AUTHOR=Łopata Krzysztof , Wojdas Emilia , Nowak Roman , Łopata Paweł , Mazurek Urszula 

TITLE=Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus (PERV) – Molecular Structure and Replication Strategy in the Context of Retroviral Infection Risk of Human Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00730

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.00730

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The xenotransplantation of porcine tissues may help overcome the shortage of human organs for transplantation. However, there are some concerns about recipient safety because the risk of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) transmission to human cells remains unknown. Although, to date, no PERV infections have been noted <italic>in vivo</italic>, the possibility of such infections has been confirmed <italic>in vitro</italic>. Better understanding of the structure and replication cycle of PERVs is a prerequisite for determining the risk of infection and planning PERV-detection strategies. This review presents the current state of knowledge about the structure and replication cycle of PERVs in the context of retroviral infection risk.</p>