Question

How does the change of a person affect HIV in thers of the real world system.

a. If the structure of CD4 changes

b. If miRNA are present in the TH cell

c. Inhibition of viral RNA

d. Which of these methods are best in stopping HIV?

Answer 1

HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus belongs to the group retrovirus. It has RNA genome enclosed in an envelope of protein. It can be transmitted from an infected to a healthy person by blood contact, by sexual contact, by sharing infected needles or from an infected mother to her child through the placenta.

After getting into the body of a person, the virus enters the macrophages. Here, RNA is replicated to form viral DNA by the enzyme reverse transcriptase.

The viral DNA gets incorporated into the host cell DNA and directs the infected cells to produce more viruses.

The macrophages continue to produce viral particles.

Now, the viral particles enter the helper T-lymphocytes [TH cells] in the blood , where they continue to replicate and produce more viral particles. Slowly, the number of T- lymphocytes decreases in the body of the infected person, resulting in decreased immunity. As a result of this, the infected person is unable to produce an immune response even against pathogens and parasites like mycobacterium, toxoplasma, fungi and other viruses.

Keeping in view the life cycle of HIV after it enters the macrophages, the best possible way to stop the virus from proliferating would be to inhibit its RNA. If the RNA of the HIV is inhibited, it will not be able to produce viral DNAs , as a result of this their [ the viral DNA ] incorporation into the host cell DNA will not occur and the infection will not proceed.