New findings in HIV/AIDS described from University of Michigan.

According to recent research from the United States, "In previous in vivo studies, amyloid fibers formed from a peptide ubiquitous inhuman seminal fluid (semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI)) were found to dramatically enhance the infectivity of the HIV virus (3-5 orders of magnitude by some measures). To complement those studies, we performed in vitro assays of PAP(248-286), the most active precursor to SEVI, and other polycationic polymers to investigate the physical mechanisms by which the PAP(248-286) promotes the interaction with lipid bilayers."

"At acidic (but not at neutral) pH, freshly dissolved PAP(248-286) catalyzes the formation of large lipid …