CCR5 as a Novel Cell and Gene Therapy Strategies Based on Induction of Resistance to HIV

Alieh Farshbaf¹ and Abdolreza Esmaeilzadeh^2,3

¹Department of Genetic and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.

²Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.

³Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.

Corresponding Author E-mail: a46reza@zums.ac.ir 

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2377

ABSTRACT: Cc-chemokine receptor-5 (CCR5) is known as a main co-receptor in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection. So, it could be a target for inhibition of HIV-1 entry into CD 4⁺ immune cells. Many studies showed homozygote individual with 32bp deletion in CCR5 gene had nature resistance to HIV-1. In this manner, recent treatments are focused on inducing this resistance to HIV-1 infected patients withCCR5. Berlin and Boston patients transplanted with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and demonstrated effective cure for HIV-1 infection. In addition, zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) eliminated some problems of Berlin and Boston patients by site-specific CCR5 gene modification. These recent strategies declined highly-active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) restrictions such as toxicity, low safety, the side effects following long-term consuming and virus reloading immediately after cut the drugs off. In this review, in addition of introductorybiologic and immune-genetic roles of CCR5, we consider novel treatment strategies for HIV-1 infected patient by CCR5gene targeted therapy.

KEYWORDS: CCR5, HIV-1; hematopoietic stem cell therapy; gene therapy; genemodification; nuclease

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