Biochemical studies of primate retroviruses
Abstract:
In the present paper, recent biochemical studies of retroviruses carried out in our laboratory are summarized. Protein compositions, peptide maps of internal structural proteins, neighborhoods of major structural proteins, and serological properties of reverse transcriptases of type D virus isolates from human cells (including Graffi's isolate termed PMFV and also isolates from HeLa- and HEp-2 cells) were compared with those of type D viruses from Old World (Mason-Pfizer virus of rhesus monkeys, langur virus) and New World (squirrel monkey retrovirus) monkeys. The results provide various new informations on, and further demonstrate the diversity of primate type D viruses. Other studies showed that tumor promoting agents (phorbol ester TPA, indole alkaloid teleocidin) are able to considerably increase, in a transient manner, the production of type C and type D primate retroviruses in persistently infected human cells. From experiments demonstrating a disintegrating activity of chelating agents (EDTA, EGTA) and certain psychoactive drugs (including trifluoperazine) on various primate and nonprimate retroviruses it is concluded that divalent cations, probably Ca2+ ions, and possibly also cation-binding proteins are associated with retroviral membranes and that complexing of these components results in loss of viral infectivity.
More Related Videos
13:07Determining 3'-Termini and Sequences of Nascent Single-Stranded Viral DNA Molecules during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription in Infected Cells
Published on: January 30, 2019
11:16Preparation and Gene Modification of Nonhuman Primate Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Published on: February 15, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Viral Mutations
Retroviruses
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
