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Perron H. A tale of a hidden family of genetic immigrants. Microbes Infect 2024:105387. [PMID: 38944111 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2024.105387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Though not usual for the editors of a scientific journal to ask that a story be told to its readers, this special issue is offering an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who have made it possible for a long scientific journey to open up many research avenues, to access the discoveries of what was not known and to the understanding of what was unveiled in the field of human endogenous retroviruses. In particular, and beyond a simple fortuitous association, to show their pathogenic involvement in certain diseases whose causality has been the subject of numerous and variable hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Perron
- GeNeuro, 3 chemin du Pré-Fleuri, 1228 Plan-les-ouates, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneuro-Innovation, 60A, Avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon, France.
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Gericke GS. A Unifying Hypothesis for the Genome Dynamics Proposed to Underlie Neuropsychiatric Phenotypes. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:471. [PMID: 38674405 PMCID: PMC11049865 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The sheer number of gene variants and the extent of the observed clinical and molecular heterogeneity recorded in neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) could be due to the magnified downstream effects initiated by a smaller group of genomic higher-order alterations in response to endogenous or environmental stress. Chromosomal common fragile sites (CFS) are functionally linked with microRNAs, gene copy number variants (CNVs), sub-microscopic deletions and duplications of DNA, rare single-nucleotide variants (SNVs/SNPs), and small insertions/deletions (indels), as well as chromosomal translocations, gene duplications, altered methylation, microRNA and L1 transposon activity, and 3-D chromosomal topology characteristics. These genomic structural features have been linked with various NPDs in mostly isolated reports and have usually only been viewed as areas harboring potential candidate genes of interest. The suggestion to use a higher level entry point (the 'fragilome' and associated features) activated by a central mechanism ('stress') for studying NPD genetics has the potential to unify the existing vast number of different observations in this field. This approach may explain the continuum of gene findings distributed between affected and unaffected individuals, the clustering of NPD phenotypes and overlapping comorbidities, the extensive clinical and molecular heterogeneity, and the association with certain other medical disorders.
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Moreno-Martinez L, Macías-Redondo S, Strunk M, Guillén-Antonini MI, Lunetta C, Tarlarini C, Penco S, Calvo AC, Osta R, Schoorlemmer J. New Insights into Endogenous Retrovirus-K Transcripts in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1549. [PMID: 38338823 PMCID: PMC10855536 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Retroviral reverse transcriptase activity and the increased expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We were interested in confirming HERVK overexpression in the ALS brain, its use as an accessory diagnostic marker for ALS, and its potential interplay with neuroinflammation. Using qPCR to analyze HERVK expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in postmortem brain samples from ALS patients, no significant differences were observed between patients and control subjects. By contrast, we report alterations in the expression patterns of specific HERVK copies, especially in the brainstem. Out of 27 HERVK copies sampled, the relative expression of 17 loci was >1.2-fold changed in samples from ALS patients. In particular, the relative expression of two HERVK copies (Chr3-3 and Chr3-5) was significantly different in brainstem samples from ALS patients compared with controls. Further qPCR analysis of inflammation markers in brain samples revealed a significant increase in NLRP3 levels, while TNFA, IL6, and GZMB showed slight decreases. We cannot confirm global HERVK overexpression in ALS, but we can report the ALS-specific overexpression of selected HERVK copies in the ALS brain. Our data are compatible with the requirement for better patient stratification and support the potential importance of particular HERVK copies in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Moreno-Martinez
- Laboratory of Genetics and Biochemistry (LAGENBIO), Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (L.M.-M.); (R.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), University of Zaragoza-CITA, C/Miguel, Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Sofía Macías-Redondo
- Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud (IACS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (S.M.-R.)
| | - Mark Strunk
- Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud (IACS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (S.M.-R.)
| | | | - Christian Lunetta
- NEMO (NEuroMuscular Omnicentre) Clinical Center, Fondazione Serena Onlus, 20162 Milan, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Department of Milano Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 20138 Milan, Italy
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy; (C.T.)
| | - Claudia Tarlarini
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy; (C.T.)
| | - Silvana Penco
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy; (C.T.)
| | - Ana Cristina Calvo
- Laboratory of Genetics and Biochemistry (LAGENBIO), Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (L.M.-M.); (R.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), University of Zaragoza-CITA, C/Miguel, Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Rosario Osta
- Laboratory of Genetics and Biochemistry (LAGENBIO), Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (L.M.-M.); (R.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBER-CIBERNED-ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), University of Zaragoza-CITA, C/Miguel, Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Jon Schoorlemmer
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud (IACS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (S.M.-R.)
- ARAID Foundation, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
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Pourkarim MR. Navigating Evolving Challenges in Blood Safety. Viruses 2024; 16:123. [PMID: 38257823 PMCID: PMC10821029 DOI: 10.3390/v16010123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Blood safety remains a paramount public health concern, and health authorities maintain a high level of vigilance to prevent transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Reza Pourkarim
- Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Health Policy Research Centre, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
- Blood Transfusion Research Centre, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion, Tehran 14665-1157, Iran
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