SERINCs and retrovirus infection
For many years it was known that HIV-1 needs its protein Nef to maintain a strong infectious power when the virus is produced from several cell lines (add ref). Nef does not affect the amount of virus being produced, it is rather necessary for its ability to infect target cells (ref). It was established that virions produced in the absence of Nef are inhibited at an early stage of the target cell infection. It was also clear that Nef is required in producer cells, not in target cells. It took several years of patience and experiments to understand this phenomenon.
Our lab (see reference) and Heinrich Gottlinger's Lab (see reference) independently discovered that SERINC5 is an inhibitor of HIV infectivity antagonized by Nef.
The simultaneous discovery by our lab and Heinrich's lab came at the end of a fascinating parallel journey. Massimo was a post-doc in Heinrich's Lab back in 2000 at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When he moved to start his own lab in London, Geneva and then Italy, he focused on finding an explanation for the effect of Nef on infectivity. Heinrich also never stopped looking for an explanation. When they both met again at Cold Spring Harbor more than 10 years later, they found out that they had discovered the same factor. The strategies, though, were very different, and that's what makes it remarkable (see Nature news and views).
Our lab (see reference) and Heinrich Gottlinger's Lab (see reference) independently discovered that SERINC5 is an inhibitor of HIV infectivity antagonized by Nef.
The simultaneous discovery by our lab and Heinrich's lab came at the end of a fascinating parallel journey. Massimo was a post-doc in Heinrich's Lab back in 2000 at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When he moved to start his own lab in London, Geneva and then Italy, he focused on finding an explanation for the effect of Nef on infectivity. Heinrich also never stopped looking for an explanation. When they both met again at Cold Spring Harbor more than 10 years later, they found out that they had discovered the same factor. The strategies, though, were very different, and that's what makes it remarkable (see Nature news and views).
This is what we think happens with SERINC5, HIV and Nef:
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Modified from the cover of Cold Spring Harbor Retroviruses Abstract Book, 2015
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