Koala retrovirus

Taxobox | color=violet
name = "Koala retrovirus"


image_width =
image_caption =
virus_group = vi
familia = "Retroviridae"
genus = "Gammaretrovirus"
subdivision_ranks = species
subdivision = "unclassified Gammaretrovirus" [ [http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/394239 Koala retroviurus] Uniprot taxonomy] The Koala retrovirus (KoRv) is a retrovirus affecting many populations of koalas. It has been implicated as the agent of an AIDS-like immunodeficiency and a range of cancers in the native Australian marsupial. The virus is thought to be presently undergoing a transition between an active infective form and endogenous state within the koala genome.

History

Koala retrovirus was initially described as a novel endogenous retrovirus found within the koala genome in 2000. Sequence analysis strongly suggested a relationship with Gibbon Ape Leukemia Virus (GALV). [Citation | last = Hanger | first = Jon J. | last2 = Bromham | first2 = Lindell D. | last3 = McKee | first3 = Jeff J. | last4 = O'Brien | first4 = Tracy M. | last5 = Robinson | first5 = Wayne F. | title = The Nucleotide Sequence of Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Retrovirus: a Novel Type C Endogenous Virus Related to Gibbon Ape Leukemia Virus | journal = Journal of Virology | volume = 74 | issue = 9 | pages = 4264–4272 | date = May | year = 2000 | url = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=10756041]

New research however has shown that some populations of koalas, particularly an isolated colony on Kangaroo Island do not appear to have the provirus form of the retrovirus. This suggests that the gene sequence is a new acquisition for the koala genome. Studying the spread of the virus amongst Australian koala populations appears to show a trend spreading from the north down to the south of Australia. Northern populations are completely infected, while some southern populations (including Kangaroo Island) are free.Citation | last = Stoye | first = Jonathan P | title = Koala retrovirus: a genome invasion in real time | journal = Genome Biology | volume = 7 | pages = 241 | date = 21 Nov | year = 2006 | url = http://genomebiology.com/2006/7/11/241#B6 | doi = 10.1186/gb-2006-7-11-241]

It is thought that further studying KoRv will allow valuable insight into how endogenous retrovirus develop and incorporate themselves into mammalian genomes.

References