HIV is virus that incorporates its genome into your genome. In essence, HIV becomes part of you as does many other proviruses. To cure HIV, its genome has to be removed from the infected cells. Molecular tools have been developed and discovered to remove specific DNA sequences from the Genome. One of these tools are called CRISPR. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology, a microbial defense system, has been developed based on its remarkable ability to bring the endonuclease Cas9 to specific locations within complex genomes by a short RNA, to precisely edit the genome, to build toolkits for synthetic biology, and to monitor DNA in live cells. In the last 2 years, over 325 articles have been published on CRISPR-Cas9 applications. This Nucleus portal highlights recent research in CRISPR and the wide-ranging applications of this technology For decades, scientists have worked to repair or replace genes in people with genetic diseases. But their tools often simply were not up to the task. Viruses that deliver therapeutic genes to human genomes do so at random locations, which could inadvertently block essential genes or activate genes that lead to cancer. More recently, scientists have developed proteins known as “zinc finger nucleases” and “Talens” that insert DNA specifically, but they are cumbersome and expensive to engineer. For these reasons, precise gene engineering in higher organisms has been extraordinarily difficult. How long before we can precisely edit our genomes?
Within multicellular differentiation, all cells have the same DNA and the same genes. However, each differentiated cell makes use of only specific genes. This is done by means by the junk genes, creating a contextual potential, that makes specific genes active. This suggests that a second approach to HIV would be contextual, where we differentiate cells, not to make use of HIV. . This may be an easier approach because it may only require adding small segments of DNA, to general locations, until the surface tension cause the HIV to bead up into inactivity. This is a water approach.
Let me try to explain the foundation for this. Say we start with a chromosome that is fully packed with packing proteins. There is limited surface area contact with the bulk cellular water, because the DNA is all wound up. As we unpack the DNA, we are increasing the surface area that connects to the water. The displaced packing protein are out of the way and the water can now attach in these open binding places. The potential of the water is different for each scenario. While in each case there is an equilibrium potential between the global water and the DNA. Next, say we start with packed DNA, all the way to packed chromosomes. In this scenario, we do the opposite and alter the potential of the water to mimic an unpacked DNA equilibrium, with full surface contact. The DNA would like to form an equilibrium, by unpacking, because the water potential reflects the unpacked version of the DNA. However, the DNA ia all bound up, with steric hindrance. The DNA tries to unwind and unpack, but can't, because it is all bound up by the way it had been packed. Unpacking enzymes are needed to do this; they can rotate bonds and reform them. These unpacking enzymes move to specific areas on the packed DNA, initially. The composite of DNA plus unpacking protein configuration better define equilibrium with the water. There are hot spots that focus the potential and they bind there. The analogy is like an old fashion spring clock that we wind. The tension in the spring wants to unwind to lower the potential. But the spring is stuck, all trapped in the clock; steric hindrance. The only way it can lower potential is by driving gears that can release the tension, via the pendulum, one tick at a time. The packed DNA of cells is a little more fancy. It is more like an old fashion Coocoo clock, where the tension is not just released via the ticks, but also in a differentiated event that occurs after so many clicks; the bird comes out and sounds the hour of the day. Stem cell DNA is releasing potential via the ticking action, but have yet to let the little wood cutter out to chop wood; contextual equilibrium.
I understand your basic concept to inhibit the expression of proviral DNA but I don't understand the detail. In my years of study, I've never come across this concept. I don't understand how water regulates gene expression. And how it would be accomplished. I have a few questions for you: Are you a molecular biologist (you seem like a physics person with an interest in biology)? Is this an original idea? What do you mean by global water?
