Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2004 Oct;138(1):1-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2004.02592.x.

Human endogenous retroviruses: transposable elements with potential?

P N Nelson  1 , P Hooley, D Roden, H Davari Ejtehadi, P Rylance, P Warren, J Martin, P G Murray; Molecular Immunology Research Group
Affiliations
Review

Human endogenous retroviruses: transposable elements with potential?

P N Nelson et al. Clin Exp Immunol. 2004 Oct.

Abstract

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are a significant component of a wider family of retroelements that constitute part of the human genome. These viruses, perhaps representative of previous exogenous retroviral infection, have been integrated and passed through successive generations within the germ line. The retention of HERVs and isolated elements, such as long-terminal repeats, could have the potential to harm. In this review we describe HERVs within the context of the family of known transposable elements and survey these viruses in terms of superantigens and molecular mimics. It is entirely possible that these mechanisms provide the potential for undesired immune responses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic view of HERV activation via long-terminal repeats that may augment the production of superantigens and peptide mimics that could lead to autoimmune diseases. The ‘transducing’ elements within HERVs enable environmental agents to modulate HERV expression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Knipe DM, Howley PM. Fields virology. 4. Philadelphia USA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2001.
    1. Griffiths DJ. Endogenous rretroviruses in the human genome sequence. Genome Biol. 2001;2:1017.1–1017.5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lower R, Lower J, Kurth R. The viruses in all of us: characteristics and biological significance of human endogenous retrovirus sequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1996;93:5177–84. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pennisi E. Gene counters struggle to get the right answer. Science. 2003;301:1040–1. - PubMed
    1. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome. Nature. 2001;409:860–921. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms