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The surprising discovery of Ross sarcoma virus: How did it go from being a healthy chicken to being the cause of cancer?
In the history of cancer research, Ross sarcoma virus (RSV) is hailed as the first tumor virus to be described. Since its discovery by Peyton Rous in 1911, this virus has not only changed our understanding of cancer, but also revealed how viruses interact with host cells to cause malignant changes in cells.
Ross sarcoma virus was the first cancer virus to be identified and has always played an important role in the study of tumor formation.
History Review
In 1911, Peyton Rous conducted a groundbreaking experiment at Rockefeller University, injecting healthy Plymouth Rock chickens with a cell-free extract of chicken tumors and observing that the extract induced tumor formation. This established RSV's importance as the first oncogenic retrovirus.
In 1958, Harry Rubin and Howard Temin developed an experimental method that allowed chicken embryo fibroblasts to change morphology after RSV infection, further promoting the study of RSV. Scientists subsequently realized that the RSV src gene plays a key role in the dramatic morphological changes.
Structure and Genome
Ross sarcoma virus belongs to the class VI enveloped virus, whose positive-sense RNA genome has a DNA intermediate. RSV strains in nature, such as Prague-C, have four major genes, including gag, pol, env, and src, which encode the viral core protein, reverse transcriptase, envelope protein, and a tyrosine kinase, respectively. Kinase.
The src gene of RSV is the first retroviral oncogene discovered and can promote uncontrolled growth in abnormal host cells.
The impact of src genes
The src gene is an oncogene. When carried by a virus, it leads to abnormal proliferation of host cells and plays a vital role in regulating cell growth and differentiation. Although this gene is not essential for RSV reproduction, its presence significantly increases the pathogenicity of the virus.
Virus replication cycle
The process of RSV entering host cells is an important part of the virus life cycle. RSV enters cells primarily by fusing with the host cell membrane, a process that allows the virus to release its genome into the cell interior. After this, reverse transcriptase begins to transcribe the viral RNA into corresponding DNA, preparing for viral replication.
The RSV RNA genome has an extremely long 3' UTR, which allows the virus to avoid premature degradation in host cells.
The role of the RSV envelope
The RSV envelope consists of only one glycoprotein, which is responsible for binding to host cell receptors and forming fusion. This process is critical for viral infection because it determines how effectively the virus leaves the host cell and infects other cells.
Continuing Research and Discovery
Over time, research on RSV has not only helped scientists understand how viruses cause cancer, but has also prompted the exploration of other human tumor viruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus. Understanding the biological characteristics of RSV has also prompted in-depth research on the pathological mechanisms of tumor formation.
Just as Ross explored back then, scientists today are still looking for ways to fight these viruses and the diseases they cause. In future research, will we be able to gain a deeper understanding of the intertwined fates of viruses and hosts?
