Retroviruses

For over 25 years the study of retroviruses has underpinned much of what is known about information transfer in cells and the genetic and biochemical mechanisms that underlie cell growth and cancer induction. Emergent diseases such as AIDS and adult T-cell lymphoma have widened even further the community of investigators directly concerned with retroviruses, a development that has highlighted the need for an integrated understanding of their biology and their unique association with host genomes. This remarkable volume satisfies that need. Written by a group of the field's most distinguished investigators, rigorously edited to provide a seamless narrative, and elegantly designed for clarity and readability, this book is an instant classic that demands attention from scientists and physicians studying retroviruses and the disorders in which they play a role.

The first book to specifically cover the molecular biology of retroviruses - of immense importance since the high profile of HIV. International contributors provide detailed reviews of the latest knowledge. An excellent text for both medical and non-medical researchers, it also serves as an illuminating introduction for scientists active in other areas.

Eight percent of our DNA contains retroviruses that are millions of years old. Anna Marie Skalka explains how our evolving knowledge of these particles has advanced genetic engineering, gene delivery systems, and precision medicine. Retroviruses cause disease but also hold clues to prevention and treatment possibilities that are anything but retro.

This book presents twenty-four tightly focused reviews on the biology, molecular biology, pathology, and epidemiology of the human retroviruses, particularly HIV and HTLV (Types I and II), as well as animal model systems (simian retroviruses, STLV and SIV, and mouse models). Editor Robert C. Gallo is recognized as a co-discoverer of the AIDS virus.

This second edition is a comprehensive study of the viruses that affect the brain and the central nervous system. Along with a focus on the viruses themselves, it addresses the diseases they cause, current treatments and preventive measures. Also discussed are the unique aspects of how viruses cause disease and why certain hosts are more susceptible (e.g., polymorphisms, age, co-morbidities). Because there are 29 cutting edge chapters, written by experts in the fields, Neurotropic Viral Infections has been divided into two separate volumes. Volume 1, Neurotropic RNA Viruses, includes 14 chapters on RNA viruses that cause human disease of the central nervous system ranging from Bornavirus to polio to West Nile. Volume 2, Neurotropic Retroviruses, DNA Viruses, Immunity and Transmission, includes 15 chapters divided into two parts. Part 1 includes 7 chapters on retroviruses and DNA viruses that cause human disease of the central nervous system ranging from HIV to varicella zoster virus. Part 2 includes chapters on transmission of these viruses by transplantation, bites by bats and insects, clinical management of the infections, and beneficial uses of attenuated viruses. Neurotropic Viral Infections is a unique resource, bridging basic, clinical, and translational approaches.​

On July 22, 2009, a special meeting was held with twenty-four leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health to discuss early findings that a newly discovered retrovirus was linked to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), prostate cancer, lymphoma, and eventually neurodevelopmental disorders in children. When Dr. Judy Mikovits finished her presentation the room was silent for a moment, then one of the scientists said, “Oh my God!” The resulting investigation would be like no other in science. For Dr. Mikovits, a twenty-year veteran of the National Cancer Institute, this was the midpoint of a five-year journey that would start with the founding of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease at the University of Nevada, Reno, and end with her as a witness for the federal government against her former employer, Harvey Whittemore, for illegal campaign contributions to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. On this journey Dr. Mikovits would face the scientific prejudices against CFS, wander into the minefield that is autism, and through it all struggle to maintain her faith in God and the profession to which she had dedicated her life. This is a story for anybody interested in the peril and promise of science at the very highest levels in our country.

Methods included in this volume apply to the expression and characterization of retroviral proteases and their inhibitor/substrate design.