Foamy Viruses

Foamy Viruses are also members of the family retroviridae. However, their replication strategy is somewhat different to that of HIV. Reverse transcription takes place in the host cell, leading to virus particles that contain DNA instead of RNA. This step is performed by the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase. Because of the unusual replication strategy of foamy viruses the group of Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wöhrl is interested in the structure and function of the enzyme responsible for reverse transcription. The reverse transcriptase of Simian Foamy Virus SFV-1 harbors the viral protease, polymerase and RNase H domain and thus differs from the domain structure of other retrovirus types. In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Axel Rethwilm, University of Würzburg, the structure and function of SFV-1 reverse transcriptase is analyzed by NMR, biophysical, biochemical and virological methods. These analyses will give us further information on the complex replication cycle of foamy viruses.