Specific RNA-protein interactions in the replication of foamy viruses (FVs)

•This review summarizes some recent advances in research on foamy viruses.•The replication strategy of these viruses involves particular RNA-protein interactions unprecedented among retroviruses.•These RNA-protein interactions extend from the regulation of nuclear RNA export to the completion of reverse transcription.•The peculiarities of the foamy virus replication pathway are more or less a reflection of the unique RNA-protein interactions.

The FV pathway of replication is fundamentally different from what we know about the strategy employed by all known other retroviruses. This unique pathway involves some distinctive RNA-protein interactions, which range from nuclear RNA export to activation of reverse transcription late in the viral replication cycle. Some peculiarities of this replication strategy will be summarized here.