This Week in Virology

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Dickson Despommier ,  Alan Dove ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler The complete TWiV crew reviews work on MERS-coronavirus, including serological studies in camels, production of an infectious DNA clone, and identification of an interferon antagonist. Links for this episode: Stephan Chron  dies (NY Times) Philip Marcus  dies (NY Times) Philip Marcus on  TWiV #197 El...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello  and  Robert Garcea Vincent and Robert recorded this episode at the 53rd ICAAC in Denver, where they talked about polyomaviruses. Links for this episode: A cornucopia of  human polyomaviruses  (Nat Rev Micro) Polyoma  assembly factories  in nucleus (PLoS Path) Overprinting gene  in Merkel cell polyomavirus (PNAS) Human JCV as  population marker  (PLoS One) Letters read  ...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Dickson Despommier,   Alan Dove , and  Rich Condit Vincent, Dickson, Alan and Rich discuss an estimate of the number of different mammalian viruses on Earth. Links for this episode: Estimate of  unknown viral diversity  in mammals (mBio) How many  viruses on Earth?  (virology blog) Letters read  on TWiV 249 Weekly Science Picks Alan -  Extreme macrophotography Dickson...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Dickson Despommier, and  Rich Condit Vincent, Dickson, and Rich reveal how experiments with a malaria parasite lead to the introduction of a mammalian retrovirus into birds. Links for this episode: Scientists  cast doubt  on MERS origin (NY Times) Animal reservoirs  of SARS coronavirus (Virus Res) Jo Handelsman  in the White House Origins of  REV  (PLoS Biology) Inadve...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler Special guest:  Ian Lipkin Ian joins Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Kathy to describe how his laboratory is searching for the origin of MERS-coronavirus. Links for this episode: M ERS-CoV in  bats  (EID) Mystery virus  (NY Times) Part of MERS-CoV  found in bat (virology blog() T. perforatus Frag virus  (Virol J) Even Nature got...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Kathy discuss the huge Pandoravirus, virologists planning H7N9 gain of function experiments, and limited access to the HeLa cell genome sequence. Links for this episode: Pandoraviruses  (Science) Unlike anything  seen before (virology blog) H7N9 gain of function experiments planned ( Nature ,  Sci...

Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: S. Jane Flint, Lynn Enquist, Glenn Rall, and Ann Skalka The authors of the popular textbook  Principles of Virology  discuss how the book was conceived and written. Links for this episode: Principles of Virology Lahiere's General Virology  by SE Luria Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello  and  Alan Dove Guests:  Dan Barouch  and  Jeff Teigler This episode of TWiV was recorded before an audience at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where Vincent and Alan spoke with Dan and Jeff about AIDS vaccines. Links for this episode: Human study of adenovirus 26 HIV-1  envelope vaccine  (J Inf Dis) Seroepidemiology  of adenovirus serotypes (Vaccine) SIV infec...

Hosts:   Vincent Racaniello ,   Rich Condit , and   Kathy Spindler Guests:  Rebecca Dutch  and  Christiane Wobus On this episode of TWiV, which was recorded before a large enthusiastic audience at the annual meeting of the American Society for Virology, Vincent, Rich, and Kathy speak with Rebecca and Christiane about their work on metapneumoviruses and noroviruses. Links for this episode: TWiV 143...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Dickson Despommier ,  Alan Dove ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler The complete TWiV team talks about how two different viruses shape the evolution of an essential housekeeping protein. Links for this episode: Dual virus-host  arms race  (PLoS Biology) Dual  virus-receptor  duel (see comments - virology blog) Ferritin and transferrin  (Protein Data Bank) Money for n...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Alan, Rich and Kathy review how human placental trophoblasts confer viral resistance via exosome-mediated delivery of microRNAs, and isolation of the first human influenza virus in 1933. Links for this episode: H uman placental trophoblasts confer  viral resistance  (PNAS) Placental  circulation  (Wikipedia) Ovum...

Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests:  Markus Thali  and  Jason Botten Vincent travels to the University of Vermont to talk with Markus and Jason about their work on HIV, influenza virus, arenaviruses and hantaviruses. Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove , Rich Condit, and Matt Frieman Matt joins Vincent, Alan, and Rich to summarize what we know and what we do not know about the MERS coronavirus. Links for this episode: MERS-CoV  update  (WHO) MERS-CoV  evolution  (epidemic) Sick camel  linked to MERS-CoV death (7Days) MERS-CoV  hospital outbreak  (NEJM) MERS-CoV French  hospital cluster  (Lancet) MERS-CoV ...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Rich and Kathy discuss mechanisms of protein synthesis and regulation in virus-infected cells. Links for this episode: Slides  for this episode (pdf) T7 ribosomal  binding sites  (CSH Symp Quant Biol) Tinkering  with translation (CSH Persp) Translation  at nexus of infection and immunity (Cell Host Microbe) Viral subversion  ...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello  and  Rich Condit Guest:  Michael Emerman Vincent and Rich recorded this episode at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, where they met up with Michael to talk about his work on the molecular and evolutionary basis of HIV replication and pathogenesis. Links for this episode:   Ancient origins  of SIV (PLoS Path) Paleovirology  (PLoS Biology) Harmit...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Alan and Kathy review novel approaches to preventing influenza virus infection. Links for this episode: Ultraprotective  influenza vaccine in mice (PNAS) Vectored immunoprophylaxis  of influenza in mice (Nat Biotech) Intranasal antibody gene transfer  protects agains influenza (Sci Transl Med) Estimating  influenza associated d...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello  and  Rich Condit Guests:  Dave Evans ,  Stan Lemon , and  Lorne Tyrrell Vincent and Rich recorded this episode before an audience at the 2nd Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology Symposium at the University of Alberta, where they spoke with Dave, Stan, and Lorne about their work on poxvirus vaccines and recombination, an enveloped picornavirus, antivirals against hepatitis...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello  and  Kathy Spindler Guests:  Nels Elde  and  Tom Shenk Vincent and Kathy recorded this episode before an audience at the 2013 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Denver, Colorado, where they spoke with Nels and Tom about their work on the evolution of virus-host conflict and how viruses influence the cell metabolome. Links for this episode:   A ...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit ,  Alan Dove , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Rich, Alan and Kathy review aerosol transmission studies of influenza H1N1 x H5N1 reassortants, H7N9 infections in China, and the MERS coronavirus. Links for this episode: Aerosol transmission  of H1N1 x H5N1 reassortants (Science) It's  good science  (virology blog) Viral  engineering dangers  (Nature) Colorblin...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Roberto Cattaneo ,  Reuben Harris ,  Lou Mansky , and  Leslie Schiff Vincent meets up with Roberto, Reuben, Lou, and Leslie at the University of Minnesota to talk about their work on HIV-1, APOBEC proteins, measles virus, and teaching virology to undergraduates. Links for this episode:   University of Minnesota  virology timeline Revisiting HIV-1  lethal mutagenesis  ...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Amit Kapoor ,  Lan Quan , and  Ian Lipkin Vincent meets up with Amit, Lan, and Ian to discuss their discovery of hepaciviruses and pegiviruses in bats and rodents. Links for this episode:   Canine hepacivirus  (TWiV 137) Rodent homologs  of hepaciviruses and pegiviruses (mBio) Bats are a  reservoir  of hepaciviruses and pegiviruses (PNAS) Send your virology questions...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit ,  Alan Dove , and  Kathy Spindler Vincent, Rich, Alan and Kathy review H7N9 infections in China, the debate over patenting genes, and receptor-binding by ferret-transmissible avian H5 influenza virus. Links for this episode: Francois Jacob  dies (The Loom) WHO updates  on H7N9 H7N9 is  unusually dangerous  (ScienceInsider) H7N9 case  imported into Taiwan...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit ,  Dickson Despommier , and  Alan Dove Vincent, Rich, Dickson, and Alan review the current status of human infections with avian influenza H7N9 virus. Links for this episode: Hilary Koprowski , 96 (NY Times) Koprowski, Kessin, Racaniello  photo Listen to the Music  by Roger Vaughan Influenza ocular infections ( one ,  two ) H7N9  global concerns  (NEJM) Hu...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Britt Glausinger , and  Eva Harris Vincent visits the University of California at Berkeley and speaks with Britt Glaunsinger and Eva Harris about their work on Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus and dengue virus. Thanks to the Microbiology Graduate Students for hosting me at their annual symposium, and especially to Emma, Lisa, and Zoe for their wonderful hospita...

Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit ,  Dickson Despommier ,  Alan Dove , and  Kathy Spindler The complete TWiV team reviews the controversial publication of the HeLa cell genome, a missing vial of Guanarito virus in a BSL-4 facility, and human infections with avian influenza H7N9 virus. Links for this episode: Containment plan  for poliovirus (pdf, WHO) Post-eradication  of polio Ocular trop...