LA Times nominates herpes mouse “Rodent of the week”
We’ve already covered this scientific development, but the LA Times take on it is worth a look. The story concerns the viral protein VP16, which scientists now think is produced before the herpes virus can leave the human nerve cell and cause any visible symptoms. If a drug can be produced to block production of this protein, it could mean an end to herpes symptoms. The LA Times have nominated the mice involved in the study as “rodent[s] of the week”.
“This completely changes our thinking about how this virus reactivates from latency,” said Richard Thompson, a co-author of the paper and researcher at the University of Cincinnati, in a news release. “Instead of a simple positive switch that turns the virus on following stress, it appears instead to be a random de-repression of VP 16 gene that results in reactivation.”
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/03/rodent-of-the-3.html
There was a recent article from sciencedaily (march 09) that said a group of researchers found the vp16 protien was not required for herpes reactivation and therefore was not a viable target for drug development. If true is the work cited in this article even valid?
You’re right, there is some conflicting research out there on this subject.
One team suggests that VP16 is not influential, the other team says that it is a key target. We’ll have to wait and see which is correct.
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