HIV lab
Department
of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Retrovirology Lab
People Publications iNEF symposium September 23rd 2011
Our lab
studies retroviruses, infectious agents but also tools for research. We focus
on HIV in its interplay with the infected host.
In recent
years we have been studying the HIV Nef protein. Nef is an accessory HIV
protein that acts as a adaptor protein to alter cellular signalling and protein
trafficking. Functionality of this protein was shown to be important in AIDS
progression.
We
could show that this protein hampers human T cell development when expressed in
human thymocytes. The domains in Nef important for this effect were identified.
Moreover, we
discovered that Nef downmodulates the CD8 T-cell co-receptor, like it does so
with CD4.
