| HIV-like gene
lies buried in human DNA
Viral DNA long
buried in the human genome contains a gene for a protein also used by
the AIDS virus.
References:
Yang, J. . . .
and B.R. Cullen. 1999. An ancient family of human endogenous
retroviruses encodes a functional homolog of the HIV-1 Rev protein. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 96(Nov. 9):13404.
Further Readings:
Löwer, R., J.
Löwer, and R. Kurth. 1996. The viruses in all of us: Characteristics
and biological significance of human endogenous retrovirus sequences. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 93(May):5177.
Towler, E.M., et
al. 1998. Functional characterization of the protease of human
endogenous retrovirus, K10: Can it complement HIV-1 protease? Biochemistry
(November). (See http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/bio/bi9818927_rev.html.)
Sources:
Bryan R. Cullen
Duke University Medical Center
Department of Genetics
Box 3025
Durham, NC 27710
From Science
News, Vol. 156, No. 20, November 13, 1999, p. 311. Copyright ©
1999, Science Service. |