In article <p_travers-2206951535120001 at macmhc.cryst.bbk.ac.uk> p_travers at icrf.icnet.uk (Paul J Travers) writes:
>EBV and some related viruses appear to have acquired IL10. Does anyone
>know of other examples where pathogens have acquired cytokines or their
>receptors and have subverted them to their own ends?
There are many examples of viruses acquiring cytokines and their
receptors. Several poxviruses have soluble receptors for interferon
gamma, IL-1, and TNF. Herpesvirus saimiri has at least one cytokine
analogue (can't remember which one), cytomegalovirus and (by homology)
human herpesvirus 6 encode C-C chemokine receptors. There are probalby a
lot more out there that are not yet identified; this is a fairly new
field. (There are undoubtedly examples of bacterial and parasitic
versions as well, but I'm not familiar with any offhand.) There are a
number of reviews, one of which is -
Viroceptors, Virokines, and Related Immune Modulators Encoded by
DNA Viruses. Ed. G. McFadden. Austin: R.G. Landes Co.,1995
(conflict of interest note, I wrote one of the chapters, though I don't
get anything from this)
Ian
--
Ian York (york at mbcrr.harvard.edu)
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St., Boston MA 02115
Phone (617)-632-3921 Fax (617)-632-2627
