Friend virus
The Friend virus (FV) is a strain of murine leukemia virus identified by Charlotte Friend in 1957.[1] The virus infects adult immunocompetent mice and is a well-established model for studying genetic resistance to infection by an immunosuppressive retrovirus. The Friend virus has been used for both immunotherapy and vaccines. It is a member of the retroviridae group of viruses, with its nucleic acid being ssRNA.
| Friend virus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Pararnavirae |
| Phylum: | Artverviricota |
| Class: | Revtraviricetes |
| Order: | Ortervirales |
| Family: | Retroviridae |
| Genus: | Gammaretrovirus |
| Species: | Murine leukemia virus |
| Strain: | Friend virus |
Vaccination
Experiments have shown that it is possible to protect against Friend virus infection with several types of vaccines, including attenuated viruses, viral proteins, peptides, and recombinant vaccinia vectors expressing the Friend virus gene. In a study of vaccinated mice, it was possible to identify the immunological epitopes required for protection against the virus, thus determining the types of immunological responses necessary or required for protection against it. The research discovered protective epitopes that were localized to F-MuLV gag and env proteins. This was achieved using recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing the gag and env genes of FV.
Implications
Friend virus models showed valuable information regarding genetic resistance to retroviral disease. A particular gene of interest is the Rfv-3 gene, which cause susceptibility to suppression of the FV specific antibody response. The greater understanding by which the mechanisms work may aid in the development of immunotherapies and vaccines that may be applicable to human diseases.
References
- Friend, C (1957). "Cell-free transmission in adult Swiss mice of a disease having the character of a leukemia". J. Exp. Med. 105 (4): 307–318. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.273.6305. doi:10.1084/jem.105.4.307. PMC 2136697. PMID 13416470.
External links
- Hasenkrug, Kim J.; Chesebro, Bruce (1997). "Immunity to retroviral infection: The Friend virus model". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94 (15): 7811–6. doi:10.1073/pnas.94.15.7811. PMC 33712. PMID 9223268.
- Diamond, Leila (1994). Charlotte Friend 1921–1987 (PDF). Biographical Memoirs. Vol. 63.
- Santiago, ML; Montano, M; Benitez, R; Messer, RJ; Yonemoto, W; Chesebro, B; Hasenkrug, KJ; Greene, WC (2008). "Apobec3 encodes Rfv3, a gene influencing neutralizing antibody control of retrovirus infection". Science. 321 (5894): 1343–6. doi:10.1126/science.1161121. PMC 2701658. PMID 18772436.