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virus' infecting virus'

Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:24 pm
by mikesw
A few years ago I wondered if virus' could infect themselves. Well,...... here's an article that
says just that!!!!! :D

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.j ... rus106.xml


Another theory on how cancer gets started.

HTLV-1 causes changes in gene expression resulting in adult t-cell leukemia. This year my advisor had a paper on this very research detailing some of the changes which are involved: http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/277/51/49459[jbc.org] basically the idea is that the virus in its attempt to replicate its self using cellular machinery alters the expression of specific genes, Tax, CREB and histones. better explained from my advisor: "HTLV-I Tax functions to short circuit the normal regulation of cell cycle progression by abrogating the need for mitogen stimulation and blocking checkpoint controls, resulting in unregulated initiation of S phase." in other words, the virus kicks out some of the cell regulatory controls that at least in part prevent it from becoming a cancer cell.