Projects

Genetic code redundancy means that adjacent pairs of amino acids can be encoded by 36 different pairs of synonymous codons. Certain synonymous codon pairs are more or less frequent than would be expected in a random distribution. The introduction of infrequent pairs of synonymous codons into the HIV genome reduces the replication capacity of the virus. We propose investigating to what extent codon pair bias affects HIV-1’s capacity to replicate. Given that this approach is directed to a function as basic as translation, the use of codon pairs potentially has a general application in altering the phenotypes of other viruses or organisms.

• Reference: HB3 - 164066

Liver disease has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients infected with HIV-1. HIV-1 can cause liver disease through several mechanisms, including direct infection of stellate and Kupffer cells, chronic inflammation, translocation of microbial products and low-grade disseminated coagulaopathy. There is growing evidence to suggest that small non-coding RNAs called micro RNAs (miRNAs) regulate various biological functions of the liver and play a role in liver disorders. In this project we propose to identify circulating miRNAs as potential diagnostic or progression biomarkers of liver disease in patients infected with HIV-1.