Regulation of ERVs in pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming

Abstract

Recent advances in our understanding of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) regulation and its functional aspects have provided us with vast power to unravel its role in the host's genome. Co-evolutionary model of ERVs and Kruppel associated box-Zinc Finger Proteins (KRAB-ZFPs) provides a deeper knowledge of how the genome is shaped during the course of evolution. However, the role of ERVs in normal cellular function still remains an enigma. Here we review studies in recent years with a focus on the role of ERVs in maintaining stemness and cell fate reprogramming, along with the recent discoveries of novel regulatory factors which have been shown to mediate ERV expression in both canonical and non-canonical pathways.