Response to Declan Butler's News Item

Owned by Alex
Last updated: Apr 01, 2024
3 min read

This letter was rejected by Nature

Nature's European correspondent wrote a news item in regard to the BMJ Online debate re HIV and AIDS. This is our letter in response which was rejected by Nature with the following note.

  • PDF file -

  • News item - Medical journal under attack as dissenters seize AIDS platform - Nov 20th 2003, Nature

  • https://www.nature.com/articles/426215a

December 4, 2003


Dear Ms Papadopulos-Eleopulos


Thank you for submitting your comment on one of our news articles to Brief Communications. We will publish a correction to the fabout the micrograph, which was omitted as you have pointed out.


Regretfully, however, we cannot offer to publish your Communication Arising, because this section is intended for criticisms of ouThank you again for writing to us.


Yours sincerely


Rosalind Cotter
Editor, Brief Communications

Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos, Valendar F Turner, John Papadimitriou, Barry Page, David Causer, Helman Alfonso.


In Declan Butler’s news item (20th November) he has included a scanning electron micrograph which, together with the legend, oarticle and this presumably reflects its importance. However, the source of the electron micrograph (EM) is not given, there are nis not specified. The appearance of the cell in the micrograph is unlike any white blood cell that has ever traversed the vascular displayed are indeed HIV they are obviously on the cell and not in the cell as the author claims. Moreover, these surface particlespherical and are several microns in length and such appearances and dimensions would be not only unique to HIV but to any otmicroscopy. It is unlike Nature to feature reports in which the scientific rigor is minimal.


In 1984 one of the researchers predominantly featured in the news item, Wain-Hobson and his colleagues, claimed to have obtai“purified” virus they found a poly(A)-RNA and claimed that this RNA was the HIV genome.1 However, (i) although poly(A)-RNA igenomes even Gallo agrees is it is not specific for retroviruses;2,3 (ii) no electron micrograph was published to show that the “puimpurities containing RNA; (iii) they had no controls; (iv) the only EM of “purified” HIV were published in 1997. These showed thpredominantly of “budding membrane particles frequently called microvesicles” amongst which there are a small number of particles which the authors claimed are HIV but none of which have all the morphological characteristics attributed to HIV. Most importantly, microvesicles obtained fcontained poly(A)-RNA.4,5

 

According to John Moore, another prominent HIV researcher featured in the news item, “HIV-1 infection of CD4+ cells is initiated by interaction between its surface glycoprotein, gp120 and the cellular antigen CD4…On the virus surface, mature gp120/gp41 heterodimers are grouped together into oligomeric spikes that are clearly visible in electron micrographs”. 6 However, to date nobody , not even Hans Gelderblom, could demonstrate that the surface of the “HIV-1” particles is studded with spikes much less with spikes containing “mature gp120/gp41 heterodimers”.7,8


The matter of the HIV particle infectivity and its genome is not trivial. Yet, according to the HIV experts, the “sceptics” “are best ignored”, a recommendation which extends to disregarding their publications in the peer reviewed scientific journals. Given the importance of this matter Nature could either seek clarification from the HIV experts or preferably arrange a scientific debate between the two sides adjudicated by disinterested scientists. In this manner the matter could be resolved once and for all.

REFERENCES

  1. Alizon, M. et al. Molecular cloning of lymphadenopathy-associated virus. Nature312, 757-760 (1984).

  2. Gillespie, D., Marshall, S. & Gallo, R. C. RNA of RNA tumor viruses contains poly A. Nature New Biol 236, 227-231 (1972).

  3. Edmonds, M. A history of poly A sequences: from formation to factors to function. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol 71, 285-389 (2002).

  4. Bess, J. W., Gorelick, R. J., Bosche, W. J., Henderson, L. E. & Arthur, L. O. Microvesicles are a source of contaminating cellular proteins found in purified HIV-1 preparations.Virol 230, 134-144 (1997).

  5. Gluschankof, P., Mondor, I., Gelderblom, H. R. & Sattentau, Q. J. Cell membrane vesicles are a major contaminant of gradient-enriched human immunodeficiency virus type-1 preparations. Virol 230, 125-133 (1997).

  6. Moore, J. P. & Nara, P. L. The role of the V3 loop and gp120 in HIV infection. AIDS 5, S21-S33 (1991).

  7. Layne, S. P. et al. Factors underlying spontaneous inactivation and susceptibility to neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus. Virol 189, 695-714 (1992).

  8. Kuznetsov, Y. G., Victoria, J. G., Robinson, W. E., Jr. & McPherson, A. Atomic force microscopy investigation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HIV-infected lymphocytes. J Virol 77, 11896-909 (2003).