RETRO VIRUSES ARE REQUIRED FOR PLACENTAL DEVELOPMENT

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A team of scientistsfrom Texas A&M University have shown (using gene knock-out technology) that endogenous retroviruses are required for sheep placental formation.

The retroviruses studied were related to Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (enJSRVs) and are present in the genome of all mammals, including humans.

Retroviruses use the genetic code of their hosts to power their replication and include the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Dr. Thomas Spencer, Texas A&M’s chief reproductive biologist, published his findings on September 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Understanding retrovirus function in sheep should provide researchers with a better understanding of their function in their mammalian counterparts including humans.

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