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Originally published in Science Express on 10 January 2008
Science 15 February 2008:
Vol. 319. no. 5865, pp. 921 - 926
DOI: 10.1126/science.1152725
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Research Articles

Identification of Host Proteins Required for HIV Infection Through a Functional Genomic Screen

Abraham L. Brass,1,2 Derek M. Dykxhoorn,3* Yair Benita,4* Nan Yan,3 Alan Engelman,5 Ramnik J. Xavier,2,4 Judy Lieberman,3 Stephen J. Elledge1{dagger}

HIV-1 exploits multiple host proteins during infection. We performed a large-scale small interfering RNA screen to identify host factors required by HIV-1 and identified more than 250 HIV-dependency factors (HDFs). These proteins participate in a broad array of cellular functions and implicate new pathways in the viral life cycle. Further analysis revealed previously unknown roles for retrograde Golgi transport proteins (Rab6 and Vps53) in viral entry, a karyopherin (TNPO3) in viral integration, and the Mediator complex (Med28) in viral transcription. Transcriptional analysis revealed that HDF genes were enriched for high expression in immune cells, suggesting that viruses evolve in host cells that optimally perform the functions required for their life cycle. This effort illustrates the power with which RNA interference and forward genetics can be used to expose the dependencies of human pathogens such as HIV, and in so doing identify potential targets for therapy.

1 Department of Genetics, Center for Genetics and Genomics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
2 Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
3 Immune Disease Institute and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
4 Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
5 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of AIDS, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: selledge{at}genetics.med.harvard.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)