New lead for AIDS treatment? IISER scientists identify circular RNA that helps HIV-1 virus multiply

Findings published in journal Science Advances. The scientists have also developed a protein molecule that can reduce the multiplication of the HIV virus.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science and Research (IISER), Bhopal, have made an important discovery that could have a huge impact on the treatment of the potentially life-threatening disease AIDS.

They have identified a type of ribonucleic acid or RNA molecule that helps copy the genetic material of HIV-1 — the most common type of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — allowing it to multiply in the human body. HIV is the virus that attacks the body’s immune system and eventually leads to AIDS.

They have also developed a protein molecule that can reduce the multiplication of the HIV virus.

According to the scientists’ study and peer-reviewed findings that were in the Science Advances journal on 6 September, a circular RNA molecule called ciTRAN plays a key role in aiding HIV. 

RNA is as important as DNA and performs a host of tasks, from carrying genetic information to helping in the production of protein. There are two main types of RNA — straight-chain and closed-loop. The closed-loop RNAs are called circular RNAs, and they change their behaviour when the body’s immune system is activated when it is infected or inflamed. 

Circular RNAs are important indicators of a virus’s transmission systems. Yet the role they play when the body is infected with HIV was not clear — until now. The findings are the first to associate circular RNAs with HIV replication, identifying a crucial link in how the disease spreads through the body, and identifying a specific type of circRNA’s role in the process. 

The scientists also identified how the HIV virus hijacks ciTRAN’s RNA code, and disables a key protein in the RNA molecule that is supposed to prevent HIV replication. Additionally, they found that only HIV molecules, with the accessory protein Vpr, are capable of hacking into ciTRAN RNA molecules. 

“There have been several studies on cancer and circular RNAs, but none on HIV replication. Ours is the first,” lead researcher

In a press release issued on 25 September, IISER Director Gobardhan Das said the discovery “opens up new lines of investigations and may provide new leads for host-directed treatments”.