Isolation of an active Lv1 gene from cattle indicates that tripartite motif protein-mediated innate immunity to retroviral infection is widespread among mammals

Lv1/TRIM5 alpha (tripartite motif 5 alpha) has recently emerged as an important factor influencing species-specific permissivity to retroviral infection in a range of primates, including humans. Old World monkey TRIM5 alpha blocks human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infectivity, and the human and New World monkey TRIM5 alpha proteins are inactive against HIV-1 but active against divergent murine (N-tropic marine leukemia virus [MLV-N]) and simian (simian immunodeficiency virus from rhesus macaque [SIVmac]) retroviruses, respectively. Here we demonstrate antiviral activity of the first nonprimate TRIM protein, from cattle, active against divergent retroviruses, including HIV-1. The number of closely related human TRIM sequences makes assignment of the bovine sequence as a TRIM5 alpha ortholog uncertain, and we therefore refer to it as bovine Lv1. Bovine Lv1 is closely related to primate TRIN15 alpha proteins in the N-terminal RING and B-box 2 domains but significantly less homologous in the C-terminal B30.2 domain, particularly in the region shown to influence antiviral specificity. Intriguingly, some viruses restricted by bovine Lv1, including HIV-1 and MLV-N, are unable to synthesize viral DNA by reverse transcription, whereas restricted HIV-2 makes normal amounts of DNA. The data support the conclusion that TRIM protein-mediated restriction of retroviral infection is a more common attribute of mammals than previously appreciated.