Connection found in pathogenesis of neurological diseases, HIV

As per a new study conducted by the George Washington University reveals the similarities in the pathogenesis of prion disease and the misfolded proteins that can further direct to the other neurological diseases and the HIV virus. The research was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. It explains the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and prion infection The research is led by Michael Bukrinsky, a professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences found out the big relationship between the impairment of cellular cholesterol transporter ABCA1 and the conversion of prion to the pathological form He further explains, “The effect of prions on ABCA1 and lipid rafts is very similar to what we found with HIV before, suggesting that while prions and viruses are very different, they seem to target the same cellular mechanism of cholesterol metabolism. This mechanism may be key to controlling many different diseases.”