Bats Possess Unique Variants of the Antiviral Restriction Factor Tetherin

Joshua A. Hayward; Mary Tachedjian; Adam Johnson; Tamsin B. Gordon; Jie Cui; Glenn A. Marsh; Michelle L. Baker; Lin-Fa Wang; Gilda Tachedjian

Given the differing extent of homodimer formation for each bat tetherin and the reports that dimerisation is important for the restriction of some viruses and not required for others (46, 49) , it is likely that these differences might affect the extent by which each tetherin is capable of restricting various VLPs. Tetherin function was validated through an assessment of the capacity of P. alecto tetherin isoforms A, B, and C, and M. macropus tetherins A and B to restrict the release of HIVΔVpu VLPs. P. alecto tetherin isoforms A and B were capable of restricting the release of HIVΔVpu VLPs, in contrast to isoform C which lacked restriction activity ( Figure 9A ). M. macropus tetherin A restricted HIVΔVpu VLP release, while tetherin B did not ( Figure 9B ). These findings are consistent with the expected effects of tetherin dimerisation on the restriction of HIVΔVpu VLPs (46) .