Could you add me please?

Thank you! Much appreciated

Could you add me please?

So there is still plenty to find out still aboutthis complicated HIV block to infection (shame the funders don't agree!). Thanks to mBio for taking this on, Kathryn for leading the writing, Aine for the persistence in pursuing this question and Joe Gibbons for the recent experimental work. /end

How is reverse transcription blocked? Why is RPRD2 highly expressed in macrophages and dendritic cells? What is the upstream entry component of Lv2 restriction? Also the relationship between RPRD2 and the HUSH and PAF1 complexes is totally undefined, but the physical links are there 7/n

Meanwhile, over in Birmingham and Manchester
Pawel Grzechnik was working out key details in how RPRD2 is involved in regulating cellular transcription. How this relates to what is seen for HIV is still unclear (but tantalising). There are still a tonne of open questions...6/n

The viral capsid and envelope determinants known for the unmapped Lv2 restriction phenotype were matched to RPRD2, suggesting it is behind a big part of the phenotype. It was then shown HIV-1 Vpr is at play (isn't it always?) degrading RPRD2 and aiding infection. 5/n

Initial analysis of RPRD2 showed not only could it inhibit HIV-2, but also HIV-1 and some SIVs. The block to infection was shown to occur at viral reverse transcription, with RPRD2 binding reverse transcripts and more generally binding RNA probes. At about this point I get involved...4/n

To identify the factors involved in Lv2
Aine and her lab had to brute force it, using whole genome siRNA screening of Lv2 susceptible virus. This pulled up candidates including members of the HUSH complex, the PAF1 complex and an RNApol II C-terminal binding protein - RPRD2 3/n

The Lv2 restriction was initially defined as a block to HIV-2 infection in some cells. Mapping experiments revealed it to be an envelope and capsid driven phenomena, seemingly linked to the route of viral entry (including important contributions from Stuart Neil). 2/n