Jern P, Greenwood AD. Wildlife endogenous retroviruses: colonization, consequences, and cooption.
Trends Genet 2024;
40:149-159. [PMID:
37985317 DOI:
10.1016/j.tig.2023.10.014]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are inherited genomic remains of past germline retroviral infections. Research on human ERVs has focused on medical implications of their dysregulation on various diseases. However, recent studies incorporating wildlife are yielding remarkable perspectives on long-term retrovirus-host interactions. These initial forays into broader taxonomic analysis, including sequencing of multiple individuals per species, show the incredible plasticity and variation of ERVs within and among wildlife species. This demonstrates that stochastic processes govern much of the vertebrate genome. In this review, we elaborate on discoveries pertaining to wildlife ERV origins and evolution, genome colonization, and consequences for host biology.
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