title: The interferon-inducible host factor bone marrow stromal antigen 2/tetherin restricts virion release, but is it actually a viral restriction factor?
abstract: Viruses face a variety of obstacles when infecting a new host. The past few years have brought exciting new insights into the function of restriction factors, which form part of the host's innate immune system. One of the most recently identified restriction factors is bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST-2)/tetherin. BST-2 is an interferon-inducible gene whose expression dramatically reduces the release of viruses from infected cells. This effect of BST-2 is not specific to human immunodeficiency virus but affects a broad range of enveloped viruses. Since the identification of BST-2 as a restriction factor in 2008, much progress has been made in understanding the molecular properties and functional characteristics of this host factor. The goal of this review was to provide an update on our current understanding of the role of BST-2 in regulating virus release and to discuss its role in controlling virus spread during productive infection with special emphasis on human immunodeficiency virus-1.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Viral Biochemistry Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 90892-0460, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strebel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D014771:Virion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D057074:Virus Release / Q000187:drug effects; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D000074010:Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D007372:Interferons; C094572:BST2 protein, human; D000074010:Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2