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7.3
3.8
Journals
Viruses
Special Issues
Retroviral Recombination and Genetic Diversity
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Retroviral Recombination and Genetic Diversity

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 3660

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jie Cui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Interests: virus evolution; endogenous retroviruses; virome; evolutionary virology; genomic epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Retroviruses are enveloped RNA viruses and have great genetic diversity and broad spectrum of hosts. Many retroviruses are associated with diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cancer. The high rate of recombination in retroviruses occurs during reverse transcription, and such reshuffling leads to new combinations. Their endogenous forms—endogenous retroviruses (ERVs)—are considered to be fossils of extant retroviruses and also have been associated with certain human diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.

In this Special Issue of Viruses, we will collect retrovirus-related articles/reviews in the fields of evolutionary biology, virology, and epidemiology, discuss the latest research innovations, and jointly contribute to the popularization of retroviral recombination and genetic diversity research.

Prof. Dr. Jie Cui
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • retroviruses
  • endogenous retroviruses
  • evolution
  • recombination
  • genetic diversity
  • infection and diseases

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 4837 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Identification and Characterization of HML-9 Group in Chimpanzee Genome
by Mingyue Chen, Caiqin Yang, Xiuli Zhai, Chunlei Wang, Mengying Liu, Bohan Zhang, Xing Guo, Yanglan Wang, Hanping Li, Yongjian Liu, Jingwan Han, Xiaolin Wang, Jingyun Li, Lei Jia and Lin Li
Viruses 2024, 16(6), 892; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060892 - 31 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1232
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are related to long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, comprising gene sequences of exogenous retroviruses integrated into the host genome and inherited according to Mendelian law. They are considered to have contributed greatly to the evolution of host genome structure and [...] Read more.
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are related to long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, comprising gene sequences of exogenous retroviruses integrated into the host genome and inherited according to Mendelian law. They are considered to have contributed greatly to the evolution of host genome structure and function. We previously characterized HERV-K HML-9 in the human genome. However, the biological function of this type of element in the genome of the chimpanzee, which is the closest living relative of humans, largely remains elusive. Therefore, the current study aims to characterize HML-9 in the chimpanzee genome and to compare the results with those in the human genome. Firstly, we report the distribution and genetic structural characterization of the 26 proviral elements and 38 solo LTR elements of HML-9 in the chimpanzee genome. The results showed that the distribution of these elements displayed a non-random integration pattern, and only six elements maintained a relatively complete structure. Then, we analyze their phylogeny and reveal that the identified elements all cluster together with HML-9 references and with those identified in the human genome. The HML-9 integration time was estimated based on the 2-LTR approach, and the results showed that HML-9 elements were integrated into the chimpanzee genome between 14 and 36 million years ago and into the human genome between 18 and 49 mya. In addition, conserved motifs, cis-regulatory regions, and enriched PBS sequence features in the chimpanzee genome were predicted based on bioinformatics. The results show that pathways significantly enriched for ERV LTR-regulated genes found in the chimpanzee genome are closely associated with disease development, including neurological and neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. In summary, the identification, characterization, and genomics of HML-9 presented here not only contribute to our understanding of the role of ERVs in primate evolution but also to our understanding of their biofunctional significance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retroviral Recombination and Genetic Diversity)
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Review

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22 pages, 1189 KiB  
Review
The Use of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies (bNAbs) in HIV-1 Treatment and Prevention
by Jannifer Jasmin Thavarajah, Bo Langhoff Hønge and Christian Morberg Wejse
Viruses 2024, 16(6), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060911 - 4 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2087
Abstract
Background: Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively halts disease progression in HIV infection, the complete eradication of the virus remains elusive. Additionally, challenges such as long-term ART toxicity, drug resistance, and the demanding regimen of daily and lifelong adherence required by ART highlight the [...] Read more.
Background: Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively halts disease progression in HIV infection, the complete eradication of the virus remains elusive. Additionally, challenges such as long-term ART toxicity, drug resistance, and the demanding regimen of daily and lifelong adherence required by ART highlight the imperative need for alternative therapeutic and preventative approaches. In recent years, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) have emerged as promising candidates, offering potential for therapeutic, preventative, and possibly curative interventions against HIV infection. Objective: This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the passive immunization of bNAbs in HIV-1-infected individuals. Main findings: Recent findings from clinical trials have highlighted the potential of bNAbs in the treatment, prevention, and quest for an HIV-1 cure. While monotherapy with a single bNAb is insufficient in maintaining viral suppression and preventing viral escape, ultimately leading to viral rebound, combination therapy with potent, non-overlapping epitope-targeting bNAbs have demonstrated prolonged viral suppression and delayed time to rebound by effectively restricting the emergence of escape mutations, albeit largely in individuals with bNAb-sensitive strains. Additionally, passive immunization with bNAb has provided a “proof of concept” for antibody-mediated prevention against HIV-1 acquisition, although complete prevention has not been obtained. Therefore, further research on the use of bNAbs in HIV-1 treatment and prevention remains imperative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retroviral Recombination and Genetic Diversity)
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