Green tea component blocks HIV cell entry - Solutions Magazine, Summer 2007 - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

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	Green tea component blocks HIV cell entry A tiny molecule found in green tea could play a big role in HIV treatment. Researchers at BCM and collaborators in the United Kingdom generated a computer model of the structure of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG—a component of green tea—and found a promising new weapon in the fight against AIDS. In the immune system, certain T-cells (called CD4 cells) are susceptible to HIV infection. HIV uses a lock-and-key system to enter and wreak havoc in CD4 cells. HIV's "key" is a protein called gp120. The researchers' discovered that EGCG has a "key" that fits into the same "lock" as HIV's gp120 on the CD4 cell. If the EGCG key is already in the lock, HIV is blocked and cannot enter the CD4 cell. Current studies are focused on confirming this finding. Future studies will explore synthetic molecules that might be even better than EGCG or additives that could make the EGCG work better. If EGCG proves to have value as a HIV treatment, it probably will not be used alone but rather part of a "cocktail of drugs." BCM researchers include Christina L. Nance, Ph.D., Instructor of Pediatrics–Allergy and Immunology, and William T. Shearer, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Allergy and Immunology Service at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at BCM. Their UK counterpart is Mike P. Williamson, Ph.D., of the University of Sheffield.		Search all issues: Features Saving Twins Before Birth Blessing to Botswana Preserving Brains Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise News Building, Bucks & BBQ DNA Discoverer Gets His Own BCM Cancer Center One of Select Few Spotlight Bert O'Malley: A Pioneer in Molecular Endocrinology Making Sense of the Sense of Touch Tissue Samples Go Digital Severe Skin Conditions Take a Back Seat at Camp Dermadillo Health Economist Must Put Price Tag on the Priceless Doctor Creates Cartoon that "Bugs" Kids About the Risks of Tobacco Briefs Living Longer is Smelly Business Clinical Trials for Cancer Southward Bound Green Tea Component Blocks HIV Cell Entry Genetics Technique Takes Bite out of Research Barriers Sports Legends Lend Helping Hands, Arms to College Development & Alumni News Mitchell Gift Furthers Brain Research Lambert Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Kleberg Foundation Gift Establishes RNAi Screening Core Facility Alumnus Named White House Fellow New Trustees Announced Tailoring Technology to Benefit You, the Patient

	Volume 3, Issue 2, Summer 2007



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