scholarly journals Functional Analysis of the env Open Reading Frame in Human Endogenous Retrovirus IDDMK1,222 Encoding Superantigen Activity

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (14) ◽  
pp. 6386-6393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Lapatschek ◽  
Susanne Dürr ◽  
Roswitha Löwer ◽  
Christine Magin ◽  
Hermann Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
B Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Human Major Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT Mice harbor a family of endogenous retroviruses, the mouse mammary tumor viruses (MMTV), which encode superantigens. These superantigens are responsible for the deletion of T cells expressing certain Vβ chains of the T-cell receptor in the thymus. Human T cells are able to recognize MMTV-encoded superantigens presented by human major histocompatibility complex class II-positive cells. Owing to this and to the similarity of the human and murine immune systems, it was speculated that human endogenous retroviruses might also code for superantigens. Recently, it was reported that a proviral clone (IDDMK1,222) of the human endogenous retrovirus family HTDV/HERV-K encodes a superantigen. The putative superantigen gene was located within the env region of the virus. Stimulated by these findings, we amplified by PCR and cloned into eucaryotic expression vectors open reading frames (ORFs) which were identical or very similar to IDDMK1,222. When we transfected these vectors into A20 cells, a murine B-cell lymphoma, we were able to demonstrate mRNA expression and protein production. However, we did not find any evidence that the ORF stimulated human or murine T cells in a Vβ-specific fashion, the most prominent feature of superantigens.

scholarly journals Human Endogenous Retrovirus Family HERV-K(HML-5): Status, Evolution, and Reconstruction of an Ancient Betaretrovirus in the Human Genome

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (16) ◽  
pp. 8788-8798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Lavie ◽  
Patrik Medstrand ◽  
Werner Schempp ◽  
Eckart Meese ◽  
Jens Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Primer Binding Site ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
New World Primates ◽  
Human Endogenous Retroviruses

ABSTRACT The human genome harbors numerous distinct families of so-called human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) which are remnants of exogenous retroviruses that entered the germ line millions of years ago. We describe here the hitherto little-characterized betaretrovirus HERV-K(HML-5) family (named HERVK22 in Repbase) in greater detail. Out of 139 proviruses, only a few loci represent full-length proviruses, and many lack gag protease and/or env gene regions. We generated a consensus sequence from multiple alignment of 62 HML-5 loci that displays open reading frames for the four major retroviral proteins. Four HML-5 long terminal repeat (LTR) subfamilies were identified that are associated with monophyletic proviral bodies, implying different evolution of HML-5 LTRs and genes. Sequence analysis indicated that the proviruses formed approximately 55 million years ago. Accordingly, HML-5 proviral sequences were detected in Old World and New World primates but not in prosimians. No recent activity is associated with this HERV family. We also conclude that the HML-5 consensus sequence primer binding site is identical to methionine tRNA. Therefore, the family should be designated HERV-M. Our study provides important insights into the structure and evolution of the oldest betaretrovirus in the primate genome known to date.

scholarly journals Molecular Characterization and Placental Expression of HERV-W, a New Human Endogenous Retrovirus Family

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 1175-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Blond ◽  
Frédéric Besème ◽  
Laurent Duret ◽  
Olivier Bouton ◽  
Frédéric Bedin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Primer Binding Site ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Human Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Herv Family ◽  
Flanking Sequences ◽  
Reading Frames

ABSTRACT The multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV) isolated from plasma of MS patients was found to be phylogenetically and experimentally related to human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). To characterize the MSRV-related HERV family and to test the hypothesis of a replication-competent HERV, we have investigated the expression of MSRV-related sequences in healthy tissues. The expression of MSRV-related transcripts restricted to the placenta led to the isolation of overlapping cDNA clones from a cDNA library. These cDNAs spanned a 7.6-kb region containing gag, pol, and env genes; RU5 and U3R flanking sequences; a polypurine tract; and a primer binding site (PBS). As this PBS showed similarity to avian retrovirus PBSs used by tRNATrp, this new HERV family was named HERV-W. Several genomic elements were identified, one of them containing a complete HERV-W unit, spanning all cDNA clones. Elements of this multicopy family were not replication competent, asgag and pol open reading frames (ORFs) were interrupted by frameshifts and stop codons. A complete ORF putatively coding for an envelope protein was found both on the HERV-W DNA prototype and within an RU5-env-U3R polyadenylated cDNA clone. Placental expression of 8-, 3.1-, and 1.3-kb transcripts was observed, and a putative splicing strategy was described. The apparently tissue-restricted HERV-W long terminal repeat expression is discussed with respect to physiological and pathological contexts.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Characterization of the Human Endogenous Retrovirus HERV-K(HML-6) Group: Overview of Structure, Phylogeny, and Contribution to the Human Genome

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Paola Pisano ◽  
Nicole Grandi ◽  
Marta Cadeddu ◽  
Jonas Blomberg ◽  
Enzo Tramontano
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Genomic Context ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Small Proteins ◽  
Human Genes

ABSTRACTEight percent of the human genome is composed of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), remnants of ancestral germ line infections by exogenous retroviruses, which have been vertically transmitted as Mendelian characters. The HML-6 group, a member of the class II betaretrovirus-like viruses, includes several proviral loci with an increased transcriptional activity in cancer and at least two elements that are known for retaining an intact open reading frame and for encoding small proteins such as ERVK3-1, which is expressed in various healthy tissues, and HERV-K-MEL, a small Env peptide expressed in samples of cutaneous and ocular melanoma but not in normal tissues.IMPORTANCEWe reported the distribution and genetic composition of 66 HML-6 elements. We analyzed the phylogeny of the HML-6 sequences and identified two main clusters. We provided the first description of a Rec domain within theenvsequence of 23 HML-6 elements. A Rec domain was also predicted within the ERVK3-1 transcript sequence, revealing its expression in various healthy tissues. Evidence about the context of insertion and colocalization of 19 HML-6 elements with functional human genes are also reported, including the sequence 16p11.2, whose 5′ long terminal repeat overlapped the exon of one transcript variant of a cellular zinc finger upregulated and involved in hepatocellular carcinoma. The present work provides the first complete overview of the HML-6 elements in GRCh37(hg19), describing the structure, phylogeny, and genomic context of insertion of each locus. This information allows a better understanding of the genetics of one of the most expressed HERV groups in the human genome.

scholarly journals Structural basis for Fullerene geometry in a human endogenous retrovirus capsid

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Acton ◽  
Tim Grant ◽  
Giuseppe Nicastro ◽  
Neil J. Ball ◽  
David C. Goldstone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Structural Protein ◽  
Human Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Reading Frames

AbstractThe HML2 (HERV-K) group constitutes the most recently acquired family of human endogenous retroviruses, with many proviruses less than one million years old. Many maintain intact open reading frames and provirus expression together with HML2 particle formation are observed in early stage human embryo development and are associated with pluripotency as well as inflammatory disease, cancers and HIV-1 infection. Here, we reconstruct the core structural protein (CA) of an HML2 retrovirus, assemble particles in vitro and employ single particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine structures of four classes of CA Fullerene shell assemblies. These icosahedral and capsular assemblies reveal at high-resolution the molecular interactions that allow CA to form both pentamers and hexamers and show how invariant pentamers and structurally plastic hexamers associate to form the unique polyhedral structures found in retroviral cores.

scholarly journals A Human Endogenous Retrovirus Suppresses Translation of an Associated Fusion Transcript, PLA2L

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 6164-6168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Kowalski ◽  
Dixie L. Mager
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Fusion Transcript ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Teratocarcinoma Cell ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACT Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are repetitive, noninfectious chromosomal elements degenerated from exogenous retroviruses. The HERV-H family is composed of approximately 1,000 elements which are dispersed throughout the human genome. We have shown previously that an HERV-H element splices into a downstream locus, termed PLA2L, which has a large open reading frame (ORF) containing two domains with phospholipase A2 homology. Over half of the putative 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) of the resulting fusion transcript is derived from HERV-H long-terminal-repeat and internal sequences. As 5′ UTRs are known to modulate translation initiation, we tested for possible effects upon gene expression at the translation level due to the 5′ fusion with HERV-H sequences. No PLA2L protein was detected in teratocarcinoma cell lines in which PLA2L mRNA is abundantly expressed. In addition, despite a high level of transcription, no protein synthesis was detected when the full-length PLA2L cDNA was expressed in COS cells. Upon removal of the 5′-terminal HERV-H sequences, PLA2L protein was seen in transfectants. The 5′ UTR contains both small ORFs and a strong predicted RNA secondary structure, both of which have been shown to contribute to translation suppression. The HERV-H sequences, combined with a unique PLA2L 5′ UTR sequence, form a predicted RNA stem-loop that has a stability greater than that proposed to negatively affect translation. Interestingly, this stem-loop is abolished when the HERV-H sequences are removed. We hypothesize that the PLA2L 5′ HERV-H sequences function as an abnormally long and complex 5′ UTR, resulting in suppression of translation in both teratocarcinoma cell lines and full-length cDNA transfectants. This is the first known example of a endogenous retrovirus integration affecting expression of a heterologous human gene at the translational level.

scholarly journals Human Endogenous Retrovirus Reactivation: Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1999
Author(s):  
Annacarmen Petrizzo ◽  
Concetta Ragone ◽  
Beatrice Cavalluzzo ◽  
Angela Mauriello ◽  
Carmen Manolio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Immunotherapy ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Danger Signal ◽  
Human Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Double Stranded Rna ◽  
Specific Antigens ◽  
Viral Mimicry

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) derive from ancestral exogenous retroviruses whose genetic material has been integrated in our germline DNA. Several lines of evidence indicate that cancer immunotherapy may benefit from HERV reactivation, which can be induced either by drugs or by cellular changes occurring in tumor cells. Indeed, several studies indicate that HERV proviral DNA can be transcribed either to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is sensed as a “danger signal” by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), leading to a viral mimicry state, or to mRNA that is translated into proteins that may contribute to the landscape of tumor-specific antigens (TSAs). Alternatively, HERV reactivation is associated with the expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In this review, we will highlight recent findings on HERV reactivation in cancer and its implications for cancer immunotherapy.

scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of Novel Human Endogenous Retrovirus Families by Phylogenetic Screening of the Human Genome Mapping Project Database

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 3715-3730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tristem
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Genome Mapping ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Genome Mapping Project ◽  
Human Genome Mapping Project

ABSTRACT Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) were first identified almost 20 years ago, and since then numerous families have been described. It has, however, been difficult to obtain a good estimate of both the total number of independently derived families and their relationship to each other as well as to other members of the familyRetroviridae. In this study, I used sequence data derived from over 150 novel HERVs, obtained from the Human Genome Mapping Project database, and a variety of recently identified nonhuman retroviruses to classify the HERVs into 22 independently acquired families. Of these, 17 families were loosely assigned to the class I HERVs, 3 to the class II HERVs and 2 to the class III HERVs. Many of these families have been identified previously, but six are described here for the first time and another four, for which only partial sequence information was previously available, were further characterized. Members of each of the 10 families are defective, and calculation of their integration dates suggested that most of them are likely to have been present within the human lineage since it diverged from the Old World monkeys more than 25 million years ago.

scholarly journals Determinants of anti-PD1 response and resistance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis Au ◽  
Emine Hatipoglu ◽  
Marc Robert de Massy ◽  
Kevin Litchfield ◽  
Andrew Rowan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Clear Cell ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Pre Treatment

Antigen recognition and T-cell mediated cytotoxicity in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains incompletely understood. To address this knowledge gap, we analysed 115 multiregion tumour samples collected from 15 treatment-naive patients pre- and post-nivolumab therapy, and at autopsy in three patients. We performed whole-exome sequencing, RNAseq, TCRseq, multiplex immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analyses and correlated with clinical response. We observed pre-treatment intratumoural TCR clonal expansions suggesting pre-existing immunity. Nivolumab maintained pre-treatment expanded, clustered TCR clones in responders, suggesting ongoing antigen-driven stimulation of T-cells. T-cells in responders were enriched for expanded TCF7+CD8+ T-cells and upregulated GZMK/B upon nivolumab-binding. By contrast, nivolumab promoted accumulation of new TCR clones in non-responders, replacing pre-treatment expanded clonotypes. In this dataset, mutational features did not correlate with response to nivolumab and human endogenous retrovirus expression correlated indirectly. Our data suggests that nivolumab potentiates clinical responses in ccRCC by binding pre-existing expanded CD8+ T-cells to enhance cytotoxicity.

scholarly journals Characterization of Endogenous Retroviruses in Sheep

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (20) ◽  
pp. 11268-11273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai Klymiuk ◽  
Mathias Müller ◽  
Gottfried Brem ◽  
Bernhard Aigner
Keyword(s):  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Ovis Aries ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
In Vivo Experiments ◽  
Pregnant Sheep ◽  
Reading Frames

ABSTRACT Endogenous retrovirus (ERV) sequences have been found in all mammals. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed ERV activation and cross-species infection in several species. Sheep (Ovis aries) are used for various biotechnological purposes; however, they have not yet been comprehensively screened for ERV sequences. Therefore, the aim of the study was to classify the ERV sequences in the ovine genome (OERV) by analyzing the retroviral pro-pol sequences. Three OERV β families and nine OERV γ families were revealed. Novel open reading frames (ORF) in the amplified proviral fragment were found in one OERV β family and two OERV γ families. Hybrid OERV produced by putative recombination events were not detected. Quantitative analysis of the OERV sequences in the ovine genome revealed no relevant variations in the endogenous retroviral loads of different breeds. Expression analysis of different tissues from fetal and pregnant sheep detected mRNA from both gammaretrovirus families, showing ORF fragments. Thus, the release of retroviruses from sheep cells cannot be excluded.

scholarly journals Human endogenous retrovirus-W envelope (syncytin) is expressed in both villous and extravillous trophoblast populations

2006 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 2067-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Muir ◽  
A. M. L. Lever ◽  
A. Moffett
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Extravillous Trophoblast ◽  
Human Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Human Trophoblast ◽  
Human Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Villous Trophoblast

The placenta is unique amongst normal tissues in transcribing numerous different human endogenous retroviruses at high levels. In this study, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the expression of syncytin in human trophoblast. Syncytin transcripts were found in first-trimester trophoblast cells with both villous and extravillous phenotypes and also in the JAR and JEG-3 choriocarcinoma cell lines. Syncytin protein was detected in villous trophoblast and in all extravillous trophoblast subpopulations of first- and second-trimester placental tissues. It was also present in ectopic trophoblast from tubal implantations. This study confirms that syncytin is expressed widely by a variety of normal human trophoblast populations, as well as choriocarcinoma cell lines.

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