HERV-K Gag RNA and Protein Levels Are Elevated in Malignant Regions of the Prostate in Males with Prostate Cancer.

Heightened expression of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) sequences has been associated with a range of malignancies, including prostate cancer, suggesting that they may serve as useful diagnostic or prognostic cancer biomarkers. We analysed the expression of HERV-K (Gag and Env/Np9 regions), HERV-E 4.1 (Pol and Env regions), HERV-H (Pol) and HERV-W (Gag) sequences in prostate cancer cells lines and normal prostate epithelial cells using qRT-PCR.

The Pathway To Establishing HIV Latency Is Critical to How Latency Is Maintained and Reversed.

HIV infection requires lifelong antiretroviral therapy because of the persistence of latently infected CD4 T cells. The induction of virus expression from latently infected cells occurs following T cell receptor (TCR) activation, but not all latently infected cells respond to TCR stimulation. We compared two models of latently infected cells using an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter virus to infect CCL19-treated resting CD4 (rCD4) T cells (preactivation latency) or activated CD4 T cells that returned to a resting state (postactivation latency).

HIV integration sites in latently infected cell lines: evidence of ongoing replication.

Background: Assessing the location and frequency of HIV integration sites in latently infected cells can potentially inform our understanding of how HIV persists during combination antiretroviral therapy. We developed a novel high throughput sequencing method to evaluate HIV integration sites in latently infected cell lines to determine whether there was virus replication or clonal expansion in these cell lines observed as multiple integration events at the same position.

Results: We modified a previously reported method using random DNA shearing and PCR to allow for high throughput robotic processing to identify the site and frequency of HIV integration in latently infected cell lines.

Understanding Factors That Modulate the Establishment of HIV Latency in Resting CD4+ T-Cells In Vitro.

Developing robust in vitro models of HIV latency is needed to better understand how latency is established, maintained and reversed. In this study, we examined the effects of donor variability, HIV titre and co-receptor usage on establishing HIV latency in vitro using two models of HIV latency. Using the CCL19 model of HIV latency, we found that in up to 50% of donors, CCL19 enhanced latent infection of resting CD4+ T-cells by CXCR4-tropic HIV in the presence of low dose IL-2.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 integration sites in viral latency.

The persistence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in latent reservoirs is a major barrier to HIV cure. Reservoir establishment depends on low viral expression that may be related to provirus integration sites (IS). In vitro, in cell lines and primary T cells, latency is associated with specific IS through reduced viral expression mediated by transcriptional interference by host cellular promoters, reverse orientation, and the presence of specific epigenetic modifiers.

No association between XMRV or related gammaretroviruses in Australian prostate cancer patients.

Background: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is a gammaretrovirus reported to be associated with prostate cancer (PC) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). While the association of XMRV with CFS and PC has recently been discredited, no studies have been performed in Australian patients to investigate the association between PC and XMRV or related murine leukemia virus (MLV) in matched PC and normal tissue.

Methods: Genomic DNA (gDNA) was purified from matched normal and cancer formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate tissue from 35 Australian PC patients with Gleason scores ranging from 7 - 10.