Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease

Bei Xue; Leonardo A. Sechi; David J. Kelvin

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01690

Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease

Bei Xue, Leonardo A. Sechi, David J. Kelvin

Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

71 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from exogenous retrovirus infections in the evolution of primates and account for about 8% of the human genome. They were considered as silent passengers within our genomes for a long time, however, reactivation of HERVs has been associated with tumors and autoimmune diseases, especially the HERV-K (HML-2) family, the most recent integration groups with the least number of mutations and the most biologically active to encode functional retroviral proteins and produce retrovirus-like particles. Increasing studies are committed to determining the potential role of HERV-K (HML-2) in pathogenicity. Although there is still no evidence for HERV-K (HML-2) as a direct cause of diseases, aberrant expression profiles of the HERV-K (HML-2) transcripts and their regulatory function to their proximal host-genes were identified in different diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases to provide basis for further studies on the causal relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases. We recommended more attention to polymorphic integrated HERV-K (HML-2) loci which could be genetic causative factors and be associated with inter-individual differences in tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases.

Original language	English
Article number	1690
Journal	Frontiers in Microbiology
Volume	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01690
Publication status	Published - Jul 17 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This project was funded by the Li Ka-Shing Foundation (DK) and International Institute of Infection and Immunity; Shantou University Medical College (DK); Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DK); the John Evens Leadership Fund (Canadian Foundation for Innovation, DK); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (DK); and Research Nova Scotia (DK). DK was the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Inflammation (a Canada Research Chair).

Funding Information:
We are grateful for the editorial assistance of Dr. Nikki Kelvin. Funding. This project was funded by the Li Ka-Shing Foundation (DK) and International Institute of Infection and Immunity; Shantou University Medical College (DK); Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DK); the John Evens Leadership Fund (Canadian Foundation for Innovation, DK); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (DK); and Research Nova Scotia (DK). DK was the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Inflammation (a Canada Research Chair).

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Xue, Sechi and Kelvin.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

Microbiology
Microbiology (medical)

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Journal Article
Review

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3389/fmicb.2020.01690

Cite this

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title = "Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease",

abstract = "Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from exogenous retrovirus infections in the evolution of primates and account for about 8% of the human genome. They were considered as silent passengers within our genomes for a long time, however, reactivation of HERVs has been associated with tumors and autoimmune diseases, especially the HERV-K (HML-2) family, the most recent integration groups with the least number of mutations and the most biologically active to encode functional retroviral proteins and produce retrovirus-like particles. Increasing studies are committed to determining the potential role of HERV-K (HML-2) in pathogenicity. Although there is still no evidence for HERV-K (HML-2) as a direct cause of diseases, aberrant expression profiles of the HERV-K (HML-2) transcripts and their regulatory function to their proximal host-genes were identified in different diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases to provide basis for further studies on the causal relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases. We recommended more attention to polymorphic integrated HERV-K (HML-2) loci which could be genetic causative factors and be associated with inter-individual differences in tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases.",

author = "Bei Xue and Sechi, {Leonardo A.} and Kelvin, {David J.}",

note = "Funding Information: This project was funded by the Li Ka-Shing Foundation (DK) and International Institute of Infection and Immunity; Shantou University Medical College (DK); Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DK); the John Evens Leadership Fund (Canadian Foundation for Innovation, DK); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (DK); and Research Nova Scotia (DK). DK was the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Inflammation (a Canada Research Chair). Funding Information: We are grateful for the editorial assistance of Dr. Nikki Kelvin. Funding. This project was funded by the Li Ka-Shing Foundation (DK) and International Institute of Infection and Immunity; Shantou University Medical College (DK); Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DK); the John Evens Leadership Fund (Canadian Foundation for Innovation, DK); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (DK); and Research Nova Scotia (DK). DK was the recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Translational Vaccinology and Inflammation (a Canada Research Chair). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright {\textcopyright} 2020 Xue, Sechi and Kelvin.",

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N2 - Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from exogenous retrovirus infections in the evolution of primates and account for about 8% of the human genome. They were considered as silent passengers within our genomes for a long time, however, reactivation of HERVs has been associated with tumors and autoimmune diseases, especially the HERV-K (HML-2) family, the most recent integration groups with the least number of mutations and the most biologically active to encode functional retroviral proteins and produce retrovirus-like particles. Increasing studies are committed to determining the potential role of HERV-K (HML-2) in pathogenicity. Although there is still no evidence for HERV-K (HML-2) as a direct cause of diseases, aberrant expression profiles of the HERV-K (HML-2) transcripts and their regulatory function to their proximal host-genes were identified in different diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases to provide basis for further studies on the causal relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases. We recommended more attention to polymorphic integrated HERV-K (HML-2) loci which could be genetic causative factors and be associated with inter-individual differences in tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases.

AB - Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from exogenous retrovirus infections in the evolution of primates and account for about 8% of the human genome. They were considered as silent passengers within our genomes for a long time, however, reactivation of HERVs has been associated with tumors and autoimmune diseases, especially the HERV-K (HML-2) family, the most recent integration groups with the least number of mutations and the most biologically active to encode functional retroviral proteins and produce retrovirus-like particles. Increasing studies are committed to determining the potential role of HERV-K (HML-2) in pathogenicity. Although there is still no evidence for HERV-K (HML-2) as a direct cause of diseases, aberrant expression profiles of the HERV-K (HML-2) transcripts and their regulatory function to their proximal host-genes were identified in different diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases to provide basis for further studies on the causal relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases. We recommended more attention to polymorphic integrated HERV-K (HML-2) loci which could be genetic causative factors and be associated with inter-individual differences in tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases.

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Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

PubMed: MeSH publication types

UN SDGs

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