Table of Contents

Historical introduction to the general properties of retroviruses; retroviral virions and genomes; viral entry and receptors; reverse transcriptase and the generation of retroviral DNA; integration; synthesis and processing of viral RNA; synthesis, assembly and processing of viral proteins; the interactions of retroviruses and their hosts; retrotransposons, endogenous retroviruses and the evolution of retroelements; development and applications of retroviral vectors; retroviral pathogenesis; pathogenesis of HIV and SIV; immunological and pharmacological approaches to the control of retroviral infections. Appendices: retroviral sequences; retroviral taxonomy, protein structures, sequences and genetic maps.