Regulation of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Release by Porcine and Human Tetherins

Abstract

The risk of transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) is one of the major safety issues in xenotransplantation. Human tetherin, recently described as an antiviral protein able to inhibit the release of enveloped viruses, and its porcine homologue were shown to inhibit PERV release from producer cells, establishing themselves as candidate molecules to suppress PERV production in porcine xenografts by animal engineering.