This article is part of the supplement: 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology
Poster presentation
7he MHC Class II Transactivator (CIITA): A Physiologic Inhibitor of HTLV-2 Retroviral Infection
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* Corresponding author: Roberto S Accolla roberto.accolla@uninsubria.it
1 Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
2 Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology, and Prevention, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
Retrovirology 2005, 2(Suppl 1):P5 doi:10.1186/1742-4690-2-S1-P5
Published: 8 December 2005First paragraph (this article has no abstract)
The transcriptional activator CIITA is the master regulator of the expression of MHC class II genes. In addition to this major role, we have found that CIITA exerts an important inhibitory effect on the HTLV-2 replication, similar to our previously decribed effect on the HIV-1 replication. This inhibition is mediated by the N-terminal 1–321 region where we identified a minimal fragment of 80 aminoacids that specifically blocks the activity of the viral transactivator Tax2. This fragment does not inhibit the function of Tat, the transcriptional activator of HIV-1.