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J Virol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Institute of Virology and AIDS Research, Key laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of The Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin University

Ubiquitination plays an important role in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection. HIV proteins such as Vif and Vpx mediate the degradation of the host proteins APOBEC3 and SAMHD1, respectively, through the proteasome pathway. However, whether deubiquitylating enzymes play an essential role in HIV-1 infection is largely unknown. Read More

J Virol 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Division of Systems Virology, Department of Infectious Disease Control, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan

APOBEC3 proteins play pivotal roles in defenses against retroviruses, including HIV-1, as well as retrotransposons. Presumably due to the evolutionary arms race between the hosts and retroelements, APOBEC3 genes have rapidly evolved in primate lineages through sequence diversification, gene amplification and loss, and gene fusion. Consequently, modern primates possess a unique set or "repertoire" of APOBEC3 genes. Read More

J Virol 2021 Mar 24. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Laboratory of Systems Virology, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068507, Japan

As the hosts of lentiviruses, almost 40 species of felids (the family ) are distributed around the world, and more than 20 feline species are positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lineage of lentiviruses. These observations suggest that FIVs globally infect a variety of feline species through multiple cross-species transmission events during million years history. Cellular restriction factors potentially inhibit lentiviral replication and limit cross-species lentiviral transmission, and cellular APOBEC3 deaminases are known as a potent restriction factor. Read More

Front Microbiol 2020 12;11:622012. Epub 2021 Jan 12.

Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Accessory proteins are a key feature that distinguishes primate immunodeficiency viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) from other retroviruses. A prime example is the virion infectivity factor, Vif, which hijacks a cellular co-transcription factor (CBF-β) to recruit a ubiquitin ligase complex (CRL5) to bind and degrade antiviral APOBEC3 enzymes including APOBEC3D (A3D), APOBEC3F (A3F), APOBEC3G (A3G), and APOBEC3H (A3H). Although APOBEC3 antagonism is essential for viral pathogenesis, and a more than sufficient functional justification for Vif's evolution, most viral proteins have evolved multiple functions. Read More

Viruses 2021 Jan 17;13(1). Epub 2021 Jan 17.

Division of Systems Virology, Department of Infectious Disease Control, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1088639, Japan.

The APOBEC3 family of proteins in mammals consists of cellular cytosine deaminases and well-known restriction factors against retroviruses, including lentiviruses. genes are highly amplified and diversified in mammals, suggesting that their evolution and diversification have been driven by conflicts with ancient viruses. At present, lentiviruses, including HIV, the causative agent of AIDS, are known to encode a viral protein called Vif to overcome the antiviral effects of the APOBEC3 proteins of their hosts. Read More