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. 2003 Jun 13;113(6):803-9.
doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00423-9.

DNA deamination mediates innate immunity to retroviral infection

Reuben S Harris  1 , Kate N Bishop, Ann M Sheehy, Heather M Craig, Svend K Petersen-Mahrt, Ian N Watt, Michael S Neuberger, Michael H Malim
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Free article

DNA deamination mediates innate immunity to retroviral infection

Reuben S Harris et al. Cell. .
Free article

Erratum in

  • Cell. 2004 Feb 20;116(4):629

Abstract

CEM15/APOBEC3G is a cellular protein required for resistance to infection by virion infectivity factor (Vif)-deficient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Here, using a murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based system, we provide evidence that CEM15/APOBEC3G is a DNA deaminase that is incorporated into virions during viral production and subsequently triggers massive deamination of deoxycytidine to deoxyuridine within the retroviral minus (first)-strand cDNA, thus providing a probable trigger for viral destruction. Furthermore, HIV Vif can protect MLV from this CEM15/APOBEC3G-dependent restriction. These findings imply that targeted DNA deamination is a major strategy of innate immunity to retroviruses and likely also contributes to the sequence variation observed in many viruses (including HIV).

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