The lentiviral envelope glycoproteins (Env) mediate virus entry by interacting with specific receptors present at the cell surface, thereby determining viral tropism and pathogenesis. Therefore, Env incorporation into the virions formed by assembly of the viral Gag polyprotein at the plasma membrane of the infected cells is a key step in the replication cycle of lentiviruses. Besides being usef...

INTRODUCTION: Viral and bacterial transmission are possible adverse outcomes of utilizing banked tissues for transplantation. Concerns that current freezing and storage practices may not be adequate to inactivate retroviruses were substantiated by recent animal model studies. These studies documented viral transmission from retrovirus-infected, transplanted allogeneic cortical and cancellous bo...

The transmembrane envelope (TM) proteins of retroviruses are used as antigen in diagnostic immunoassays and they represent a conserved target for neutralizing antibodies. To analyze the situation in infections with the feline foamy virus (FFV), its recombinant TM protein was produced and used for ELISA and Western blot analyses. Screening sera from 404 German cats showed that 39% reacted agains...

The general model for retrovirus transmembrane (TM) proteins proposed by Gallaher et al. (W. R. Gallaher, J. M. Ball, R. F. Garry, M. C. Griffin, and R. C. Montelaro, AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 5:431-440, 1989) suggests that all retrovirus TM proteins may contain an immunodominant domain (Imd-TM peptide) located at the apex of the TM polypeptide. Although this Imd-TM peptide has been shown to ...

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are integrated as DNA proviruses in the genomes of all mammalian species. Several ERVs are replication-competent and produced as fully infectious viruses from host cell. Thus, live-attenuated vaccines and biological substances have been prepared using the cell lines which may produce ERV. Indeed, we recently reported that several commercial live-attenuated vaccine...

The zoonotic introduction of an animal pathogen into the human population and the subsequent extension or alteration of its host range leading to the successful maintenance of the corresponding pathogen by human-to-human transmission pose a serious risk for world-wide health care. Such a scenario occurred for instance by the introduction of simian immunodeficiency viruses into the human populat...

Retroviral RNA packaging signal (ψ) allows the preferential packaging of genomic RNA into virus particles through its interaction with the nucleocapsid protein. The specificity of this interaction came into question when it was shown that primate retroviruses, such as HIV-1, could cross-package RNA from its simian cousin, SIV, and vice versa and that feline retrovirus, FIV could cross-package R...

Entry by retroviruses is mediated through interactions between the viral envelope glycoprotein and the host cell receptor(s). We recently identified two host cell proteins, FeLIX and Pit1, that are necessary for infection by cytopathic, T-cell-tropic feline leukemia viruses (FeLV-T). Pit1 is a classic multiple transmembrane protein used as a receptor by several other simple retroviruses, includ...

Although foamy viruses (Spumaviruses) have repeatedly been isolated from both healthy and diseased cats, cattle, and primates, the primary mode of transmission of those common viruses remains undefined. A database of the feline foamy virus (FeFV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibody status, age, and sex of 389 domestic cats presented to veterinarians was assembled. A similar databas...

The feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) vaccines that are currently in wide use are generally poor inducers of virus-neutralizing antibodies, although such antibodies appear after recovering from challenge. However, the presence of neutralizing antibodies in cats recovering from natural FeLV infection clearly correlates with resistance to subsequent infection and passive transfer of antibodies can pr...