Friday, March 17, 2006
Proteins come full circle
"Humans appear to have lost what may have been a natural resistance to HIV some 7 million years when our bodies stopped producing particular kinds of protein, an Australian scientist says.
These circular proteins, called cyclotides, were discovered by Professor David Craik from the University of Queensland and colleagues, about 10 years ago.
Craik reports new insights into these molecules in the current issue of the journal Science.
The first cyclotide discovered in mammals, RTD1, was found in rhesus monkeys and when chemically synthesised acts against HIV."
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