XMRV infection is enhanced by prostatic protein fragments

27/01/10

Fragments of an abundant protein produced by the prostate form amyloid fibrils that enhance infection of cells by human immunodeficiency virus type 1. These fibrils, called semen-derived enhancer of virus infection (SEVI), have been found to boost infection of prostate cells by the retrovirus XMRV. Is this evidence that XMRV causes prostate cancer?
Because most HIV-1 infections are a consequence of genital exposure to semen of virus-infected men, seminal fluid was screened for peptides or proteins that enhance viral infectivity. Peptides (34 – 40 amino acids in length) derived from prostatic acidic phosphates, a common protein found in semen, were found to dramatically enhance HIV-1 infection of cultured cells. These peptide fragments form amyloid fibrils which bind both virions and …

Original post by virology blog and software by Elliott Back

 

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