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SUMMARY:Catch me if you can: Intracellular innate restriction of viral inf
 ection - Professor Greg Towers\, Division of Infection and Immunity\, Univ
 ersity College London
DTSTART:20090204T163000Z
DTEND:20090204T173000Z
UID:TALK16249@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Blows
DESCRIPTION:As obligate cellular parasites viruses are obliged to use cell
 ular machinery and pathways to complete their life cycle. Furthermore\, a 
 variety of interferon induced intracellular antiviral proteins called rest
 riction factors seek to inhibit viral replication and protect the host. Vi
 ruses are obliged to avoid or counteract restriction and together these in
 teractions combine resulting in rather narrow host ranges\, for example HI
 V-1 only replicates in humans and chimpanzees. The aim of our work is to c
 haracterise the relationship between viruses and restriction factors and t
 o understand the molecular details of their antiviral activities. The talk
  will describe our work on the anti HIV-1 protein TRIM5α how we think it 
 works and how antiviral specificity is controlled. I will also describe ho
 w the TRIM5 gene has been modified by swapping the viral binding domain wi
 th a Cyclophilin A protein to make a TRIMCyp that has distinct antiviral p
 roperties. I will also describe our work on tetherin and its activity agai
 nst HIV-1 as well as the herpes virus KSHV. Throughout I will describe how
  we believe virus/host counter-evolution is described by the Red Queen Hyp
 othesis.
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Department of Veterinary Medicine
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