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Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds
Published on: October 29, 2015
Switching Sides: How Endogenous Retroviruses Protect Us from Viral Infections
Smitha Srinivasachar Badarinarayan1,2, Daniel Sauter3,2
1Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
Abstract:
Long disregarded as junk DNA or genomic dark matter, endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) have turned out to represent important components of the antiviral immune response. These remnants of once-infectious retroviruses not only regulate cellular immune activation, but may even directly target invading viral pathogens. In this Gem, we summarize mechanisms by which retroviral fossils protect us from viral infections. One focus will be on recent advances in the role of ERVs as regulators of antiviral gene expression.
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