Journal of Virology, March 2009, p. 2405, Vol. 83, No. 6
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00136-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
| SPOTLIGHT |
Articles of Significant Interest Selected from This Issue by the Editors
Adenoviruses Are Latent in Human TonsilsTonsil and adenoid tissues frequently contain DNA of the common species C adenoviruses. However, the status of the virus in these tissues has remained elusive. Garnett et al. (p. 2417-2428) report that although infectious virus is present in only a small fraction of freshly explanted tonsils, viral transcription, DNA replication, and infectious virus production can be stimulated in vitro by using triggers to activate T lymphocytes that harbor viral genome. These observations suggest that T cells harbor latent adenovirus infection.
Systems Biology Approach Identifies New NF-
B Regulators of Human Herpesvirus 8
Activation of NF-B is essential for latent persistence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and survival of infected cells. Konrad et al. (p. 2563-2574) used a systems biology approach to systematically analyze the effects of all HHV-8 genes on the NF-B signaling pathway. The analysis yielded two novel HHV-8-encoded molecules regulating NF-B. This strategy provides an intriguing new approach for molecular analysis of virus-cell interactions.
A Cellular Kinase That Affects Innate Immune Responses to Influenza Virus Infection
Influenza virus activates signaling networks that trigger innate immune responses. Kakugawa et al. (p. 2510-2517) screened an avian cell library for host factors that interact with influenza virus components. The screen yielded a cellular kinase, ribosomal protein S6 kinase alpha 3 (RSK2), which is activated via the classic mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway that stimulates innate immune responses to influenza virus infection. These findings establish a novel role for RSK2 in the cellular antiviral response.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Controllers Select for Rare Gag Variants
Elite controllers are persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus who remain healthy with undetectable virus in plasma. Although HLA-B57 is overrepresented in these individuals, some persons with this HLA allele develop AIDS. Miura et al. (p. 2743-2755) show that plasma viruses obtained from elite controllers contain unique HLA-B57-associated mutations within a targeted epitope that cause dramatic loss in viral fitness, while at the same time eliciting cytotoxic T- cell (CTL) responses to the variant virus. Thus, CTLs contribute to elite control by a combination of persistent immune pressure and unique immune-induced fitness defects.
Widely Conserved Recombination Patterns among Single-Stranded DNA Viruses
Interspecies genetic recombination occurs in many virus families, but little is known about the evolutionary forces shaping patterns of sequence exchange observed in nature. Lefeuvre et al. (p. 2697-2707) found that widely conserved patterns of recombination among viruses with single-stranded DNA genomes are mostly attributable to the interplay between conserved mechanistic features of their replication processes and purifying selection disfavoring the survival of recombinants with breakpoints within coding regions. These results suggest that it will be possible to design durable animal virus vaccines and disease resistance transgenes that viruses will be unable to overcome through recombination.
Journal of Virology, March 2009, p. 2405, Vol. 83, No. 6
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00136-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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