Viral semaphorin inhibits dendritic cell phagocytosis and migration but is not essential for gammaherpesvirus-induced lymphoproliferation in malignant catarrhal fever.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

Viral semaphorins are semaphorin 7A (sema7A) mimics found in pox- and herpesviruses. Among herpesviruses, semaphorins are encoded by gammaherpesviruses of the Macavirus genus only. Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1) is a macavirus that persistently infects wildebeest asymptomatically but induces malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) when transmitted to several species of susceptible ruminants and the rabbit model. MCF is caused by the activation/proliferation of latently infected T lymphocytes. Viral semaphorins have been suggested to mediate immune evasion mechanisms and/or directly alter host T cell function. We studied AlHV-sema, the viral semaphorin encoded by the A3 gene of AlHV-1. Phylogenetic analyses revealed independent acquisition of pox- and herpesvirus semaphorins,

SUBMITTER: Myster F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4403426 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature