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Parallel Adaptation Of Cd4 In Siv-Endemic Gorilla And Pan Lineages, Katie E. Brown

Biological Sciences

The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is homologous to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and naturally infects chimpanzees and gorillas in the wild. Some African primate species appear to have evolved resistance to SIV, in that the virus no longer is found in the species or, if infected, individuals within the species show no serious symptoms of simian AIDS (SAIDS). In contrast, Asian primate species do not appear to naturally harbor SIV and, like humans, often progress to AIDS following infection. CD4 is the primary T cell receptor that SIV/HIV interacts with to infect host T cells. Domain 1 (D1) of …