Kenneth Witwer,
Associate Professor,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Kenneth Witwer is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University. He is the current secretary general of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV). His laboratory investigates extracellular vesicles and RNA regulation in human disease, including HIV infection and inflammatory diseases.
Extracellular Vesicles and their Fellow Travelers in HIV Infection
Tuesday, 21 March 2017 at 12:00
Add to Calendar ▼2017-03-21 12:00:002017-03-21 13:00:00Europe/LondonExtracellular Vesicles and their Fellow Travelers in HIV InfectionSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
Retroviruses such as HIV represent hijacked extracellular vesicles (EVs). As we and others have reported, altering the EV exposure of cells in culture has measurable effects on growth, survival, and behavior. We now find that under EV-depleted conditions, retrovirus-susceptible cell lines and primary cells produce more HIV. Baseline production is restored with add-back of EVs from ultracentrifuge pellets. Furthermore, we observed increased infectivity of both X4 and R5 tropic viruses produced under EVD versus EVR conditions. Gene expression, lipid production, and cellular microRNAs were probed as possible contributors to these phenomena, revealing minimal roles for microRNAs but potential involvement of lipid biogenesis pathways. However, standard EV depletion protocols may also deplete other constituents of serum, including lipoprotein particles, which associate with and may mimic EVs in some characterization assays. We submit that the possible functional partnerships of EVs and lipoproteins are a rich topic for further investigation.
Add to Calendar ▼2017-03-20 00:00:002017-03-21 00:00:00Europe/LondonExosomes and Extracellular Vesicles (EV): Research, Diagnostics and Therapeutics OpportunitiesSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
Add to Calendar ▼2017-03-21 12:00:002017-03-21 13:00:00Europe/LondonExtracellular Vesicles and their Fellow Travelers in HIV InfectionSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
