
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 26, 1993                   TAG: 9310260183
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PARIS                                LENGTH: Short

PASTEUR TEAM FINDS AIDS VIRUS GATEWAY

French researchers said Monday they discovered the gateway through which the AIDS virus penetrates and infects blood cells, a discovery that could lead to development of a vaccine to lock the virus out.

The Pasteur Institute team said it has discovered a "co-receptor" molecule, named CD26, used by all strains of the AIDS virus to gain entry.

AIDS researchers have known for several years that the AIDS virus, called HIV, latches onto a receptor molecule called CD4 on the surface of some blood cells.

"But we didn't know how the virus got inside the cell to contaminate it," said Dr. Ara Hovanessian, who headed the research team.

"Now we know that both the CD4 and the CD26 are necessary for the virus to penetrate and infect the cell," Hovanessian said.

The CD26 structure was identified several years ago, but its function remained a mystery.

"The presence and functioning of the CD26 molecule are indispensable for the infection and spread of the virus in the CD4 cells," said a statement from the Pasteur Institute. "In viral infections, the CD4 serves as the contact point for viral particles, while CD26 serves as the main door."

The group's findings were to be presented today at an AIDS conference outside Paris.

by CNB