Positive selection of primate TRIM5alpha identifies a critical species-specific retroviral restriction domain.

ABSTRACT: Primate genomes encode a variety of innate immune strategies to defend themselves against retroviruses. One of these, TRIM5alpha, can restrict diverse retroviruses in a species-specific manner. Thus, whereas rhesus TRIM5alpha can strongly restrict HIV-1, human TRIM5alpha only has weak HIV-1 restriction. The biology of TRIM5alpha restriction suggests that it is locked in an antagonistic conflict with the proteins encoding the viral capsid. Such antagonistic interactions frequently result in rapid amino acid replacements at the protein-protein interface, as each genetic entity vies for evolutionary dominance. By analyzing its evolutionary history, we find strong evidence for ancient positive selection in the primate TRIM5alpha gene. This selection is strikingly variable with some of the stro

SUBMITTER: Sawyer SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC549489 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature