Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Tyson Dawson, Uzma Rentia, Jessie Sanford, Carlos Cruchaga, John S. K. Kauwe, Keith A. Crandall
Summary: In this study, a total of 103 Alzheimer's disease patients and 45 healthy controls were analyzed using three RNA-Seq datasets. The researchers identified differentially expressed HERVs in Alzheimer's disease patients, which were scattered throughout the genome, with many of them belonging to the HERV-K superfamily. These differentially expressed HERVs were found to be physically proximal to genes involved in disease pathways.
FRONTIERS IN AGING NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Matthew L. Bendall, Jasmine H. Francis, Alexander N. Shoushtari, Douglas F. Nixon
Summary: The study identified four HERV-based subgroups in uveal melanoma, providing clear delineation of risk outcome and supporting other molecular subtypes. Intergenic HERVs with coding potential may represent potential therapeutic targets in tumor classification.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ming-an Sun, Gernot Wolf, Yejun Wang, Anna D. Senft, Sherry Ralls, Jinpu Jin, Caitlin E. Dunn-Fletcher, Louis J. Muglia, Todd S. Macfarlan
Summary: The study identified numerous lineage-specific gene expression in different mammalian placentae, shedding light on the evolutionary process of placenta. The overlap between specific families of endogenous retroviruses and lineage-specific placental enhancers likely facilitates the lineage-specific evolution of the mammalian placenta.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jun Bai, Zuo-zhen Yang, Hao Li, Yun Hong, Dong-dong Fan, Ai-fu Lin, Li-xin Xiang, Jian-zhong Shao
Summary: This study conducted a genome-wide characterization of ERVs in the zebrafish model, revealing diverse and early-inserted ERVs, as well as unique ERVs with immune-relevant genes that respond strongly to virus infection. The findings provide insights into the evolutionary history of ERVs from fish to mammals.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Christopher A. Wolff, Miguel A. Gutierrez-Monreal, Lingsong Meng, Xiping Zhang, Lauren G. Douma, Hannah M. Costello, Collin M. Douglas, Elnaz Ebrahimi, Ann Pham, Aline C. Oliveira, Chunhua Fu, Amy Nguyen, Bryan R. Alava, Stuart J. Hesketh, Andrew R. Morris, Mehari M. Endale, G. Ryan Crislip, Kit-yan Cheng, Elizabeth A. Schroder, Brian P. Delisle, Andrew J. Bryant, Michelle L. Gumz, Zhiguang Huo, Andrew C. Liu, Karyn A. Esser
Summary: Cellular circadian clocks regulate daily transcriptional program and are important for maintaining homeostasis and resilience. Age-related changes in circadian functions have been observed. This study characterized age-dependent changes in the circadian transcriptome in multiple tissues, revealing tissue-specific alterations in clock output and decreased number of rhythmically expressed genes (REGs) with aging. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at different times of day identified distinct gene expression patterns, with increased variability in aged tissues. This study expands our understanding of aging and highlights the impact of aging on circadian clock function and temporal gene expression changes.
Review
Microbiology
Mengwen Zhang, Shu Zheng, Jessie Qiaoyi Liang
Summary: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) originated from ancient retroviral infections of germline cells millions of years ago and have evolved as part of the host genome. HERVs not only retain the capacity as retroelements but also regulate host gene expression. Domesticated copies of HERVs in normal cells play important roles in genome regulation and transcription processes.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Luise Krueger, Monika Nowak-Imialek, Yannick Kristiansen, Doris Herrmann, Bjoern Petersen, Joachim Denner
Summary: EPSCs derived from porcine preimplantation embryos exhibit higher cellular potency and lower PERV expression levels compared to other pluripotent stem cells, irrespective of pig age.
Article
Oncology
Yongzhong Wei, Huilin Wei, Yinfeng Wei, Aihua Tan, Xiuyong Chen, Xiuquan Liao, Bo Xie, Xihua Wei, Lanxiang Li, Zengjing Liu, Shengkang Dai, Adil Khan, Xianwu Pang, Nada M. A. Hassan, Kai Xiong, Kai Zhang, Jing Leng, Jiannan Lv, Yanling Hu
Summary: This study analyzed the transcriptional profile of human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K in breast cancer and found that HERV-K expression profiles may serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Erik Stricker, Erin C. Peckham-Gregory, Michael E. Scheurer
Summary: In this study, a database summarizing the expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in various human cancers was created. The CancerHERVdb database allows cross-study comparisons, encourages data exploration, and informs about potential off-target effects of HERV-targeting treatments. It provides a consolidated resource for researchers to study HERV activation in cancers and identify potential therapeutic targets.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Eslam M. Abdel-Salam, Ahmed A. Qahtan, Abdel-Rhman Z. Gaafar, Assem I. Zein El-Abedein, Aref M. Alshameri, Abdullah M. Alhamdan
Summary: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in regulating mRNA expression without coding proteins. This study identified 10,564 unique lncRNAs in Coffea arabica L. among 260 RNA-Seq datasets, showing shorter lengths, fewer exons, and lower expression levels compared to mRNAs. Some lncRNAs were differentially expressed in fruits and involved in regulating significant biological processes in different tissues of C. arabica.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edyta Koscianska, Emilia Kozlowska, Agnieszka Fiszer
Summary: The role of non-coding RNAs in neuromuscular diseases, particularly in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and 2, and the impact of expanded repeat-containing transcripts on miRNA-mediated RNA crosstalk, are highlighted in this review. Specifically, the potential for long repeat tracts in mutant transcripts to act as potent miRNA sponges affecting ceRNA crosstalk in these diseases is discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Xiaofen Wen, Jiaxin Shen, Maria Rosaria De Miglio, De Zeng, Leonardo A. Sechi
Summary: This study reveals that ERVFRD-1 is downregulated in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) tumors and is associated with tumor immunoregulation and overall survival in KIRC patients. ERVFRD-1 may serve as a sensitive biomarker for diagnosis, immunotherapy, and prognosis assessment of KIRC.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Yu Liu, Yifan Niu, Xiang Ma, Yun Xiang, De Wu, Weifen Li, Tao Wang, Dong Niu
Summary: Xenotransplantation using porcine organs is a promising solution to the organ shortage for human transplantation. However, the presence of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) poses a major microbiological risk. This review summarizes the current progress on PERVs, including their classification, molecular structure, regulation, immune system function, and potential risks in xenotransplantation. The insufficient study on PERVs and the unanswered questions for future research are also discussed.
FUNCTIONAL & INTEGRATIVE GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takaya Oda
Summary: HML6-c14 is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) gene that undergoes RNA processing similar to that of placental tissue. Despite losing its ability to produce functional proteins, it retains its transcriptional ability and exhibits high promoter activity.
Article
Oncology
Mi Zhou, Janet Y. Leung, Kathryn H. Gessner, Austin J. Hepperla, Jeremy M. Simon, Ian J. Davis, William Y. Kim
Summary: This study reveals the association between PBRM1 mutations and increased hERV expression in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and demonstrates the negative regulatory role of PBRM1 in hERV expression. Furthermore, the HIF-dependent nature of hERV expression explains the specific clinical associations of PBRM1-mutant ccRCC with both a good prognosis and improved clinical outcomes to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB).
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)