me out of turning on any monkey genes in *my* DNA, thank you.
I've seen this [wikipedia.org] episode of ST:TNG, so I *know* how this is all going to end.
Re:The Dilemma (Score:5, Funny)
The thing that's bothering me is that of all the big words in that summary, the only one I understood was "cervicovaginal".
Re:The Dilemma (Score:4, Funny)
I'm glad that people like you are around. As the typical Slashdot IT/computer geek, it means a great deal to me to rub shoulders with intelligent people in specialized fields. *respeck knucks*
Only side effect (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Junk is not Junk (Score:1, Funny)
It's 'Magic/More Magic' all over again...
Re:The Dilemma (Score:5, Funny)
So they uncommented the gene in 'DNA.xml', and modified its XSL 'DNA2Cell.xsl' so that it would parse again?
How cool is that?
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Huh? What? (Score:3, Funny)
In this work, we reveal that, upon correction of the premature termination codon in theta-defensin pseudogenes, human myeloid cells produce cyclic, antiviral peptides (which we have termed "retrocyclins"), indicating that the cells retain the intact machinery to make cyclic peptides. Furthermore, we exploited the ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to read-through the premature termination codon within retrocyclin transcripts to produce functional peptides that are active against HIV-1. Given that the endogenous production of retrocyclins could also be restored in human cervicovaginal tissues, we propose that aminoglycoside-based topical microbicides might be useful in preventing sexual transmission of HIV-1.
Woah, I think I'm going to need a car analogy...
Re:Old world monkey (Score:5, Funny)
For some reason George W Bush springs to mind...
Re:Prehistoric? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The Dilemma (Score:5, Funny)
So they uncommented the gene in 'DNA.xml', and modified its XSL 'DNA2Cell.xsl' so that it would parse again?
If there is a bio-chemist stupid enough use XSL in a production environment... damn that's a scary thought.
Re:Junk DNA? (Score:3, Funny)
Is that like junk in the trunk? Does this mean I should only have sex with women who are endowed with large posteriors?
Yes! Sir Mixalot was a wise man.
That's what they think of us. (Score:4, Funny)
You'll feel even better next time you ask them to open a command prompt and ping something to check the network.
Silly scientists think they can out geekword us.
Re:I do that all the time (Score:5, Funny)
I've been known to break things by commenting out important sections, but causing AIDS?? Someone is about to have a hell of a performance review.
Re:I do that all the time (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Translation (I think) (Score:1, Funny)
We reactivated this gene in the lab, and it seemed to work. There's a type of antibiotic that seems to reactivate the gene as well. So applying the antibiotic topically (read "like spermicidal foam/gel) should reactivate the gene in a woman's naughtybits and so fight the virus.
Focused on the woman - good idea. But how does science focus on the man? How about "STOP FUCKING PEOPLE WHO AREN'T YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIED/SIGNIFIGANT OTHER!"
I know for one am looking forward to some hot GIRLFRIED action, mmhmm.
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:5, Funny)
You're posting on /.
It goes without saying that you're the only one to treasure your junk.
Curing HIV is so easy (Score:5, Funny)
a caveman could do it.
Bad news for (HIV+) creationists (Score:2, Funny)
I can only imagine the cognitive dissonance in an HIV-infected creationist when s/he finds out about this!
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I do that all the time (Score:2, Funny)
I just want to know how this bug got out of testing. You'd think "causes AIDS" would be a showstopper. They probably figured they could patch before the clients noticed.
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:5, Funny)
Unfortunately no. By using the 'pwned' in reference to a potentially major scientific breakthrough you've actually made AIDS mutate to become airborne and highly contagious.
It's called the 'Nantucket Principle'. Where using idiotic phrases in reference to intelligent work causes the work to be destroyed.
Another case of this principle at work was when the Wright brothers tried their first airplane prototype. Just before they were going to do their first test flight Orville said something to the effect of 'We are going to codfloddle this strumpet!' which caused Bernoulli's principle to completely change, setting flight back many years.
So you have to watch it.
Re:I do that all the time (Score:5, Funny)
Nah, I bet it's
/* seems to work faster without this */
Re:Translation (I think) (Score:3, Funny)
Men were not made for monogamy, your stupid culture made you believe so.
Is that what you tell all the girls?
Re:Wow, a new approach. (Score:3, Funny)
The longest I ever spent on a novel was a couple weeks. Millions of years? That's one long novel.....
Please remember, this is just a joke. (Score:5, Funny)
I just want to know how this bug got out of testing. You'd think "causes AIDS" would be a showstopper
Thus sayeth the Lord:
"It is no bug, yea verily, it is a feature."
Re:I do that all the time (Score:3, Funny)
/* This code commented out because I'm sure they're going to change their mind and I don't want to redo all the work. */
CTACGCTACTAC#if0CTGACGTCA#endifCTGACA
Re:This is good news (Score:2, Funny)
Slut!!
Re:Translation (I think) (Score:1, Funny)
Who said the wife, the girlfriend, and the significant other all have to be the same person?
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Translation (I think) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prehistoric? (Score:4, Funny)
You can't tell me that you've never copied and pasted your old code and just commented out the blocks you didn't need, can you?
Of course, I'll admit that there could be some other explanation...
Re:Prehistoric? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is good news (Score:3, Funny)
Sorry, I'll show myself out.
Re:The Dilemma (Score:3, Funny)
*respeck knucks*
mewsenews is a terrorist! Get 'im!
Sorry, too much Fox News exposure...
Re:Prehistoric? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The Dilemma (Score:3, Funny)
It's amazing how much you learn about females that you really never even needed to know. Ever.
Also amazing is how there are so many things I'd like to remember but can't, while that kind of knowledge is impossible to forget.
Re:Prehistoric? (Score:4, Funny)
But a good compiler would've seen it was useless code and removed it. God needs to upgrade to gcc 4.3.3
We weren't intended as release version, so full optimization options were not used when compiling. But once our DNA worked... Well, if it works, and if recompiling with different options might break it... Just ship it! Too bad God remembered to strip the symbols at that point, because if he had left them in, we wouldn't have this silly evolution vs. intelligent design argument at all, and wouldn't have to figure out everything about our DNA by ourselves.
Re:The Dilemma (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, but isn't it rather difficult finding replacement parts for steam engines?
Re:I do that all the time (Score:4, Funny)
Imagine the meeting:
QA: Yeah, we've found this problem where the humans can get AIDS. It's kind of a show-stopper.
Manager: What's Dev got to say?
Dev: Does it happen in the monkeys?
QA: Nope.
Dev: 'cause remember that you suggested that we just modify the monkeys in order to ship on time. We commented out a bunch of the monkey code.
Manager: Well, can't you just uncomment it?
Dev: Well, finding it might take some time...
QA: And if they do that, we have to do a whole bunch of regression testing. I mean, who knows what other bugs could be introduced?
Manager: Shit! The Boss is already on my case. "Where are the humans? They're supposed to ship on day 6!"
Dev: Hey, man, I told you that the schedule was pretty unrealistic.
Manager: Yeah, but you try explaining that to Him. *sigh* Okay...how can they generate this?
QA: Well, if they get exposed to monkey blood so that it mixes with their own blood. Y'know, like, through a cut or something.
Manager: Well, that's a pretty low possibility. Any other ways?
QA: Well, there's sex.
Manager: They're only supposed to use that for procreation!
QA: You know users...
Manager: Yeah. Well, we'll just cover our asses by putting a note about that in the documentation: No sex with monkeys. Mark it in the database as a "known issue" in case somebody calls and we'll get around to fixing it later...
(Yes, I know that AIDS probably did not make the jump from humans to monkeys from someone having sex with a monkey.)
Re:Prehistoric Gene FTW! (Score:3, Funny)
Than shouldn't you say:
"My armada for mod points?"