Terms

AIDS - Advanced Immunodeficiency Syndrome - the most advanced stage of an infection by the HIV virus.

Antisense approach - a potential therapy for gene based diseases that uses RNA complementary to the mRNA produced by cell.  The complementary RNA (or "antisense" RNA) base pairs with regular mRNA (or "sense" mRNA), thereby marking the regular strand for degradation.

DICER - a protein of of the RNAse III family that can cut up double stranded RNA molecules into siRNAs.

dsRNA - double stranded RNA.

Gene therapy - A therapy aimed at correcting a problem at the genetic level.  It usually involves inserting a functional gene into an individual who carries a dysfunctional gene.  Strictly speaking, RNAi is not gene therapy.  However, if one considers that in most studies siRNAs are expressed in cells by artificially created gene constructs, RNAi can be thought of as a form of gene therapy.  Some scientists do not see a separation between RNAi and gene therapy.  If one types in "RNAi Gene Therapy" on Google, one will find more than 150 matches.

HAART - Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy - a therapy program that uses various combinations of drugs (directed at different stages in the HIV life cycle)  to fight an HIV infection.

HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus - a quickly evolving retrovirus that attacks cells of the human immune system.  There is currently no cure or vaccine for HIV.

Interferon response - An immune system response involving interferons (a type of protein that can create an antiviral state in cells of the immune system).

Lentivirus - A genus of the retrovirus family.  Lentiviruses have long incubation times.  In Primates, they bind to the CD4 receptor when entering a cell.  HIV is a lentivirus.  Lentiviruses are a popular method for introducing foreign nucleic acids into a cell.

LTR - Long Term Repeat - sequences of DNA that flank a provirus and guide its integration into a host's DNA.  The sequence at each flanking end is identical when read in opposite directions.

mRNA - messenger RNA - the RNA responsible for carrying the information in DNA to the ribosome, where the information is translated into a protein.

Phospholipid bilayer - Also the "plasma membrane" - the membrane that encircles a cell.

Provirus - The DNA that is made when the RNA of a retrovirus is reverse transcribed.  The HIV provirus integrates itself into the host's DNA. 

Retrovirus - A virus that carries RNA that is reverse transcribed into DNA after it penetrates a cell.  HIV is a retrovirus of the lentivirus genus. 

Reverse transcriptase - The enzyme that can transcribe (convert) the information of an RNA strand into DNA.

Ribozyme approach - A potential RNA based therapy that uses ribozymes--RNA molecules capable of catalyzing chemical reactions.

RISC - RNA Induced Silencing Complex - the protein complex, that when coupled with an siRNA molecule, can cleave mRNA possessing a complementary sequence to that siRNA molecule.

RNAi - RNA Interference - A cellular pathway/process/mechanism/therapy that can specifically silence the effects of a gene (in the context of this website, it silences the HIV provirus).  The RNAi process begins by inserting siRNA molecules--that have a sequence matching the mRNA of the gene to be silenced--into a cell.

RNAse - A protein that can degrade RNA.

shRNA - Short Hairpin RNA - A short RNA that can base pair with itself, forming a stem-like structure where the base pairing occurs, and a hairpin-like structure at one end, where no base pairing occurs.  shRNA can be cleaved by the protein DICER, to form siRNA.

siRNA - Small Interfering RNA - double stranded RNA molecules that are 21 to 25 nucleotides in length, and have 2-nucleotide overhangs at each end.  When introduced to a cell, siRNA--through the RNAi pathway--interferes with matching mRNA, silencing the gene from which the mRNA came.

Vector - A method of delivery through which nucleic acids can be introduced to a cell.  Viruses and plasmids are vectors.