Journal of Virology, June 2009, p. 5963, Vol. 83, No. 12
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00799-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
| SPOTLIGHT |
Articles of Significant Interest Selected from This Issue by the Editors
A Structural View of Archaeal Virus Sulfolobus Turreted Icosahedral Virus ReplicationSulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus (STIV) is an archaeal virus that infects Sulfolobus hosts found in the high-temperature (80°C) acidic hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. Little is known about the STIV replication cycle. Brumfield et al. (p. 5964-5970) used transmission and scanning electron microscopy analysis of infected cells to investigate STIV assembly and release. This analysis revealed that STIV is a lytic virus that programs cell lysis through the formation of pyramid-like structures on the cell surface. These aberrations suggest that archaeal viruses use different cell killing mechanisms than those of bacterial viruses.
Alternative Splicing of Parvovirus Pre-mRNA Is Governed by TIA-1/TIAR
Relative levels of the essential proteins NS1 and NS2 of minute virus of mice must be restricted to within a narrow range for productive viral infection of this autonomous parvovirus. Choi and Pintel (p. 6306-6311) show that the alternative splicing pattern that generates the RNAs encoding these proteins is governed by an intronic splicing enhancer that binds the cellular RNA processing proteins TIA-1 and TIAR, directly enhancing usage of a nonconsensus donor. These findings highlight a new mechanism of parvovirus gene regulation.
Adeno-Associated Virus Activates a DNA Damage Response
Virus infection and replication generates exogenous foreign DNA that is recognized by host cells. Schwartz et al. (p. 6269-6278) show that productive replication by the parvovirus adeno-associated virus (AAV) leads to activation of a novel DNA damage response that uniquely involves the DNA-dependent protein kinase. This work highlights a role for the DNA damage machinery in the host response to virus infection and shows how different viruses can be used to study distinct DNA damage signaling pathways.
T-Cell Infection by a Nonlymphotropic Virus via the Virological Synapse
The virological synapse (VS) is a specialized molecular structure that facilitates the transfer of certain lymphotropic viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus and human T-lymphotrophic virus type 1, into uninfected T cells. However, it is not known whether the VS functions to facilitate T-cell infection by nonlymphotropic viruses. Aubert et al. (p. 6171-6183) show that the VS mediates herpes simplex virus transfer from infected epithelial cells to T cells. Thus, the VS is important in the immunobiology of viruses other than retroviruses, and viral infection of T cells and modification of their function may be more common than previously thought.
Clonal Expansion of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Cells across the Uterine Cervix and Blood
Understanding the dynamics and spread of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) within the female genital tract has important implications for studies of viral transmission, treatment, and vaccine development. A cross-sectional study by Bull et al. (p. 6020-6028) in which HIV-1 env DNA single genome amplification in blood and biopsy samples taken from three regions of the uterine cervix per subject demonstrated identical viral sequences across tissues from each participant, including participants studied during suppressive antiretroviral therapy. Clonal expansion of cells that contain provirus may explain this observation, and if these cells include replication-competent viral sequences, this finding suggests that cellular proliferation could perpetuate HIV-1 infection during treatment.
Journal of Virology, June 2009, p. 5963, Vol. 83, No. 12
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00799-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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