Amir Marcovitz

Mx1 and Mx2 key antiviral proteins are surprisingly lost in toothed whales

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Viral outbreaks in dolphins and other Delphinoidea family members warrant investigation into the integrity of the cetacean immune system. The dynamin-like GTPase genes Myxovirus 1 (Mx1) and Mx2 defend mammals against a broad range of viral infections. Loss of Mx1 function in human and mice enhances infectivity by multiple RNA and DNA viruses, inclu...