%0 Journal Article
%T The identification of unique serum proteins of HIV-1 latently infected long-term non-progressor patients
%A Rachel Van Duyne
%A Irene Guendel
%A Kylene Kehn-Hall
%A Rebecca Easley
%A Zachary Klase
%A Chenglong Liu
%A Mary Young
%A Fatah Kashanchi
%J AIDS Research and Therapy
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1742-6405-7-21
%X Here, the depletion of 12 of the most abundant serum proteins, followed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with identification of these proteins using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, has allowed for the identification of differentially expressed, low abundant serum proteins. We have analyzed and compared serum samples from HIV-1 infected subjects who are being treated using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to those who are latently infected but have not progressed to AIDS despite the absence of treatment, i.e. long term non-progressors (LTNPs). Here we have identified unique serum proteins that are differentially expressed in LTNP HIV-1 patients and may contribute to the ability of these patients to combat HIV-1 infection in the absence of HAART. We focused on the cdk4/6 cell cycle inhibitor p16INK4A and found that the treatment of HIV-1 latently infected cell lines with p16INK4A decreases viral production despite it not being expressed endogenously in these cells.Identification of these unique proteins may serve as an indication of altered viral states in response to infection as well as a natural phenotypic variability in response to HIV-1 infection in a given population.Human serum is derived from the liquid plasma component of the blood with the fibrinogens, or clotting factors, removed and is composed of small molecules such as salts, lipids, amino acids, sugars and approximately 60-80 mg of proteins/mL [1]. Serum is a readily obtainable peripheral bodily fluid from which the protein profile directly reflects the normal or disease state of the organism [2-4]. Serum is a complex mixture of "classical" and "non-classical" proteins. Classical serum proteins are involved in a number of processes including proteolysis, inhibition, binding, transport, coagulation, and immune response and are often secreted from the liver, through the intestines, and into the bloodstream [5]. "Non-classi
%U http://www.aidsrestherapy.com/content/7/1/21