Journal of Virology

Sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, are frequently linked to Rhinolophus bats as their putative natural reservoirs. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a host carboxypeptidase widely expressed in mammalian tissues, plays a critical role in sarbecovirus infection by serving as the cellular receptor for the viral spike (S) protein. Given the recent human outbreaks and pandemics caused by members of sarbecoviruses and the wide distribution of Rhinolophus bats, it is essential to...

A phase I study was conducted in 20 healthy subjects with 20 µg adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2)-like particles displaying L2 residues 17-36 of both human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and HPV31 (AAVLP-HPV) or placebo. AAVLP-HPV vaccination was well tolerated and induced a modest L2-specific serum antibody titer that neutralizes HPV16, HPV31, and HPV5 in vitro. Here, we show that upon passive transfer into naïve mice, the sera from a subset of patients vaccinated with AAVLP-HPV conferred...

Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with dengue virus (DENV) infection are a severe manifestation of dengue fever; however, we still poorly understand the underlying mechanisms. Trophoblast dysfunction in the placenta contributes centrally to various pregnancy complications. As the functional unit of the placenta, the syncytiotrophoblast (STB) requires continuous fusion of precursor trophoblasts and adequate energy supply. In this study, we established a model of adverse pregnancy by infecting...

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy targeting and eliminating HIV-infected cells offers a promising approach to provide people living with HIV (PLWH) with a functional cure by preventing the recurrence of viremia caused by reactivation of latent HIV-1-infected cells. We previously described a bispecific CAR-T cell targeting two highly conserved gp120 epitopes (duoCAR-T cell) with potent anti-HIV-1 activity that is currently in clinical trials. However, elevated levels of...

The persistence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) underlies chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and remains as the major barrier to achieving a functional cure. An accurate and sensitive quantification of cccDNA is critical for evaluating therapeutic strategies. The conventional quantitative PCR (qPCR) lacks specificity to distinguish cccDNA from viral relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA) and other replicative intermediates, while nuclease pretreatment (e.g., plasmid-safe ATP-dependent...