Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Bhopal have identified a Circular RNA virus, ciTRAN, whose role in HIV-1 virus replication has remained unclear for a long time, and also developed a molecule that could hinder viral transcription.
Key points
- Circular RNA plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and is essential for various biological processes.
- The functional consequences of circular RNA (circRNA) expression on HIV-1 replication are largely unknown, the researchers explained.
- Establishing how ciTRAN modulates the virus’s transcription process, could potentially lead to novel drugs and therapies to fight HIV-1.
- HIV-1 viral protein R (VpR) is a multifunctional protein that plays specific roles at multiple stages of the HIV-1 viral life cycle and affects anti-HIV functions of the immune cells.
