HIV Pathogenesis Programme, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Virulence. 2011 Jul-Aug;2(4):360-6. doi: 10.4161/viru.2.4.16372. Epub 2011 Jul 1.
Tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) E3 ligases are a recently identified family of proteins with potent antiviral activity in mammalian cells. The prototype TRIM E3 ligase, TRIM5α was initially identified as a species-specific antiviral restriction factor but subsequent studies suggest some antiviral activity by several TRIM E3 ligases in human cells. However, the mechanisms of antiviral activity by these proteins and their transcriptional, translational and post-translational regulation are poorly understood. Furthermore, the contribution of TRIM E3 ligases to relative resistance or viral control in vivo is largely unknown. Emerging data from our laboratory and other groups suggests that these proteins may have antiviral activity in vivo and contribute to HIV pathogenesis. Considering the significant difficulties so far encountered in developing an effective HIV vaccine and with the use of antiretroviral therapies, it will be important to further investigate the potential of TRIM E3 ligases as novel prophylactics or therapies.
三基序蛋白（TRIM）E3 连接酶是最近发现的一类具有强大抗病毒活性的蛋白家族，在哺乳动物细胞中。原型 TRIM E3 连接酶 TRIM5α 最初被鉴定为一种种属特异性抗病毒限制因子，但随后的研究表明，几种 TRIM E3 连接酶在人类细胞中具有一定的抗病毒活性。然而，这些蛋白的抗病毒活性机制及其转录、翻译和翻译后调控机制尚不清楚。此外，TRIM E3 连接酶在体内相对抵抗或病毒控制中的作用在很大程度上是未知的。我们实验室和其他小组的新数据表明，这些蛋白在体内可能具有抗病毒活性，并有助于 HIV 的发病机制。考虑到目前在开发有效 HIV 疫苗方面遇到的重大困难，以及抗逆转录病毒疗法的应用，进一步研究 TRIM E3 连接酶作为新型预防或治疗药物的潜力将是很重要的。
