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Li T, Qian K, Han J, Liu Y, Jia L, Wang X, Li T, Zhang B, Li J, Li H, Dou L, Li L. Higher Expression of Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K was Observed in Peripheral B Lymphocytes of Leukemia and Lymphoma Patients. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2024; 40:268-279. [PMID: 38009220 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2023.0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematological malignant tumors (HMTs) are serious diseases that threaten human health and life with high mortality. Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel strategies for diagnosis and treatment. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) have recently attracted increasing attention as potential targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we explored the association between HERV-K expression levels and HMTs development. Clinical data and peripheral blood samples were collected from 236 leukemia, 384 lymphoma patients, and 69 healthy controls. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of HERV-K gag, pol, and env genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells or different cell subpopulations. Differently expressed HERV-K genes were further tested by using deep sequencing method, and further analyzed with gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. B cell- and T cell-related cytokines in patients were also detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that the expression levels of the HERV-K gag, pol, and env genes in patients were significantly higher than in healthy controls. There was a correlation between the expression level of HERV-K and the clinicopathological parameters of leukemia patients. HERV-K expression was increased in the B lymphocytes of leukemia and lymphoma patients, but not in the T cells or neutrophils. The GO and KEGG analyses showed that abnormal expression of the HERV-K locus in patients affected immune regulation. The analysis of cytokines proved that the B cell-related cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon-gamma, were significantly decreased in patients, while the T cell-related cytokines, including IL-3, IL-12, and TNF-β, were not significantly changed. In conclusion, HERV-K genes might participate in the occurrence and development of leukemia and lymphoma, and might be biomarkers for the detection or evaluation of leukemia and lymphoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianfu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Qian
- Nankai University School of Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yongjian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Jingyun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Hanping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Dou
- Department of Hematology, the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Department of AIDS Research, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
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Cherkasova EA, Chen L, Childs RW. Mechanistic regulation of HERV activation in tumors and implications for translational research in oncology. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1358470. [PMID: 38379771 PMCID: PMC10877039 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1358470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription of distinct loci of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) and in some cases, translation of these transcripts have been consistently observed in many types of cancer. It is still debated whether HERV activation serves as a trigger for carcinogenesis or rather occurs as a consequence of epigenetic alterations and other molecular sequelae that characterize cellular transformation. Here we review the known molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of HERV activation in cancer cells as well as its potential contribution to carcinogenesis. Further, we describe the use of HERV expression in cancer diagnostic and characterize the potential of HERV-derived antigens to serve as novel targets for cancer immunotherapy. We believe this review, which summarizes both what is known as well as unknown in this rapidly developing field, will boost interest in research on the therapeutic potential of targeting HERV elements in tumors and the impact of HERV activation in oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Richard W. Childs
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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3
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Gaber N, Abdelhafiz AS, Abdel-Azim N, Shibl A, Fadel L, Hassan ZK, Ahmed EH. HERV-K np9 and HERV-R env: Two endogenous retrovirus products with potential Pathogenic roles in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2024; 38:3946320241274255. [PMID: 39122243 PMCID: PMC11316263 DOI: 10.1177/03946320241274255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are integral components of the human genome, and their reactivation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some malignancies. External viral co-infections are suspected to play a role in HERV transactivation. This study aimed to investigate the expression of HERV-K np9 elements and HERV-R env gene in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Additionally, we explored potential correlations between HERV expression and common viral infections prevalent in this group of patients. METHODS Blood samples were collected from 43 pediatric ALL patients and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to assess the expression of HERV-K np9 and HERV-R env, along with herpes simplex virus (HSV), parvovirus B19, and polyomavirus BK. RESULTS HERV-K np9 and HERV-R env showed significantly higher expression in the peripheral blood of ALL patients compared to healthy controls (p < .001 and p = .003, respectively). HSV positivity was associated with significantly increased HERV-K np9 expression. No significant correlations were observed between other investigated viruses and HERV gene expression. CONCLUSION The overexpression of HERV-K np9 and HERV-R env in pediatric ALL patients suggest their potential role in leukemogenesis. Our findings also suggest a possible link between HSV infection and HERV reactivation in this population. Future investigations are needed to understand the precise roles of these genes and viral infections in the development of ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha Gaber
- Clinical Pathology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Samir Abdelhafiz
- Clinical Pathology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nivin Abdel-Azim
- Cancer Biology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Azza Shibl
- Pediatric Oncology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Lamiaa Fadel
- Cancer Biology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Zeinab Korany Hassan
- Virology and Immunology Unit, Cancer Biology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eman Hassan Ahmed
- Clinical Pathology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
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4
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Shin W, Mun S, Han K. Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K (HML-2)-Related Genetic Variation: Human Genome Diversity and Disease. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2150. [PMID: 38136972 PMCID: PMC10742618 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) comprise a significant portion of the human genome, making up roughly 8%, a notable comparison to the 2-3% represented by coding sequences. Numerous studies have underscored the critical role and importance of HERVs, highlighting their diverse and extensive influence on the evolution of the human genome and establishing their complex correlation with various diseases. Among HERVs, the HERV-K (HML-2) subfamily has recently attracted significant attention, integrating into the human genome after the divergence between humans and chimpanzees. Its insertion in the human genome has received considerable attention due to its structural and functional characteristics and the time of insertion. Originating from ancient exogenous retroviruses, these elements succeeded in infecting germ cells, enabling vertical transmission and existing as proviruses within the genome. Remarkably, these sequences have retained the capacity to form complete viral sequences, exhibiting activity in transcription and translation. The HERV-K (HML-2) subfamily is the subject of active debate about its potential positive or negative effects on human genome evolution and various pathologies. This review summarizes the variation, regulation, and diseases in human genome evolution arising from the influence of HERV-K (HML-2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonseok Shin
- NGS Clinical Laboratory, Division of Cancer Research, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
| | - Seyoung Mun
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- College of Science & Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyudong Han
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science & Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bioconvergence Engineering, Dankook University, Yongin 16890, Republic of Korea
- R&D Center, HuNBiome Co., Ltd., Seoul 08507, Republic of Korea
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Tavakolian S, Iranshahi M, Faghihloo E. The Evaluation of HERV-K np9, rec, gag Expression in Isolated Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) of Gastric and Colon Cancer. Adv Biomed Res 2023; 12:131. [PMID: 37434925 PMCID: PMC10331531 DOI: 10.4103/abr.abr_288_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the current age of diagnostic approaches in cancer, countless efforts have been allocated to identify novel and efficient biomarkers to detect cancer in its early stages. We focused on evaluating the correlation between the progression of gastrointestinal cancer, a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and human endogenous retrovirus (HERV). Materials and Methods In this study, we conducted a study on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) gathered from gastric and colon cancer patients. We focused on HERV-K rec, np9, gag expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR, after extraction of RNA and synthesizing cDNA. Results Unlike np9 whose expression increased significantly in the colon and gastric cancers, the mRNA level of the rec gene declined in both cancers. Moreover, our data illustrated that the over-expression of the gag gene was only observed in colon cancerous cells rather than gastric malignancy. Conclusions Overall, given the correlation between the expression level of HERV-associated genes and gastrointestinal cancer, our study suggests that these genes could be considered beneficial markers for cancer diagnosis. However, researchers should conduct studies in future articles on whether these genes can be employed as biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaian Tavakolian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Iranshahi
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Faghihloo
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Camargo-Forero N, Orozco-Arias S, Perez Agudelo JM, Guyot R. HERV-K (HML-2) insertion polymorphisms in the 8q24.13 region and their potential etiological associations with acute myeloid leukemia. Arch Virol 2023; 168:125. [PMID: 36988711 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05747-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are LTR retrotransposons that are present in the human genome. Among them, members of the HERV-K (HML-2) group are suspected to play a role in the development of different types of cancer, including lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer, as well as leukemia. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an important disease that causes 1% of cancer deaths in the United States and has a survival rate of 28.7%. Here, we describe a method for assessing the statistical association between HERV-K (HML-2) transposable element insertion polymorphisms (or TIPs) and AML, using whole-genome sequencing and read mapping using TIP_finder software. Our results suggest that 101 polymorphisms involving HERV-K (HML-2) elements were correlated with AML, with a percentage between 44.4 to 56.6%, most of which (70) were located in the region from 8q24.13 to 8q24.21. Moreover, it was found that the TRIB1, LRATD2, POU5F1B, MYC, PCAT1, PVT1, and CCDC26 genes could be displaced or fragmented by TIPs. Furthermore, a general method was devised to facilitate analysis of the correlation between transposable element insertions and specific diseases. Finally, although the relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) TIPs and AML remains unclear, the data reported in this study indicate a statistical correlation, as supported by the χ2 test with p-values < 0.05.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Camargo-Forero
- School of Biology, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
| | - Simon Orozco-Arias
- Department of Computer Science, Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
- Department of Systems and Informatics, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
| | | | - Romain Guyot
- UMR DIADE, Université de Montpellier, Institut de recherche pour le développement, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
- Department of Electronics and Automation, Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
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7
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Hosseiniporgham S, Sechi LA. Anti-HERV-K Drugs and Vaccines, Possible Therapies against Tumors. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11040751. [PMID: 37112663 PMCID: PMC10144246 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The footprint of human endogenous retroviruses (HERV), specifically HERV-K, has been found in malignancies, such as melanoma, teratocarcinoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, lymphoma, and ovary and prostate cancers. HERV-K is characterized as the most biologically active HERV due to possession of open reading frames (ORF) for all Gag, Pol, and Env genes, which enables it to be more infective and obstructive towards specific cell lines and other exogenous viruses, respectively. Some factors might contribute to carcinogenicity and at least one of them has been recognized in various tumors, including overexpression/methylation of long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1), HERV-K Gag, and Env genes themselves plus their transcripts and protein products, and HERV-K reverse transcriptase (RT). Therapies effective for HERV-K-associated tumors mostly target invasive autoimmune responses or growth of tumors through suppression of HERV-K Gag or Env protein and RT. To design new therapeutic options, more studies are needed to better understand whether HERV-K and its products (Gag/Env transcripts and HERV-K proteins/RT) are the initiators of tumor formation or just the disorder’s developers. Accordingly, this review aims to present evidence that highlights the association between HERV-K and tumorigenicity and introduces some of the available or potential therapies against HERV-K-induced tumors.
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Kitsou K, Lagiou P, Magiorkinis G. Human endogenous retroviruses in cancer: Oncogenesis mechanisms and clinical implications. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28350. [PMID: 36428242 PMCID: PMC10108094 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are viral sequences integrated into the human genome, resulting from the infection of human germ-line cells by ancient exogenous retroviruses. Despite losing their replication and retrotransposition abilities, HERVs appear to have been co-opted in human physiological functions while their aberrant expression is linked to human disease. The role of HERVs in multiple malignancies has been demonstrated, however, the extent to which HERV activation and expression participate in the development of cancer is not yet fully comprehended. In this review article, we discuss the presumed role of HERVs in carcinogenesis and their promising diagnostic and prognostic implications. Additionally, we explore recent data on the HERVs in cancer therapeutics, either through the manipulation of their expression, to induce antitumor innate immunity responses or as cancer immunotherapy targets. Finally, more precise and higher resolution high-throughput sequencing approaches will further elucidate HERV participation in human physiological and pathological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantina Kitsou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Pagona Lagiou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Gkikas Magiorkinis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Goudi, Greece
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Rivas SR, Valdez MJM, Govindarajan V, Seetharam D, Doucet-O’Hare TT, Heiss JD, Shah AH. The Role of HERV-K in Cancer Stemness. Viruses 2022; 14:v14092019. [PMID: 36146825 PMCID: PMC9504571 DOI: 10.3390/v14092019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) is the most recently integrated retrovirus in the human genome, with implications for multiple disorders, including cancer. Although typically transcriptionally silenced in normal adult cells, dysregulation of HERV-K (HML-2) elements has been observed in cancer, including breast, germ cell tumors, pancreatic, melanoma, and brain cancer. While multiple methods of carcinogenesis have been proposed, here we discuss the role of HERV-K (HML-2) in the promotion and maintenance of the stem-cell in cancer. Aberrant expression of HERV-K has been shown to promote expression of stem cell markers and promote dedifferentiation. In this review, we discuss HERV-K (HML-2) as a potential therapeutic target based on evidence that some tumors depend on the expression of its proteins for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R. Rivas
- Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Correspondence: (S.R.R.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Mynor J. Mendez Valdez
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Vaidya Govindarajan
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Deepa Seetharam
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Tara T. Doucet-O’Hare
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - John D. Heiss
- Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
- Correspondence: (S.R.R.); (A.H.S.)
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10
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Alcazer V, Bonaventura P, Tonon L, Michel E, Mutez V, Fabres C, Chuvin N, Boulos R, Estornes Y, Maguer-Satta V, Geistlich K, Viari A, Metzeler KH, Hiddemann W, Batch AMN, Herold T, Caux C, Depil S. HERVs characterize normal and leukemia stem cells and represent a source of shared epitopes for cancer immunotherapy. Am J Hematol 2022; 97:1200-1214. [PMID: 35759575 PMCID: PMC9540360 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.26647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent 8% of the human genome. The expression of HERVs and their immune impact have not been extensively studied in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). In this study, we used a reference of 14,968 HERV functional units to provide a thorough analysis of HERV expression in normal and AML bone marrow cells. We show that the HERV retrotranscriptome accurately characterizes normal and leukemic cell subpopulations, including leukemia stem cells, in line with different epigenetic profiles. We then show that HERV expression delineates AML subtypes with different prognoses. We finally propose a method to select and prioritize CD8+ T cell epitopes derived from AML-specific HERVs and we show that lymphocytes infiltrating patient bone marrow at diagnosis contain naturally occurring CD8+ T cells against these HERV epitopes. We also provide in vitro data supporting the functionality of HERV-specific CD8+ T-cells against AML cells. These results show that HERVs represent an important source of genetic information that can help enhancing disease stratification or biomarker identification and an important reservoir of alternative tumor-specific T cell epitopes relevant for cancer immunotherapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Alcazer
- Department of Hematology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon Sud Hospital, Pierre-Bénite, France.,Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France
| | - Paola Bonaventura
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France.,Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Laurie Tonon
- Synergie Lyon Cancer Foundation, Gilles Thomas Bioinformatics Center, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Emilie Michel
- Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Virginie Mutez
- Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Clémentine Fabres
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France.,Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas Chuvin
- Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Rasha Boulos
- Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Yann Estornes
- Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | | | - Kevin Geistlich
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France
| | - Alain Viari
- Synergie Lyon Cancer Foundation, Gilles Thomas Bioinformatics Center, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Klaus H Metzeler
- Laboratory for Leukemia Diagnostics, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Dept. of Hematology and Cell Therapy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hiddemann
- Laboratory for Leukemia Diagnostics, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Aarif M N Batch
- Institute of Medical Data Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology (IBE), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Data Integration for Future Medicine (DiFuture, www.difuture.de), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Herold
- Laboratory for Leukemia Diagnostics, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christophe Caux
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France.,Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Stéphane Depil
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France.,Ervaccine Technologies, Centre Leon Bérard, Lyon, France.,Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.,University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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11
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Wei Y, Wei H, Wei Y, Tan A, Chen X, Liao X, Xie B, Wei X, Li L, Liu Z, Dai S, Khan A, Pang X, Hassan NMA, Xiong K, Zhang K, Leng J, Lv J, Hu Y. Screening and Identification of Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K mRNAs for Breast Cancer Through Integrative Analysis of Multiple Datasets. Front Oncol 2022; 12:820883. [PMID: 35265522 PMCID: PMC8900282 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.820883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) make up 8% of the human genome. HERVs are biologically active elements related to multiple diseases. HERV-K, a subfamily of HERVs, has been associated with certain types of cancer and suggested as an immunologic target in some tumors. The expression levels of HERV-K in breast cancer (BCa) have been studied as biomarkers and immunologic therapeutic targets. However, HERV-K has multiple copies in the human genome, and few studies determined the transcriptional profile of HERV-K copies across the human genome for BCa. Methods Ninety-one HERV-K indexes with entire proviral sequences were used as the reference database. Nine raw sequencing datasets with 243 BCa and 137 control samples were mapped to this database by Salmon software. The differential proviral expression across several groups was analyzed by DESeq2 software. Results First, the clustering of each dataset demonstrated that these 91 HERV-K proviruses could well cluster the BCa and control samples when the normal controls were normal cells or healthy donor tissues. Second, several common HERV-K proviruses that are closely related with BCa risk were significantly differentially expressed (padj < 0.05 and absolute log2FC > 1.5) in the tissues and cell lines. Additionally, almost all the HERV-K proviruses had higher expression in BCa tissue than in healthy donor tissue. Notably, we first found the expression of 17p13.1 provirus that located with TP53 should regulate TP53 expression in ER+ and HER2+ BCa. Conclusion The expression profiling of these 91 HERV-K proviruses can be used as biomarkers to distinguish individuals with BCa and healthy controls. Some proviruses, especially 17p13.1, were strongly associated with BCa risk. The results suggest that HERV-K expression profiles may be appropriate biomarkers and targets for BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhong Wei
- Guangxi Clinical Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liuzhou, China
| | - Huilin Wei
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Yinfeng Wei
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Aihua Tan
- Department of Chemotherapy, The Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiuyong Chen
- Guangxi Clinical Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liuzhou, China
| | - Xiuquan Liao
- Guangxi Clinical Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liuzhou, China
| | - Bo Xie
- Guangxi Medical University School of Information and Management, Nanning, China
| | - Xihua Wei
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Lanxiang Li
- Basic Medical College of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Zengjing Liu
- Guangxi Medical University School of Information and Management, Nanning, China
| | - Shengkang Dai
- Cancer Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Adil Khan
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Xianwu Pang
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedicine (Guangxi-ASEAN Collaborative Innovation Center for Major Disease Prevention and Treatment), Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Nada M. A. Hassan
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Kai Xiong
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedicine (Guangxi-ASEAN Collaborative Innovation Center for Major Disease Prevention and Treatment), Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Guangxi Clinical Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liuzhou, China
| | - Jing Leng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Treating High-Incidence Infectious Diseases With Integrative Medicine, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Jiannan Lv
- Guangxi Clinical Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Chest Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yanling Hu, ; Jiannan Lv,
| | - Yanling Hu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- *Correspondence: Yanling Hu, ; Jiannan Lv,
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12
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HERV-K and HERV-H Env Proteins Induce a Humoral Response in Prostate Cancer Patients. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11010095. [PMID: 35056043 PMCID: PMC8778306 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11010095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A higher expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) has been associated with several malignancies, including prostate cancer, implying a possible use as a diagnostic or prognostic cancer biomarker. For this reason, we examined the humoral response against different epitopes obtained from the envelope protein of HERV-K (HERV-K env-su19–37, HERV-K env-su109–126), HERV-H (HERV-H env-su229–241, HERV-H env387–399) and HERV-W (HERV-W env-su93–108, HERV-W env-su248–262) in the plasma of patients affected by prostate cancer (PCa), and compared to that of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and a borderline group of patients with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) and prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and healthy controls. A significant antibody response was observed against HERV-K env-su109–126 (p = 0.004) and HERV-H env-su229–241 (p < 0.0001) in PCa patients compared to HCs, BPH and borderline cohorts, whilst no significance difference was found in the antibodies against HERV-W env-su93–108 and HERV-W env-su248–262 in patients with PCa. Our results provided further proof of the association between HERV-K and PCa and added new evidence about the possible involvement of HERV-H in PCa pathogenesis, highlighting their possibility of being used as biomarkers of the disease.
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13
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Durnaoglu S, Lee SK, Ahnn J. Human Endogenous Retroviruses as Gene Expression Regulators: Insights from Animal Models into Human Diseases. Mol Cells 2021; 44:861-878. [PMID: 34963103 PMCID: PMC8718366 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2021.5016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome contains many retroviral elements called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), resulting from the integration of retroviruses throughout evolution. HERVs once were considered inactive junk because they are not replication-competent, primarily localized in the heterochromatin, and silenced by methylation. But HERVs are now clearly shown to actively regulate gene expression in various physiological and pathological conditions such as developmental processes, immune regulation, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and neurological disorders. Recent studies report that HERVs are activated in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection. In this review, we describe internal and external factors that influence HERV activities. We also present evidence showing the gene regulatory activity of HERV LTRs (long terminal repeats) in model organisms such as mice, rats, zebrafish, and invertebrate models of worms and flies. Finally, we discuss several molecular and cellular pathways involving various transcription factors and receptors, through which HERVs affect downstream cellular and physiological events such as epigenetic modifications, calcium influx, protein phosphorylation, and cytokine release. Understanding how HERVs participate in various physiological and pathological processes will help develop a strategy to generate effective therapeutic approaches targeting HERVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serpen Durnaoglu
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
- Research Institute for Natural Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Sun-Kyung Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
- Research Institute for Natural Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Joohong Ahnn
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
- Research Institute for Natural Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
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14
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Marston JL, Greenig M, Singh M, Bendall ML, Duarte RR, Feschotte C, Iñiguez LP, Nixon DF. SARS-CoV-2 infection mediates differential expression of human endogenous retroviruses and long interspersed nuclear elements. JCI Insight 2021; 6:147170. [PMID: 34731091 PMCID: PMC8783694 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.147170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 promotes an imbalanced host response that underlies the development and severity of COVID-19. Infections with viruses are known to modulate transposable elements (TEs), which can exert downstream effects by modulating host gene expression, innate immune sensing, or activities encoded by their protein products. We investigated the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on TE expression using RNA-Seq data from cell lines and from primary patient samples. Using a bioinformatics tool, Telescope, we showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection led to upregulation or downregulation of TE transcripts, a subset of which differed from cells infected with SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV or MERS), influenza A virus (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3). Differential expression of key retroelements specifically identified distinct virus families, such as Coronaviridae, with unique retroelement expression subdividing viral species. Analysis of ChIP-Seq data showed that TEs differentially expressed in SARS-CoV-2 infection were enriched for binding sites for transcription factors involved in immune responses and for pioneer transcription factors. In samples from patients with COVID-19, there was significant TE overexpression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and downregulation in PBMCs. Thus, although the host gene transcriptome is altered by infection with SARS-CoV-2, the retrotranscriptome may contain the most distinctive features of the cellular response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jez L Marston
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Matthew Greenig
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Manvendra Singh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States of America
| | - Matthew L Bendall
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Rodrigo Rr Duarte
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Cédric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States of America
| | - Luis P Iñiguez
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Douglas F Nixon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, United States of America
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15
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Mao J, Zhang Q, Cong YS. Human endogenous retroviruses in development and disease. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:5978-5986. [PMID: 34849202 PMCID: PMC8604659 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent ∼8% of human genome, deriving from exogenous retroviral infections of germ line cells occurred millions of years ago and being inherited by the offspring in a Mendelian fashion. Most of HERVs are nonprotein-coding because of the accumulation of mutations, insertions, deletions, and/or truncations. It has been long thought that HERVs were "junk DNA". However, it is now known that HERVs are involved in various biological processes through encoding proteins, acting as promoters/enhancers, or lncRNAs to affect human health and disease. In this review, we summarized recent findings about HERVs, with implications in embryonic development, pluripotency, cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Mao
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Sheng Cong
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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16
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A Human Endogenous Bornavirus-Like Nucleoprotein Encodes a Mitochondrial Protein Associated with Cell Viability. J Virol 2021; 95:e0203020. [PMID: 33952640 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02030-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are sequences in animal genomes that originated from ancient retrovirus infections; they provide genetic novelty in hosts by being coopted as functional genes or elements during evolution. Recently, we demonstrated that endogenous elements from not only from retroviruses but also nonretroviral RNA viruses are a possible source of functional genes in host animals. The remnants of ancient bornavirus infections, called endogenous bornavirus-like elements (EBLs), are present in the genomes of a wide variety of vertebrate species, and some express functional products in host cells. Previous studies have predicted that the human EBL locus derived from bornavirus nucleoprotein, termed hsEBLN-2, expresses mRNA encoding a protein, suggesting that hsEBLN-2 has acquired a cellular function during evolution. However, the detailed function of the hsEBLN-2-derived product remains to be elucidated. In this study, we show that the hsEBLN-2-derived protein E2 acts as a mitochondrial protein that interacts with mitochondrial host factors associated with apoptosis, such as HAX-1. We also demonstrate that knockdown of hsEBLN-2-derived RNA increased the levels of PARP and caspase-3 cleavage and markedly decreased cell viability. In contrast, overexpression of E2 enhanced cell viability, as well as the intracellular stability of HAX-1, under stress conditions. Our results suggest that hsEBLN-2 has been coopted as a host gene, the product of which is involved in cell viability by interacting with mitochondrial proteins. IMPORTANCE Our genomes contain molecular fossils of ancient viruses, called endogenous virus elements (EVEs). Mounting evidence suggests that EVEs derived from nonretroviral RNA viruses have acquired functions in host cells during evolution. Previous studies have revealed that a locus encoding a bornavirus-derived EVE, hsEBLN-2, which was generated approximately 43 million years ago in a human ancestor, may be linked to the development of some tumors. However, the function of hsEBLN-2 has not been determined. In this study, we found that the E2 protein, an expression product of hsEBLN-2, interacts with apoptosis-related host proteins as a mitochondrial protein and affects cell viability. This study suggests that nonretroviral RNA viral EVEs have been coopted by hosts with more diverse functions than previously thought, showing a pivotal role for RNA virus infection in evolution.
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17
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Dervan E, Bhattacharyya DD, McAuliffe JD, Khan FH, Glynn SA. Ancient Adversary - HERV-K (HML-2) in Cancer. Front Oncol 2021; 11:658489. [PMID: 34055625 PMCID: PMC8155577 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.658489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV), ancient integrations of exogenous viruses, make up 8% of our genome. Long thought of as mere vestigial genetic elements, evidence is now accumulating to suggest a potential functional role in numerous pathologies including neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, and multiple cancers. The youngest member of this group of transposable elements is HERV-K (HML-2). Like the majority of HERV sequences, significant post-insertional mutations have disarmed HERV-K (HML-2), preventing it from producing infectious viral particles. However, some insertions have retained limited coding capacity, and complete open reading frames for all its constituent proteins can be found throughout the genome. For this reason HERV-K (HML-2) has garnered more attention than its peers. The tight epigenetic control thought to suppress expression in healthy tissue is lost during carcinogenesis. Upregulation of HERV-K (HML-2) derived mRNA and protein has been reported in a variety of solid and liquid tumour types, and while causality has yet to be established, progressively more data are emerging to suggest this phenomenon may contribute to tumour growth and metastatic capacity. Herein we discuss its potential utility as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic target in light of the current in vitro, in vivo and clinical evidence linking HERV-K (HML-2) to tumour progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eoin Dervan
- Discipline of Pathology, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland
| | - Dibyangana D Bhattacharyya
- Discipline of Pathology, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland.,Laboratory of Cancer ImmunoMetabolism, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Jake D McAuliffe
- Discipline of Pathology, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland
| | - Faizan H Khan
- Discipline of Pathology, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland
| | - Sharon A Glynn
- Discipline of Pathology, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland
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18
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Nakagawa S, Kawashima M, Miyatake Y, Kudo K, Kotaki R, Ando K, Kotani A. Expression of ERV3-1 in leukocytes of acute myelogenous leukemia patients. Gene 2020; 773:145363. [PMID: 33338509 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.145363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is one of the major hematological malignancies. In the human genome, several have been found to originate from retroviruses, and some of which are involved in the progression of various cancers. Hence, to investigate whether retroviral-like genes are associated with AML development, we conducted a transcriptome sequencing analysis of 12 retroviral-like genes of 150 AML patients and 32 healthy donor samples, of which RNA sequencing data were obtained from public databases. We found high expression of ERV3-1, an envelope gene of endogenous retrovirus group 3 member 1, in all AML patients examined in this study. In particular, blood and bone marrow cells of the myeloid lineage in AML patients, exhibited higher expression of ERV3-1 than those of the monocytic AML lineage. We also examined the protein expression of ERV3-1 by immunohistochemical analysis and found expression of the ERV3-1 protein in all 12 myeloid-phenotype patients and 7 out of 12 monocytic-phenotype patients, with a particular concentration observed at the membrane of some leukemic cells. Transcriptome analysis further suggested that upregulated ERV3-1 expression may be associated with chromosome 8 trisomy as anomaly was found to be more common among the high expression group than the low expression group. However, this finding was not corroborated by the immunohistochemical data. This discrepancy may have been caused, in part, by the small number of samples analyzed in this study. Although the precise associated molecular mechanisms remain unclear, our results suggest that ERV3-1 may be involved in AML development.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Nakagawa
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan; Division of Genome Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan.
| | - Masaharu Kawashima
- Division of Clinical Oncology and Hematology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8471, Japan; Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Yuji Miyatake
- Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan; Department of Advanced Medical Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Kai Kudo
- Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan; Department of Advanced Medical Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Ryutaro Kotaki
- Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Ando
- Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan; Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Ai Kotani
- Department of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Science, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan; Department of Advanced Medical Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan.
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19
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Salavatiha Z, Soleimani-Jelodar R, Jalilvand S. The role of endogenous retroviruses-K in human cancer. Rev Med Virol 2020; 30:1-13. [PMID: 32734655 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
It is known that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) constitute almost 8% of the human genome. Although the expression of HERVs from the human genome is tightly regulated, different exogenous and endogenous factors could trigger HERV activation. Aberrant expression of different HERVs may potentially cause a variety of diseases such as neurological and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer. It is suggested that HERV-K can induce cancer through different mechanisms that are discussed. The interplay between some tumor viruses and HERV-K seems to be a key player in progression of viral-associated cancers because elevated levels of Rec and Np9 proteins are observed in several cancers. The frequent over expression of HERV proteins and some specific antibodies in cancer cells could be considered as suitable prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The expression of HERV proteins in cancers and development of immune responses against them may also be used as targets for cancer immunotherapy. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of HERVs in cancer formation and use of different HERV proteins in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Salavatiha
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Soleimani-Jelodar
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Jalilvand
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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20
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Xue B, Sechi LA, Kelvin DJ. Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1690. [PMID: 32765477 PMCID: PMC7380069 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Xue
- Division of Immunology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Leonardo A. Sechi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- Mediterranean Center for Disease Control, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - David J. Kelvin
- Division of Immunology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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21
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Bergallo M, Mareschi K, Montanari P, Calvi C, Berger M, Bini I, Daprà V, Galliano I, Fagioli F. Human endogenous retrovirus, HERV-P and HERV-R in pediatric leukemia patients. J Hematop 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12308-019-00352-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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22
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Close to the Bedside: A Systematic Review of Endogenous Retroviruses and Their Impact in Oncology. J Surg Res 2019; 240:145-155. [PMID: 30933828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genetic elements in the human genome, which resulted from ancient retroviral germline infections. HERVs have strong transcriptional promoters and enhancers that affect a cell's transcriptome. They also encode proteins that can exert effects in human cells. This review examines how our increased understanding of HERVs have led to their potential use as biomarkers and immunologic targets. MATERIAL AND METHODS PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were used in a systematic search to identify all articles studying the potential impact of HERVs on surgical diseases. The search included studies that involved clinical patient samples in diseases including cancer, inflammatory conditions, and autoimmune disease. Articles focused on conditions not routinely managed by surgeons were excluded. RESULTS Eighty six articles met inclusion and quality criteria for this review and were included. Breast cancer and melanoma have robust evidence regarding the use of HERVs as potential tumor markers and immunologic targets. Reported evidence of the activity of HERVs in colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular cancer, prostate and ovarian cancer, germ cell tumors as well as idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, and the inflammatory response in burns was also reviewed. CONCLUSIONS Increasingly convincing evidence indicates that HERVs may play a role in solid organ malignancy and present important biomarkers or immunologic targets in multiple cancers. Innovative investigation of HERVs is a valuable focus of translational research and can deepen our understanding of cellular physiology and the effects of endogenous retroviruses on human biology. As strategies for treatment continue to focus on genome-based interventions, understanding the impact of endogenous retroviruses on human disease will be critical.
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23
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Chan SM, Sapir T, Park SS, Rual JF, Contreras-Galindo R, Reiner O, Markovitz DM. The HERV-K accessory protein Np9 controls viability and migration of teratocarcinoma cells. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212970. [PMID: 30818388 PMCID: PMC6394991 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses are remnants of ancient germline infections that make up approximately 8% of the modern human genome. The HERV-K (HML-2) family is one of the most recent entrants into the human germline, these viruses appear to be transcriptionally active, and HERV-K viral like particles (VLPs) are found in cell lines from a number of human malignancies. HERV-K VLPs were first found to be produced in teratocarcinoma cell lines, and since then teratocarcinoma has been thought of as the classical model for HERV-Ks, with the NCCIT teratocarcinoma cell line particularly known to produce VLPs. Treatment for teratocarcinoma has progressed since its discovery, with improved prognosis for patients. Since the introduction of platinum based therapy, first year survival has greatly improved even with disseminated disease; however, it is estimated that 20% to 30% of patients present with metastatic germ cell tumor relapse following initial treatments. Also, the toxicity associated with the use of chemotherapeutic agents used to treat germ cell tumors is still a major concern. In this study, we show that the depletion of the HERV-K accessory protein Np9 increases the sensitivity of NCCIT teratocarcinoma cells to bleomycin and cisplatin. While decreasing the expression of Np9 had only a modest effect on the baseline viability of the cells, the reduced expression of Np9 increased the sensitivity of the teratocarcinoma cells to environmental (serum starvation) and chemical (chemotherapeutic) stresses. Np9 is also essential to the migration of NCCIT teratocarcinoma cells: in a wound closure assay, reduced expression of Np9 resulted in cells migrating into the wound at a slower rate, whereas reintroduction of Np9 resulted in NCCIT cells migrating back into the wound in a manner similar to the control. These findings support the implication that the HERV-K accessory protein Np9 has oncogenic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana M. Chan
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Tamar Sapir
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sung-Soo Park
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jean-François Rual
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Rafael Contreras-Galindo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Orly Reiner
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - David M. Markovitz
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Cancer Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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Wu HC, Wei XG, Chan SC. Novel Consensus Gene Selection Criteria for Distributed GPU Partial Least Squares-Based Gene Microarray Analysis in Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Related Findings. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2018; 15:2039-2052. [PMID: 28991749 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2017.2760827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper proposes a novel consensus gene selection criteria for partial least squares-based gene microarray analysis. By quantifying the extent of consistency and distinctiveness of the differential gene expressions across different double cross validations (CV) or randomizations in terms of occurrence and randomization p-values, the proposed criteria are able to identify a more comprehensive genes associated with the underlying disease. A Distributed GPU implementation has been proposed to accelerate the gene selection problem and about 8-11 times speed up has been achieved based on the microarray datasets considered. Simulation results using various cancer gene microarray datasets show that the proposed approach is able to achieve highly comparable classification accuracy in comparing with many conventional approaches. Furthermore, enrichment analysis on the selected genes for Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Prostate Cancer datasets and show that only the proposed approach is able to identify gene lists enriched in different pathways with significant p-values. In contrast, sufficient statistical significance cannot be found for conventional SVM-RFE and the t-test. The reliability in identifying and establishing statistical significance of the gene findings makes the proposed approach an attractive alternative for cancer related researches based on gene expression profiling or other similar data.
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Matteucci C, Balestrieri E, Argaw-Denboba A, Sinibaldi-Vallebona P. Human endogenous retroviruses role in cancer cell stemness. Semin Cancer Biol 2018; 53:17-30. [PMID: 30317035 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cancer incidence and mortality, metastasis, drug resistance and recurrence are still the critical issues of oncological diseases. In this scenario, increasing scientific evidences demonstrate that the activation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) is involved in the aggressiveness of tumors such as melanoma, breast, germ cell, renal, ovarian, liver and haematological cancers. In their dynamic regulation, HERVs have also proved to be important determinants of pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells (ESC) and of the reprogramming process of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In many types of tumors, essential characteristics of aggressiveness have been associated with the achievement of stemness features, often accompanied with the identification of defined subpopulations, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), which possess stem cell-like properties and sustain tumorigenesis. Indeed, CSCs show high self-renewal capacity with a peculiar potential in tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, heterogeneity, recurrence, radiotherapy and drug resistance. However, HERVs role in CSCs biology is still not fully elucidated. In this regard, CD133 is a widely recognized marker of CSCs, and our group demonstrated, for the first time, the requirement of HERV-K activation to expand and maintain a CD133+ melanoma cell subpopulation with stemness features in response to microenvironmental modifications. The review will discuss HERVs expression as cancer hallmark, with particular focus on their role in the regulation of cancer stemness features and the potential involvement as targets for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Matteucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Balestrieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Ayele Argaw-Denboba
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy; European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Adriano Buzzati-Traverso Campus, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Sinibaldi-Vallebona
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy; Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council, Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00133, Rome, Italy
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Håvik AL, Bruland O, Aarhus M, Kalland KH, Stokowy T, Lund-Johansen M, Knappskog PM. Screening for viral nucleic acids in vestibular schwannoma. J Neurovirol 2018; 24:730-737. [DOI: 10.1007/s13365-018-0669-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Dai L, Del Valle L, Miley W, Whitby D, Ochoa AC, Flemington EK, Qin Z. Transactivation of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) by KSHV promotes Kaposi's sarcoma development. Oncogene 2018; 37:4534-4545. [PMID: 29743595 PMCID: PMC6195842 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0282-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of several human cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), which represents the most common AIDS-associated malignancy that lacks effective treatment options. Despite its clear role in AIDS malignancies, the fact that only a small set of KSHV-infected patients will eventually develop these tumors implies that additional co-factors are required for the development of KSHV-related cancers. In the current study, we demonstrate for the first time that KSHV de novo infection or viral latent proteins are able to transactivate human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) through a variety of cellular signaling pathways and transcriptional factors. Moreover, we found that HERV-K transactivation, particularly activation of its encoded oncogenic NP9 protein, plays an important role in KSHV pathogenesis and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Our data provide innovative insights into the mechanisms of HERV-K transactivation contributing to viral oncogenesis, which may represent a promising target for KS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Dai
- Department of Genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Research Center for Translational Medicine and Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 200120, Shanghai, China
| | - Luis Del Valle
- Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Wendell Miley
- Viral Oncology Section, AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, PO Box B, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Denise Whitby
- Viral Oncology Section, AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, PO Box B, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Augusto C Ochoa
- Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Erik K Flemington
- Department of Pathology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Tulane Cancer Center, 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Qin
- Department of Genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Research Center for Translational Medicine and Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 200120, Shanghai, China.
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Bergallo M, Montanari P, Mareschi K, Merlino C, Berger M, Bini I, Daprà V, Galliano I, Fagioli F. Expression of the pol gene of human endogenous retroviruses HERV-K and -W in leukemia patients. Arch Virol 2017; 162:3639-3644. [DOI: 10.1007/s00705-017-3526-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Walsh SR, Gerpe MCR, Wootton SK. Construction of a molecular clone of ovine enzootic nasal tumor virus. Virol J 2016; 13:209. [PMID: 28038674 PMCID: PMC5203713 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-016-0660-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV-1) is an ovine betaretrovirus that has been linked to enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma (ENA), a contagious tumor of the ethmoid turbinates of sheep. Transmission experiments performed using virus isolated from cell free nasal tumor homogenates suggest that ENTV-1 is the causative agent of ENA; however, this etiological relationship has not been conclusively proven due to the fact that the virus cannot be propagated in vitro nor is there an infectious molecular clone of the virus. METHODS Here we report construction of a molecular clone of ENTV-1 and demonstrate that transfection of this molecular clone into HEK 293T cells produces mature virus particles. RESULTS Analysis of recombinant virus particles derived from the initial molecular clone revealed a defect in the proteolytic processing of Gag; however, this defect could be corrected by co-expression of the Gag-Pro-Pol polyprotein from the highly related Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) suggesting that the polyprotein cleavage sites in the ENTV-1 molecular clone were functional. Mutagenesis of the molecular clone to correct amino acid variants identified within the pro gene did not restore proteolytic processing; whereas deletion of one proline residue from a polyproline tract located in variable region 1 (VR1) of the matrix resulted in production of CA protein of the mature (cleaved) size strongly suggesting that normal virion morphogenesis and polyprotein cleavage took place. Finally, electron microscopy revealed the presence of spherical virus particles with an eccentric capsid and an average diameter of about 100 nm. CONCLUSION In summary, we have constructed the first molecular clone of ENTV-1 from which mature virus particles can be produced. Future experiments using virus produced from this molecular clone can now be conducted to fulfill Koch's postulates and demonstrate that ENTV-1 is necessary and sufficient to induce ENA in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Walsh
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - María Carla Rosales Gerpe
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sarah K Wootton
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Virome characterisation from Guthrie cards in children who later developed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Br J Cancer 2016; 115:1008-1014. [PMID: 27552439 PMCID: PMC5061901 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2016.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Some childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALL) can be traced back to a prenatal origin, where a virus infection could be involved in the first pre-leukaemic clone development. The DNA virome of 95 children who later developed ALL was characterised from neonatal blood spots (NBS) using unbiased next-generation sequencing (NGS) and compared with the virome of 95 non-ALL controls. Methods: DNA was individually extracted from the ALL-patients and controls, pooled, randomly amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq Sequencing System. Results: Virus-like sequences identified in both groups mapped to human endogenous retroviruses and propionibacterium phage, considered a part of the normal microbial flora. Potential pathogens human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) and parvovirus B19 were also identified, but only few samples in both ALL and controls tested positive by PCR follow-up. Conclusions: Unbiased NGS was employed to search for DNA from potential infectious agents in neonatal samples of children who later developed ALL. Although several viral candidates were identified in the NBS samples, further investigation by PCR suggested that these viruses did not have a major role in ALL development.
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Grégoire L, Haudry A, Lerat E. The transposable element environment of human genes is associated with histone and expression changes in cancer. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:588. [PMID: 27506777 PMCID: PMC4979156 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2970-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Only 2 % of the human genome code for proteins. Among the remaining 98 %, transposable elements (TEs) represent millions of sequences. TEs have an impact on genome evolution by promoting mutations. Especially, TEs possess their own regulatory sequences and can alter the expression pattern of neighboring genes. Since they can potentially be harmful, TE activity is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. These mechanisms participate in the modulation of gene expression and can be associated with some human diseases resulting from gene expression deregulation. The fact that the TE silencing can be removed in cancer could explain a part of the changes in gene expression. Indeed, epigenetic modifications associated locally with TE sequences could impact neighboring genes since these modifications can spread to adjacent sequences. RESULTS We compared the histone enrichment, TE neighborhood, and expression divergence of human genes between a normal and a cancer conditions. We show that the presence of TEs near genes is associated with greater changes in histone enrichment and that differentially expressed genes harbor larger histone enrichment variation related to the presence of particular TEs. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results suggest that the presence of TEs near genes could favor important variation in gene expression when the cell environment is modified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Grégoire
- Université de Lyon; F-69000, France; Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Annabelle Haudry
- Université de Lyon; F-69000, France; Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Emmanuelle Lerat
- Université de Lyon; F-69000, France; Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France.
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Smith JA, Leonardi T, Huang B, Iraci N, Vega B, Pluchino S. Extracellular vesicles and their synthetic analogues in aging and age-associated brain diseases. Biogerontology 2015; 16:147-85. [PMID: 24973266 PMCID: PMC4578234 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-014-9510-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Multicellular organisms rely upon diverse and complex intercellular communications networks for a myriad of physiological processes. Disruption of these processes is implicated in the onset and propagation of disease and disorder, including the mechanisms of senescence at both cellular and organismal levels. In recent years, secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as a particularly novel vector by which cell-to-cell communications are enacted. EVs actively and specifically traffic bioactive proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites between cells at local and systemic levels, modulating cellular responses in a bidirectional manner under both homeostatic and pathological conditions. EVs are being implicated not only in the generic aging process, but also as vehicles of pathology in a number of age-related diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative and disease. Thus, circulating EVs-or specific EV cargoes-are being utilised as putative biomarkers of disease. On the other hand, EVs, as targeted intercellular shuttles of multipotent bioactive payloads, have demonstrated promising therapeutic properties, which can potentially be modulated and enhanced through cellular engineering. Furthermore, there is considerable interest in employing nanomedicinal approaches to mimic the putative therapeutic properties of EVs by employing synthetic analogues for targeted drug delivery. Herein we describe what is known about the origin and nature of EVs and subsequently review their putative roles in biology and medicine (including the use of synthetic EV analogues), with a particular focus on their role in aging and age-related brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Smith
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0PY, UK
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Perzova R, Graziano E, Sanghi S, Welch C, Benz P, Abbott L, Lalone D, Glaser J, Loughran T, Sheremata W, Poiesz BJ. Increased seroreactivity to human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus-related endogenous sequence-1 Gag peptides in patients with human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus myelopathy. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2015; 31:242-9. [PMID: 25295378 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2014.0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, we had shown that although only 8% of patients with large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGLL) were infected with human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus (HTLV)-2, almost half had antibodies to HTLV Gag and Env peptides. Herein, we investigated whether this could be due to cross-reactive antibodies to two homologous peptides in the Gag protein of the endogenous retrovirus HTLV-related endogenous sequence-1 (HRES-1). In addition, we had previously shown that patients with HTLV neurodegenerative diseases had increased seroreactivity to homologous HERV-K10 endogenous retrovirus peptides. Hence, in this study we also examined whether these patients had increased seroreactivity to the aforementioned HRES-1 Gag peptides. Sera from 100 volunteer blood donors (VBD), 53 patients with LGLL, 74 subjects with HTLV-1 or 2 infection (58 nonmyelopathy and 16 myelopathy), and 83 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were evaluated. The HTLV-positive myelopathy (HAM) patients had a statistically increased prevalence of antibodies to both HRES-1 Gag peptides (81%) vs. the VBD (0%), LGLL patients (13%), and MS patients (1%), and the HTLV-positive nonmyelopathy subjects (21%). The data suggest that cross-reactivity to HRES-1 peptides could be involved in the pathogenesis of HAM. The difference between the VBD and LGLL patients was also statistically significant, also suggesting a possible association in a minority of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raisa Perzova
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Elliot Graziano
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Swathi Sanghi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Caitlin Welch
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Patricia Benz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Lynn Abbott
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Danielle Lalone
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Jordan Glaser
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Staten Island Hospital, New York, New York
| | - Thomas Loughran
- Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | - Bernard J. Poiesz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
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Bae JH, Eo J, Kim TO, Yi JM. Biological changes of transposable elements by radiation: recent progress. Genes Genomics 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s13258-014-0256-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Diminished humoral responses against and reduced gene expression levels of human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) in psoriasis. J Transl Med 2014; 12:256. [PMID: 25224121 PMCID: PMC4174287 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-014-0256-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Psoriasis is a multifactorial, chronic disease of skin affecting 2-3% of the world’s population. Genetic studies of psoriasis have identified a number of susceptibility genes that are involved in anti-viral immunity. Furthermore, physiological studies have also found an increase in anti-viral proteins in psoriatic skin. These findings suggest the presence of an anti-viral state in psoriatic skin. However, the triggers for this anti-viral cascade and its consequences for host immunity are not known. Endogenous retroviruses have previously been described in many autoimmune diseases including psoriasis. Methods In the present study we examined the humoral immune response against human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) proteins and the cutaneous expression levels of multiple HERV-K genes in psoriasis patients and healthy controls. Results In psoriatic sera we observed a significant decrease in IgM response against three HERV-K proteins: Env surface unit (SU), Env transmembrane protein (TM), and Gag capsid (CA) in comparison to sera obtained from blood bank healthy controls. A decrease in IgG response was also observed against CA. Furthermore, using quantitative RT-PCR we observed a decrease in the expression of HERV-K Env, Gag, Pol and Rec as well as ERV-9 genes in lesional psoriatic skin as compared to healthy skin. Conclusions Together, our results suggest that the pro-inflammatory, anti-viral state in psoriasis is associated with diminished expression of HERV-K gene transcripts and a concomitant decrease in humoral responses to HERV-K. Our results indicate that a simple model where continuous, minimally changing HERV-K expression serves as an antigenic trigger in psoriasis might not be correct and further studies are needed to decipher the possible relationship between psoriasis and HERVs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0256-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Krone B, Kölmel KF, Grange JM. The biography of the immune system and the control of cancer: from St Peregrine to contemporary vaccination strategies. BMC Cancer 2014; 14:595. [PMID: 25128300 PMCID: PMC4141110 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The historical basis and contemporary evidence for the use of immune strategies for prevention of malignancies are reviewed. Emphasis is focussed on the Febrile Infections and Melanoma (FEBIM) study on melanoma and on malignancies that seem to be related to an overexpression of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K). DISCUSSION It is claimed that, as a result of recent observational studies, measures for prevention of some malignancies such as melanoma and certain forms of leukaemia are already at hand: vaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) of new-borns and vaccination with the yellow fever 17D (YFV) vaccine of adults. While the evidence of their benefit for prevention of malignancies requires substantiation, the observations that vaccinations with BCG and/or vaccinia early in life improved the outcome of patients after surgical therapy of melanoma are of practical relevance as the survival advantage conferred by prior vaccination is greater than any contemporary adjuvant therapy. SUMMARY The reviewed findings open a debate as to whether controlled vaccination studies should be conducted in patients and/or regions for whom/where they are needed most urgently. A study proposal is made and discussed. If protection is confirmed, the development of novel recombinant vaccines with wider ranges of protection based, most likely, on BCG, YFV or vaccinia, could be attempted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Krone
- />Institute of Virology of Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- />Medical Laboratory, Kurt-Reuber-Haus, Herkulesstraße 34a, 34119 Kassel, Germany
| | - Klaus F Kölmel
- />Dermatologic Clinic of Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - John M Grange
- />London Clinic Cancer Centre B2, 22 Devonshire Place, London, W1G 6JA UK
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Fischer S, Echeverría N, Moratorio G, Landoni AI, Dighiero G, Cristina J, Oppezzo P, Moreno P. Human endogenous retrovirus np9 gene is over expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Leuk Res Rep 2014; 3:70-2. [PMID: 25180156 PMCID: PMC4145164 DOI: 10.1016/j.lrr.2014.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome contains a large number of endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). Their reactivation has frequently been observed in patients with cancer. Considering their role in the carcinogenesis process, we aimed to study the possible relationship between HERVs gene expression and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). We focused on two viral genes gag and np9, the latter presumably an oncogene. We found that the transcriptional activity of HERV-K np9 gene was greater in CLL patients than in healthy donors. However, gag expression was not significantly increased. These findings suggest a noteworthy relationship between CLL disease and HERV-K np9 expression. We study the possible relationship between HERVs gene expression and CLL. CLL patients express np9 gene at least 5 times higher than in healthy donors. The gag gene expression was not significantly increased in CLL samples. The expression level of the c-myc was not modified by the over expression of np9. This work suggests a possible relationship between CLL and HERV-K np9 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Fischer
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Echeverría
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gonzalo Moratorio
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay ; Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Ana Inés Landoni
- Service of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hospital Maciel, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Juan Cristina
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Oppezzo
- Protein Recombinant Unit, Institut Pasteur, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pilar Moreno
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay ; Protein Recombinant Unit, Institut Pasteur, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Criscione SW, Zhang Y, Thompson W, Sedivy JM, Neretti N. Transcriptional landscape of repetitive elements in normal and cancer human cells. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:583. [PMID: 25012247 PMCID: PMC4122776 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Repetitive elements comprise at least 55% of the human genome with more recent estimates as high as two-thirds. Most of these elements are retrotransposons, DNA sequences that can insert copies of themselves into new genomic locations by a “copy and paste” mechanism. These mobile genetic elements play important roles in shaping genomes during evolution, and have been implicated in the etiology of many human diseases. Despite their abundance and diversity, few studies investigated the regulation of endogenous retrotransposons at the genome-wide scale, primarily because of the technical difficulties of uniquely mapping high-throughput sequencing reads to repetitive DNA. Results Here we develop a new computational method called RepEnrich to study genome-wide transcriptional regulation of repetitive elements. We show that many of the Long Terminal Repeat retrotransposons in humans are transcriptionally active in a cell line-specific manner. Cancer cell lines display increased RNA Polymerase II binding to retrotransposons than cell lines derived from normal tissue. Consistent with increased transcriptional activity of retrotransposons in cancer cells we found significantly higher levels of L1 retrotransposon RNA expression in prostate tumors compared to normal-matched controls. Conclusions Our results support increased transcription of retrotransposons in transformed cells, which may explain the somatic retrotransposition events recently reported in several types of cancers. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.1186/1471-2164-15-583 and is accessible for authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Nicola Neretti
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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Downey RF, Sullivan FJ, Wang-Johanning F, Ambs S, Giles FJ, Glynn SA. Human endogenous retrovirus K and cancer: Innocent bystander or tumorigenic accomplice? Int J Cancer 2014; 137:1249-57. [PMID: 24890612 PMCID: PMC6264888 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Harbored as relics of ancient germline infections, human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) now constitute up to 8% of our genome. A proportion of this sequence has been co-opted for molecular and cellular processes, beneficial to human physiology, such as the fusogenic activity of the envelope protein, a vital component of placentogenesis. However, the discovery of high levels of HERV-K mRNA and protein and even virions in a wide array of cancers has revealed that HERV-K may be playing a more sinister role–a role as an etiological agent in cancer itself. Whether the presence of this retroviral material is simply an epiphenomenon, or an actual causative factor, is a hotly debated topic. This review will summarize the current state of knowledge regarding HERV-K and cancer and attempt to outline the potential mechanisms by which HERV-K could be involved in the onset and promotion of carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronan F Downey
- Prostate Cancer Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Francis J Sullivan
- Prostate Cancer Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospitals, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Stefan Ambs
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Francis J Giles
- Prostate Cancer Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.,HRB Clinical Research Facilities Galway & Dublin, National University of Ireland Galway and Trinity College Dublin, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sharon A Glynn
- Prostate Cancer Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Wallace TA, Downey RF, Seufert CJ, Schetter A, Dorsey TH, Johnson CA, Goldman R, Loffredo CA, Yan P, Sullivan FJ, Giles FJ, Wang-Johanning F, Ambs S, Glynn SA. Elevated HERV-K mRNA expression in PBMC is associated with a prostate cancer diagnosis particularly in older men and smokers. Carcinogenesis 2014; 35:2074-83. [PMID: 24858205 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgu114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of subgroup k human endogenous retroviruses (HERV-K) has been observed in prostate cancer. This subgroup is unique because it encodes sequences in the human genome containing open reading frames for near intact retroviruses. We hypothesized that HERV-K reactivation could serve as a non-invasive early disease detection marker for prostate cancer. We evaluated HERV-K gag messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in blood samples of African-American and European-American men using a case-control design via quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, we examined HERV-K envelope protein expression in prostate tumors by immunohistochemistry. HERV-K envelope protein was commonly upregulated in prostate tumors, but more so in tumors of African-American than European-American patients (61% versus 40%, P < 0.01). Examining HERV-K gag expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 294 cases and 135 healthy men, we found that the abundance of HERV-K gag message was significantly higher in cases than controls and was associated with increased plasma interferon-γ. Men with gag expression in the highest quartile had >12-fold increased odds {odds ratio = 12.87 [95% confidence interval 6.3-26.25]} of being diagnosed with prostate cancer than those in the lowest quartile. Moreover, our results showed that HERV-K expression may perform better as a disease biomarker in older than younger men (whereas the sensitivity of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing decreases with age) and in men with a smoking history compared with never smokers. Combining non-invasive HERV-K testing with PSA testing may improve the efficacy of prostate cancer detection specifically among older men and smokers who tend to develop a more aggressive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A Wallace
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA, Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Ronan F Downey
- Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland
| | - Caleb J Seufert
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA, Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Aaron Schetter
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA, Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Tiffany H Dorsey
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA, Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Carol A Johnson
- Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland
| | - Radoslav Goldman
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA
| | - Christopher A Loffredo
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA
| | - Peisha Yan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Francis J Sullivan
- Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and
| | - Francis J Giles
- Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland
| | - Feng Wang-Johanning
- Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Stefan Ambs
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA, Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland, Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057-1465, USA, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland and Viral Oncology, Center for Cancer and Metabolism, Stanford Research Institute International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Sharon A Glynn
- Prostate Cancer Institute, Biosciences Research Building, National University of Ireland Galway, Dangan, Corrib Village, Galway, Ireland,
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Kraus B, Fischer K, Sliva K, Schnierle BS. Vaccination directed against the human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) gag protein slows HERV-K gag expressing cell growth in a murine model system. Virol J 2014; 11:58. [PMID: 24669861 PMCID: PMC3974434 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-11-58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of ancestral infections and chromosomally integrated in all cells of an individual, are transmitted only vertically and are defective in viral replication. However enhanced expression of HERV-K accompanied by the emergence of anti-HERV-K-directed immune responses has been observed inter-alia in HIV-infected individuals and tumor patients. Therefore HERV-K might serve as a tumor-specific antigen or even as a constant target for the development of an HIV vaccine. Results To verify our hypothesis, we tested the immunogenicity of HERV-K Gag by using a recombinant vaccinia virus (MVA-HKcon) expressing the HERV-K Gag protein and established an animal model to test its vaccination efficacy. Murine renal carcinoma cells (Renca) were genetically altered to express E. coli beta-galactosidase (RLZ cells) and the HERV-K Gag protein (RLZ-HKGag cells). Subcutaneous application of RLZ-HKGag cells into syngenic BALB/c mice resulted in the formation of local tumors in MVA vaccinated mice. MVA-HKcon vaccination reduced the tumor growth. Furthermore, intravenous injection of RLZ-HKGag cells led to the formation of pulmonary metastases. Vaccination of tumor-bearing mice with MVA-HKcon drastically reduced the number of pulmonary RLZ-HKGag tumor nodules compared to vaccination with wild-type MVA. Conclusion The data demonstrate that HERV-K Gag is a useful target for vaccine development and might offer new treatment opportunities for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Barbara S Schnierle
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 51-59, Langen 63225, Germany.
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Krone B, Kölmel KF, Grange JM. Childhood infectious diseases and risk of leukaemia in an adult population. Int J Cancer 2014; 134:495-6. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Krone
- Institute of Virology; University of Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
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Perzova R, Graziano E, Sanghi S, Welch C, Benz P, Abbott L, Lalone D, Glaser J, Loughran T, Sheremata W, Poiesz BJ. Increased seroreactivity to HERV-K10 peptides in patients with HTLV myelopathy. Virol J 2013; 10:360. [PMID: 24365054 PMCID: PMC3878045 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previously, we had shown that persons infected with human T-cell lymphoma leukemia virus 1 or 2 (HTLV-1 or 2) had an increased prevalence of antibodies to a peptide in the Pol protein of the retrovirus HERV-K10, homologous to a peptide in HTLV gp21 envelope protein. The prevalence rate was higher in those with myelopathy vs. non-myelopathy. We have now extended our observations to a cohort restricted to North America in whom the diagnosis of HTLV myelopathy was rigorously confirmed to also test for reactivity to another HERV-K10 peptide homologous to the HTLV p24 Gag protein. METHODS Sera from 100 volunteer blood donors (VBD), 53 patients with large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGLL), 74 subjects with HTLV-1 or 2 infection (58 non-myelopathy and 16 myelopathy) and 83 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were evaluated in ELISA assays using the above peptides. RESULTS The HTLV myelopathy patients had a statistically significant increased prevalence of antibodies to both HERV-K10 peptides (87.5%) vs. the VBD (0%), LGLL patients (0%), MS patients (4.8%), and the HTLV positive non-myelopathy subjects (5.2%). CONCLUSION The data suggest that immuno-cross-reactivity to HERV-K10 peptides and/or transactivation of HERV-K10 expression by the HTLV Tax protein may be involved in the pathogenesis of HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis and spastic ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bernard J Poiesz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
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Hohn O, Hanke K, Bannert N. HERV-K(HML-2), the Best Preserved Family of HERVs: Endogenization, Expression, and Implications in Health and Disease. Front Oncol 2013; 3:246. [PMID: 24066280 PMCID: PMC3778440 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviruses that have the ability to infect germ line cells can become an integral and inherited part of the host genome. About 8% of the human chromosomal DNA consists of sequences derived from infections by retroviruses that presumably circulated 2-40 millions of years ago, and some elements are actually much older. Post-insertional recombinations, deletions, and mutations have rendered all known human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) non-infectious. However some, particularly the most recently acquired proviruses of the HERV-K(HML-2) family, can expresses viral proteins and produce viral particles. In this review we will first discuss the major aspects of the endogenization process and peculiarities of the different HERV-K families. We will then focus on the genes and proteins encoded by HERV-K(HML-2) as well as inactivation of these proviruses by postinsertional mutations and their inhibition by antiretroviral factors. After describing the evolutionary interplay between host and endogenous retrovirus we will delve deeper into the currently limited understanding of HERV-K and its possible association with disease, particularly tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Hohn
- Division for HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute , Berlin , Germany
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Vaccination directed against the human endogenous retrovirus-K envelope protein inhibits tumor growth in a murine model system. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72756. [PMID: 24023643 PMCID: PMC3758348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) genomes are chromosomally integrated in all cells of an individual. They are normally transcriptionally silenced and transmitted only vertically. Enhanced expression of HERV-K accompanied by the emergence of anti-HERV-K-directed immune responses has been observed in tumor patients and HIV-infected individuals. As HERV-K is usually not expressed and immunological tolerance development is unlikely, it is an appropriate target for the development of immunotherapies. We generated a recombinant vaccinia virus (MVA-HKenv) expressing the HERV-K envelope glycoprotein (ENV), based on the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), and established an animal model to test its vaccination efficacy. Murine renal carcinoma cells (Renca) were genetically altered to express E. coli beta-galactosidase (RLZ cells) or the HERV-K ENV gene (RLZ-HKenv cells). Intravenous injection of RLZ-HKenv cells into syngenic BALB/c mice led to the formation of pulmonary metastases, which were detectable by X-gal staining. A single vaccination of tumor-bearing mice with MVA-HKenv drastically reduced the number of pulmonary RLZ-HKenv tumor nodules compared to vaccination with wild-type MVA. Prophylactic vaccination of mice with MVA-HKenv precluded the formation of RLZ-HKenv tumor nodules, whereas wild-type MVA-vaccinated animals succumbed to metastasis. Protection from tumor formation correlated with enhanced HERV-K ENV-specific killing activity of splenocytes. These data demonstrate for the first time that HERV-K ENV is a useful target for vaccine development and might offer new treatment opportunities for diverse types of cancer.
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Shin W, Lee J, Son SY, Ahn K, Kim HS, Han K. Human-specific HERV-K insertion causes genomic variations in the human genome. PLoS One 2013; 8:e60605. [PMID: 23593260 PMCID: PMC3625200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) sequences account for about 8% of the human genome. Through comparative genomics and literature mining, we identified a total of 29 human-specific HERV-K insertions. We characterized them focusing on their structure and flanking sequence. The results showed that four of the human-specific HERV-K insertions deleted human genomic sequences via non-classical insertion mechanisms. Interestingly, two of the human-specific HERV-K insertion loci contained two HERV-K internals and three LTR elements, a pattern which could be explained by LTR-LTR ectopic recombination or template switching. In addition, we conducted a polymorphic test and observed that twelve out of the 29 elements are polymorphic in the human population. In conclusion, human-specific HERV-K elements have inserted into human genome since the divergence of human and chimpanzee, causing human genomic changes. Thus, we believe that human-specific HERV-K activity has contributed to the genomic divergence between humans and chimpanzees, as well as within the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonseok Shin
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science and WCU Research Center, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungnam Lee
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science and WCU Research Center, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Yeol Son
- Department of Microbiology, College of Advanced Science, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kung Ahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Heui-Soo Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyudong Han
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science and WCU Research Center, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Biogenesis of extracellular vesicles (EV): exosomes, microvesicles, retrovirus-like vesicles, and apoptotic bodies. J Neurooncol 2013; 113:1-11. [PMID: 23456661 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-013-1084-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 964] [Impact Index Per Article: 87.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest both normal and cancerous cells secrete vesicles into the extracellular space. These extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain materials that mirror the genetic and proteomic content of the secreting cell. The identification of cancer-specific material in EVs isolated from the biofluids (e.g., serum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine) of cancer patients suggests EVs as an attractive platform for biomarker development. It is important to recognize that the EVs derived from clinical samples are likely highly heterogeneous in make-up and arose from diverse sets of biologic processes. This article aims to review the biologic processes that give rise to various types of EVs, including exosomes, microvesicles, retrovirus like particles, and apoptotic bodies. Clinical pertinence of these EVs to neuro-oncology will also be discussed.
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The viral oncogene Np9 acts as a critical molecular switch for co-activating β-catenin, ERK, Akt and Notch1 and promoting the growth of human leukemia stem/progenitor cells. Leukemia 2013; 27:1469-78. [PMID: 23307033 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2013.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2012] [Revised: 12/22/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
HERV-K (human endogenous retrovirus type K) type 1-encoded Np9 is a tumor-specific biomarker, but its oncogenic role and targets in human leukemia remain elusive. We first identified Np9 as a potent viral oncogene in human leukemia. Silencing of Np9 inhibited the growth of myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemic cells, whereas expression of Np9 significantly promoted the growth of leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. Np9 not only activated ERK, AKT and Notch1 pathways but also upregulated β-catenin essential for survival of leukemia stem cells. In human leukemia, Np9 protein level in leukemia patients was substantially higher than that in normal donors (56% vs 4.5%). Moreover, Np9 protein level was correlated with the number of leukemia stem/progenitor cells but not detected in normal CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells. In addition, Np9-positive samples highly expressed leukemia-specific pol-env polyprotein, env and transmembrane proteins as well as viral particles. Thus, the viral oncogene Np9 is a critical molecular switch of multiple signaling pathways regulating the growth of leukemia stem/progenitor cells. These findings open a new perspective to understand the etiology of human common leukemia and provide a novel target for treating leukemia.
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