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Review
. 2022 Nov 23:13:1057791.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1057791. eCollection 2022.

Human endogenous retroviruses and the inflammatory response: A vicious circle associated with health and illness

Sara Coelho Rangel  1 , Michelly Damasceno da Silva  1 , Amanda Lopes da Silva  2 , Juliana de Melo Batista Dos Santos  3 , Lucas Melo Neves  1 , Ana Pedrosa  4 , Fernanda Monteiro Rodrigues  1 , Caio Dos Santos Trettel  5 , Guilherme Eustáquio Furtado  6 , Marcelo Paes de Barros  5 , André Luis Lacerda Bachi  1 , Camila Malta Romano  2   7 , Luiz Henrique Da Silva Nali  1
Affiliations
Review

Human endogenous retroviruses and the inflammatory response: A vicious circle associated with health and illness

Sara Coelho Rangel et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from ancient exogenous retroviral infections that have infected our ancestors' germline cells, underwent endogenization process, and were passed throughout the generations by retrotransposition and hereditary transmission. HERVs comprise 8% of the human genome and are critical for several physiological activities. Yet, HERVs reactivation is involved in pathological process as cancer and autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarize the multiple aspects of HERVs' role within the human genome, as well as virological and molecular aspects, and their fusogenic property. We also discuss possibilities of how the HERVs are possibly transactivated and participate in modulating the inflammatory response in health conditions. An update on their role in several autoimmune, inflammatory, and aging-related diseases is also presented.

Keywords: HERV-K; HERV-W; aging related diseases; autoimmune diseases; human endogenous retrovirus (HERVs); inflammation; physiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Human endogenous retroviral integration and transmission throughout host evolution of primates and humans. HERVs families were integrated into the hominid ancestral genomes in several distinct times throughout the human evolution. Draw lines between primates and human demonstrate the time between the integration moment and the present day.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HERV assembly determined by the combination of distinct retroviral genes (solo or from complete proviruses) from different genomic locations within the genome.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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