A diverse set of innate immune mechanisms protects cells from viral infections. The APOBEC3 family of DNA cytosine deaminases is an integral part of these defenses. For instance, APOBEC3D, APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G, and APOBEC3H would have the potential to destroy HIV-1 complementary DNA replication intermediates if not for neutralization by a proteasomal degradation mechanism directed by the viral pr...

A feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) provirus with a vif gene deletion (FIVDelta vifATGgamma) that coexpresses feline gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) was tested as a proviral DNA vaccine to extend previous studies showing efficacy with an FIV-pPPRDelta vif DNA vaccine. Cats were vaccinated with either FIVDelta vifATGgamma or FIV-pPPRDelta vif proviral plasmid DNA or with both FIV-pPPRDelta vif DN...

T he human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a member of the lentivirus family of retroviruses that we share with other primates. The known strains of primate lentiviruses fall into six major lineages identified from 25 species of African primates (1), and it is clear from phylogenetic analysis of lentiviral sequences that their evolutionary history involves a number of cross-species transmission...

A diverse set of innate immune mechanisms protects cells from viral infections. The APOBEC3 family of DNA cytosine deaminases is an integral part of these defenses. For instance, APOBEC3D, APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G, and APOBEC3H would have the potential to destroy HIV-1 complementary DNA replication intermediates if not for neutralization by a proteasomal degradation mechanism directed by the viral pr...

Members of the APOBEC family of cellular polynucleotide cytidine deaminases, most notably APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F, are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 infection. Wild type HIV-1 infections are largely spared from APOBEC3G/F function through the action of the essential viral protein, Vif. In the absence of Vif, APOBEC3G/F are encapsidated by budding virus particles leading to excessive cytidine (C) to ...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virion infectivity factor (Vif) causes the proteasome-mediated destruction of human antiviral protein APOBEC3G by tethering it to a cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase composed of ElonginB, ElonginC, Cullin5, and Rbx2. It has been proposed that HIV Vif hijacks the E3 ligase through two regions within its C-terminal domain: a BC box region that interacts with ElonginC...

Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can quantitatively and qualitatively assess physiological characteristics of tissue. Quantitative DCE-MRI requires an estimate of the time rate of change of the concentration of the contrast agent in the blood plasma, the vascular input function (VIF). Measuring the VIF in small animals is notoriously difficult as it requires high t...

The interplay between viral and host proteins has been well studied to elucidate virus-host interactions and their relevance to virulence. Mammalian genes encode apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) proteins, which act as intrinsic restriction factors against lentiviruses. To overcome APOBEC3-mediated antiviral actions, lentiviruses have evolutionarily acq...