Human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K113 is capable of producing intact viral particles

K Boller, K Schönfeld, S Lischer… - Journal of General …, 2008 - microbiologyresearch.org
K Boller, K Schönfeld, S Lischer, N Fischer, A Hoffmann, R Kurth, RR Tönjes
Journal of General Virology, 2008microbiologyresearch.org
Of all human endogenous retroviruses known today, HERV-K is the only one that has been
shown to produce viral particles. While the first of the approximately 30 HERV-K sequences
integrated into the human genome more than 40 million years ago, evidence is
accumulating that HERV-K was active more recently, provirus HERV-K113 being the
youngest sequence found. However, it is unclear which HERV-K sequences code for the
viral particles that are produced by human germ-cell tumours or melanomas. Here, we show …
Of all human endogenous retroviruses known today, HERV-K is the only one that has been shown to produce viral particles. While the first of the approximately 30 HERV-K sequences integrated into the human genome more than 40 million years ago, evidence is accumulating that HERV-K was active more recently, provirus HERV-K113 being the youngest sequence found. However, it is unclear which HERV-K sequences code for the viral particles that are produced by human germ-cell tumours or melanomas. Here, we show that the provirus HERV-K113, cloned into a baculovirus expression vector, is capable of producing intact particles of retroviral morphology, exhibiting the typical structure of those particles that were characterized in cell lines derived from human germ-cell tumours. Thus, the HERV-K113 sequence is a candidate for particle production in vivo and for an active human endogenous retrovirus of today.
Microbiology Research