为什么接吻不会传染艾滋病？
　
艾滋病主要通过血液途径传染，即使与艾滋病人接吻，被传染的可能性很低。这引起了南大教授吴稚伟的注意：会不会是口腔里含有抗病毒的成分？在持续十几年的研究之后，近日他所在的课题组宣布：他们已经找到了口腔唾液中具有抗艾病毒的一种蛋白质GP340，并初步确定了其与抑制艾滋病毒的感染有关。一旦其中最少且必须的成分得到确定，他们便可设计预防艾滋病的药物投入临床实验。

现场：博士生分装“艾滋病毒”

走进吴稚伟教授的实验室，扑入眼帘的首先是操作台上高高矮矮、大小不一的瓶瓶罐罐。两位年轻的博士生身着白大褂，戴着橡胶手套，正在分装血清样品及其他实验材料。而这些血全部来自艾滋病人的身体。楚鹰博士指着手边小小的试管说：“这里是40个艾滋病人的血清，他们当中有的尚未发病，有的已经发病。”听起来很可怕，可楚鹰笑着说：“这些血清已经过灭活处理，病毒去掉了，只剩下抗体，我们在常规的环境中就可以操作，没有危险。”“艾滋病人身体内产生的抗体有的能抑制病毒的复制，有的却不能，我们的任务就是要找到能起强烈抑制作用的抗体，把它甄别出来。”

起因：为什么接吻不会传染艾滋病？

毫无疑问，研究人员早就发现在艾滋病人的唾液里能检测到艾滋病毒的基因，但这些病毒却无法去感染别的细胞。在上世纪80和90年代，流行病学分析也早已发现艾滋病通过口腔唾液传播的几率是极低的，或者基本没有。

这个现象引起了包括吴稚伟在内的若干艾滋病专家的大胆猜想：口腔里一定含有一些抗病毒的成分！

当吴稚伟还在美国纽约大学工作时，他就开始从事分离人体口腔下腭唾液的研究。结果，他们经过对唾液成分的研究发现：口腔里一般没有活病毒，是因为唾液里含有若干种能抗HIV感染的活性蛋白，特别是一个称之为GP340的蛋白质，能清除口腔里的某些细菌，对防止牙龋和保护牙齿起重要的作用。

随着研究的深入，吴稚伟等人意识到：这个蛋白的基因在人体里可能起到两个比较重要的作用：一是和细胞的发育、分化有关，二是和人的天然免疫有关，而这正和GP340蛋白能阻止艾滋病毒感染细胞的活性是一致的。“我们做了很多研究工作，最终证明了GP340能抑制艾滋病毒感染细胞的活性，并搞清楚它的原理。”

最新进展：“缩小包围圈”

来到南京大学医学院后，吴稚伟带领课题组和纽约大学继续开展“锁定蛋白GP340特定部位”的合作研究。这个完整的蛋白由1600多个氨基酸组成，到底是哪些氨基酸在起作用？2007年初，他们已缩小包围圈，将具有抗病毒作用的区域缩小到原有蛋白的十分之一，然后又在锁定的107个氨基酸中，发现其中的16个氨基酸有可能在抑制艾滋病毒感染方面起到比较重要的作用。

目前，他们还在继续确定这个区段涉及的“最少、必须的氨基酸数目”以及有可能的三维立体结构，为合成药物做好关键性的准备。“要想把它做成药物，少1到2个氨基酸都会在成本上有很大差别，并且氨基酸数越少越容易合成，争取在3年左右能够进入临床。”

Why not kiss transmission of AIDS?
11 years http://news.QQ.com 2008 on 25 on 11:38
The main means of HIV transmission through blood, even people with AIDS kiss, the possibility of being infected is very low. This has led to the South, Professor Wu Chih-wei's Note: Could it be that contained in the oral anti-viral ingredients? In the continuing study of more than a decade, recently announced that his group: they have found in the saliva of oral anti-AI virus has a protein GP340, and initially set its suppression of HIV infection. Once at least one of the ingredients and must be determined, they can design the prevention of AIDS drugs into clinical trials.

Site: PhD-packing "HIV"

Professor Wu Zhiwei into the laboratory, Puru eye on the stage of the operation is the first high short, the size of the cans. The two young doctoral students dressed in Bai Dagua, wearing rubber gloves, are installed at the experimental serum samples and other materials. All these blood from AIDS, the human body. Dr. Chu Ying hand, pointing to a small test tube, said: "This is one of 40 AIDS serum, and some of them not yet the incidence, prevalence and some have been." Sounds terrible, Chu Ying said with a smile: " Has been inactivated serum treatment, the virus has been removed, leaving only antibodies, we of conventional environment will be able to operate, there is no danger. "" AIDS person in the body to produce antibodies and some inhibit virus replication, but some Can not, our task is to find a strong inhibitory effect of the antibodies, screening it out. "

Causes: Why not kiss transmission of AIDS?

There is no doubt that researchers have long found in the saliva of AIDS patients, can detect HIV genes, but these viruses can not go to other infected cells. In the 1980s and 1990s, epidemiological analysis also found that AIDS has already spread through the saliva of oral risk is very low or no.

This phenomenon is caused, including Wu Chih-wei, the number of AIDS experts suspect that the bold: The mouth must contain some element of the anti-virus!

When Wu Chih-wei in the United States at New York University when he began working on the separation of human oral saliva under the palate. As a result, they go through the components of saliva found: oral, not generally live virus, because saliva contains a number of species resistant to HIV infection, the active protein, in particular, a protein called GP340, to clear the mouth of some Bacteria, the prevention of dental caries and protect teeth play an important role.

With the in-depth study, Wu Chih-wei and others aware of: the protein in the human gene may play a more important role in two: One is the development and cell differentiation, and the second is related to people's natural immunity, and this GP340 protein and is able to prevent HIV infection in cells is the same. "We made a lot of studies, the ultimate proof of GP340 of HIV infection can inhibit the activity of the cells, and find out its principles."

The latest progress: "The narrow ring of encirclement"

Went to Nanjing University School of Medicine, the group led by Wu Chih-wei and New York University to continue to carry out "targeted specific parts of protein GP340" collaborative research. The complete protein by more than 1,600 amino acids, amino acids which in the end is in the works? Early in 2007, they had narrowed the encirclement, the antiviral activity of the region will be reduced to one-tenth of the original protein, and then lock in the 107 amino acids, found that the 16 amino acids may inhibit HIV infection from To the more important role.

At present, they are continuing to identify the section relating to "at least, the number of amino acids necessary", as well as the possibility of three-dimensional structure of synthetic drugs do a good job in preparation for the key. "If we want to make it drugs, less 1-2 amino acids would cost a great difference, and the fewer number of amino acid synthesis more easily, for 3 years or access to clinical."