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Moadab F, Sohrabi S, Wang X, Najjar R, Wolters JC, Jiang H, Miao W, Romero D, Zaller DM, Tran M, Bays A, Taylor MS, Kapeller R, LaCava J, Mustelin T. Subcellular location of L1 retrotransposon-encoded ORF1p, reverse transcription products, and DNA sensors in lupus granulocytes. Mob DNA 2024; 15:14. [PMID: 38937837 PMCID: PMC11212426 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-024-00324-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with an unpredictable course of recurrent exacerbations alternating with more stable disease. SLE is characterized by broad immune activation and autoantibodies against double-stranded DNA and numerous proteins that exist in cells as aggregates with nucleic acids, such as Ro60, MOV10, and the L1 retrotransposon-encoded ORF1p. RESULTS Here we report that these 3 proteins are co-expressed and co-localized in a subset of SLE granulocytes and are concentrated in cytosolic dots that also contain DNA: RNA heteroduplexes and the DNA sensor ZBP1, but not cGAS. The DNA: RNA heteroduplexes vanished from the neutrophils when they were treated with a selective inhibitor of the L1 reverse transcriptase. We also report that ORF1p granules escape neutrophils during the extrusion of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and, to a lesser degree, from neutrophils dying by pyroptosis, but not apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS These results bring new insights into the composition of ORF1p granules in SLE neutrophils and may explain, in part, why proteins in these granules become targeted by autoantibodies in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Moadab
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sepideh Sohrabi
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaoxing Wang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rayan Najjar
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Justina C Wolters
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hua Jiang
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Megan Tran
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alison Bays
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Martin S Taylor
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - John LaCava
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tomas Mustelin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- University of Washington, 750 Republican Street, Room E507, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
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2
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Launes C, Camacho J, Pons-Espinal M, López-Labrador FX, Esteva C, Cabrerizo M, Fernández-García MD, Fogeda M, Masa-Calles J, López-Perea N, Echevarría JE, Muñoz-Almagro C, Tarragó D. Hybrid capture shotgun sequencing detected unexpected viruses in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with acute meningitis and encephalitis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 43:863-873. [PMID: 38438704 PMCID: PMC11108891 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-024-04795-x] [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: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Investigation of undiagnosed cases of infectious neurological diseases, especially in the paediatric population, remains a challenge. This study aimed to enhance understanding of viruses in CSF from children with clinically diagnosed meningitis and/or encephalitis (M/ME) of unknown aetiology using shotgun sequencing enhanced by hybrid capture (HCSS). METHODS A single-centre prospective study was conducted at Sant Joan de Déu University Hospital, Barcelona, involving 40 M/ME episodes of unknown aetiology, recruited from May 2021 to July 2022. All participants had previously tested negative with the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel. HCSS was used to detect viral nucleic acid in the patients' CSF. Sequencing was performed on Illumina NovaSeq platform. Raw sequence data were analysed using CZ ID metagenomics and PikaVirus bioinformatics pipelines. RESULTS Forty episodes of M/ME of unknown aetiology in 39 children were analysed by HCSS. A significant viral detection in 30 CSF samples was obtained, including six parechovirus A, three enterovirus ACD, four polyomavirus 5, three HHV-7, two BKV, one HSV-1, one VZV, two CMV, one EBV, one influenza A virus, one rhinovirus, and 13 HERV-K113 detections. Of these, one sample with BKV, three with HHV-7, one with EBV, and all HERV-K113 were confirmed by specific PCR. The requirement for Intensive Care Unit admission was associated with HCSS detections. CONCLUSION This study highlights HCSS as a powerful tool for the investigation of undiagnosed cases of M/ME. Data generated must be carefully analysed and reasonable precautions must be taken before establishing association of clinical features with unexpected or novel virus findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Launes
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Departament de Medicina i Especialitats Medicoquirúrgiques, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Camacho
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda- Pozuelo km 2, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Marina Pons-Espinal
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - F Xavier López-Labrador
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Genomics & Health Department, FISABIO-Public Health Foundation, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Microbiology and Ecology, Medical School, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Cristina Esteva
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Cabrerizo
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda- Pozuelo km 2, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - María Dolores Fernández-García
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda- Pozuelo km 2, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | | | - Josefa Masa-Calles
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Avda Monforte de Lemos 5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Noemí López-Perea
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Avda Monforte de Lemos 5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Emilio Echevarría
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda- Pozuelo km 2, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Carmen Muñoz-Almagro
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Tarragó
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda- Pozuelo km 2, 28220, Majadahonda, Spain.
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3
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Li C, Qian Q, Yan C, Lu M, Li L, Li P, Fan Z, Lei W, Shang K, Wang P, Wang J, Lu T, Huang Y, Yang H, Wei H, Han J, Xiao J, Chen F. HervD Atlas: a curated knowledgebase of associations between human endogenous retroviruses and diseases. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D1315-D1326. [PMID: 37870452 PMCID: PMC10767980 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), as remnants of ancient exogenous retrovirus infected and integrated into germ cells, comprise ∼8% of the human genome. These HERVs have been implicated in numerous diseases, and extensive research has been conducted to uncover their specific roles. Despite these efforts, a comprehensive source of HERV-disease association still needs to be added. To address this gap, we introduce the HervD Atlas (https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/hervd/), an integrated knowledgebase of HERV-disease associations manually curated from all related published literature. In the current version, HervD Atlas collects 60 726 HERV-disease associations from 254 publications (out of 4692 screened literature), covering 21 790 HERVs (21 049 HERV-Terms and 741 HERV-Elements) belonging to six types, 149 diseases and 610 related/affected genes. Notably, an interactive knowledge graph that systematically integrates all the HERV-disease associations and corresponding affected genes into a comprehensive network provides a powerful tool to uncover and deduce the complex interplay between HERVs and diseases. The HervD Atlas also features a user-friendly web interface that allows efficient browsing, searching, and downloading of all association information, research metadata, and annotation information. Overall, the HervD Atlas is an essential resource for comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge on HERV-disease research, potentially facilitating the development of novel HERV-associated diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuidan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qiheng Qian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- National Genomics Data Center, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chenghao Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingming Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- National Genomics Data Center, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Pan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhuojing Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- National Genomics Data Center, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenyan Lei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kang Shang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Peihan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jie Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tianyi Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuting Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Hongwei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Haobin Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Jingfa Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- National Genomics Data Center, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fei Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Genome and Precision Medicine Technologies, Beijing100101, China
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Castellot A, Camacho J, Fernández-García MD, Tarragó D. Shotgun metagenomics to investigate unknown viral etiologies of pediatric meningoencephalitis. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0296036. [PMID: 38127927 PMCID: PMC10734945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Meningoencephalitis in children poses a diagnostic challenge, as etiology remains unknown for most of patients. Viral metagenomics by shotgun sequencing represents a powerful tool for investigating unknown viral infections related to these cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a two-year, reference-centre, retrospective study, we investigated the usefulness of viral metagenomics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the diagnosis of viral infectious meningoencephalitis in forty seven pediatric patients, forty of them previously tested negative with a routine neurologic panel of viral targets that included herpesvirus 1-3 and enterovirus. We enhanced the detection by targeting viral sequences by hybrid capture. Raw sequence data was analysed using three bioinformatics pipelines. RESULTS Out of forty remaining children with meningoencephalitis of unknown viral etiology, a significant detection of viral nucleic acid by shotgun sequencing was found in twenty one, which was confirmed in ten of them by specific PCR: seven human endogenous retrovirus K113 (HER K113), one parechovirus 3, one human herpesvirus 5 (HHV5); one enterovirus B (Echovirus 9). The remaining eleven CSF were not confirmed by PCR: three rotavirus, one human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7), one influenza A, one mastadenovirus C, one sindbis virus, one torque teno virus, one human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), one human alphaherpesvirus 3 (HHV3), one human alphaherpesvirus 2 (HHV2). CONCLUSIONS Underutilization of currently available meningitis-encephalitis diagnostic techniques such as BioFire® FilmArray® is the main cause of undiagnosed cases of meningoencephalitis. However, in this study we detected uncommon viruses that should be considered, including virus, rotavirus, sindbis virus, influenza A virus and HHV7. No other viral sequences that could be readily linked to CNS inflammation were detected. Some findings may stem from reagent or sample contamination, as seen with papillomavirus; for others, the clinical relevance of the virus remains uncertain and should be substantiated by further studies, as is the case with endogenous retrovirus K113 virus. Online bioinformatics pipeline CZID represents a valuable tool for analysing shotgun sequencing data in cases of neurological conditions with unknown etiology. Altogether, this study highlights the potential of shotgun sequencing in identifying previously unknown viral neuropathogens and sheds light on the interpretation issues related to its application in clinical microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Castellot
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Juan Camacho
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - María Dolores Fernández-García
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Tarragó
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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5
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Shin W, Mun S, Han K. Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K (HML-2)-Related Genetic Variation: Human Genome Diversity and Disease. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2150. [PMID: 38136972 PMCID: PMC10742618 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122150] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) comprise a significant portion of the human genome, making up roughly 8%, a notable comparison to the 2-3% represented by coding sequences. Numerous studies have underscored the critical role and importance of HERVs, highlighting their diverse and extensive influence on the evolution of the human genome and establishing their complex correlation with various diseases. Among HERVs, the HERV-K (HML-2) subfamily has recently attracted significant attention, integrating into the human genome after the divergence between humans and chimpanzees. Its insertion in the human genome has received considerable attention due to its structural and functional characteristics and the time of insertion. Originating from ancient exogenous retroviruses, these elements succeeded in infecting germ cells, enabling vertical transmission and existing as proviruses within the genome. Remarkably, these sequences have retained the capacity to form complete viral sequences, exhibiting activity in transcription and translation. The HERV-K (HML-2) subfamily is the subject of active debate about its potential positive or negative effects on human genome evolution and various pathologies. This review summarizes the variation, regulation, and diseases in human genome evolution arising from the influence of HERV-K (HML-2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonseok Shin
- NGS Clinical Laboratory, Division of Cancer Research, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
| | - Seyoung Mun
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- College of Science & Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyudong Han
- Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea;
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science & Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bioconvergence Engineering, Dankook University, Yongin 16890, Republic of Korea
- R&D Center, HuNBiome Co., Ltd., Seoul 08507, Republic of Korea
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Dubowsky M, Theunissen F, Carr JM, Rogers ML. The Molecular Link Between TDP-43, Endogenous Retroviruses and Inflammatory Neurodegeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a Potential Target for Triumeq, an Antiretroviral Therapy. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:6330-6345. [PMID: 37450244 PMCID: PMC10533598 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03472-y] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND), is a progressive neurological disorder, characterised by the death of upper and lower motor neurons. The aetiology of ALS remains unknown, and treatment options are limited. Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), specifically human endogenous retrovirus type K (HERV-K), have been proposed to be involved in the propagation of neurodegeneration in ALS. ERVs are genomic remnants of ancient viral infection events, with most being inactive and not retaining the capacity to encode a fully infectious virus. However, some ERVs retain the ability to be activated and transcribed, and ERV transcripts have been found to be elevated within the brain tissue of MND patients. A hallmark of ALS pathology is altered localisation of the transactive response (TAR) DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43), which is normally found within the nucleus of neuronal and glial cells and is involved in RNA regulation. In ALS, TDP-43 aggregates within the cytoplasm and facilitates neurodegeneration. The involvement of ERVs in ALS pathology is thought to occur through TDP-43 and neuroinflammatory mediators. In this review, the proposed involvement of TDP-43, HERV-K and immune regulators on the onset and progression of ALS will be discussed. Furthermore, the evidence supporting a therapy based on targeting ERVs in ALS will be reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Dubowsky
- College of Medicine and Public Health and Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
| | - Frances Theunissen
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA, Australia
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Jillian M Carr
- College of Medicine and Public Health and Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Mary-Louise Rogers
- College of Medicine and Public Health and Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
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Kobayashi S, Tokita S, Moniwa K, Kitahara K, Iuchi H, Matsuo K, Kakizaki H, Kanaseki T, Torigoe T. Proteogenomic identification of an immunogenic antigen derived from human endogenous retrovirus in renal cell carcinoma. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e167712. [PMID: 37606040 PMCID: PMC10543709 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.167712] [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: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cells can recognize tumor antigens displayed by HLA class I molecules and eliminate tumor cells. Despite their low tumor mutation burden, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is often beneficial in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, using a proteogenomic approach, we directly and comprehensively explored the HLA class I-presenting peptidome of RCC tissues and demonstrated that the immunopeptidomes contain a small subset of peptides derived from human endogenous retroviruses (hERV). A comparison between tumor and normal kidney tissues revealed tumor-associated hERV antigens, one of which was immunogenic and recognized by host tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Stimulation with the hERV antigen induced reactive CD8+ T cells in healthy donor-derived (HD-derived) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). These results highlight the presence of antitumor CD8+ T cell surveillance against hERV3895 antigens, suggesting their clinical applications in patients with RCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Renal and Urologic Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Serina Tokita
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Immunoproteogenomics and
| | - Keigo Moniwa
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Hidehiro Kakizaki
- Department of Renal and Urologic Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Immunoproteogenomics and
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Immunoproteogenomics and
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Laine A, Wang X, Ni K, Smith SEB, Najjar R, Whitmore LS, Yacoub M, Bays A, Gale M, Mustelin T. Expression of Envelope Protein Encoded by Endogenous Retrovirus K102 in Rheumatoid Arthritis Neutrophils. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1310. [PMID: 37317284 PMCID: PMC10223813 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Many patients suffering from autoimmune diseases have autoantibodies against proteins encoded by genomic retroelements, suggesting that normal epigenetic silencing is insufficient to prevent the production of the encoded proteins for which immune tolerance appears to be limited. One such protein is the transmembrane envelope (Env) protein encoded by human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K). We reported recently that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have IgG autoantibodies that recognize Env. Here, we use RNA sequencing of RA neutrophils to analyze HERV-K expression and find that only two loci with an intact open-reading frame for Env, HERV-K102, and K108 are expressed, but only the former is increased in RA. In contrast, other immune cells express more K108 than K102. Patient autoantibodies recognized endogenously expressed Env in breast cancer cells and in RA neutrophils but not healthy controls. A monoclonal anti-Env antibody also detected Env on the surface of RA neutrophils but very little on the surface of other immune cells. We conclude that HERV-K102 is the locus that produces Env detectable on the surface of neutrophils in RA. The low levels of HERV-K108 transcripts may contribute only marginally to cell surface Env on neutrophils or other immune cells in some patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Laine
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Xiaoxing Wang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kathryn Ni
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sarah E. B. Smith
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rayan Najjar
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Leanne S. Whitmore
- Center for Innate Immunity and Infectious Disease, Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael Yacoub
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alison Bays
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael Gale
- Center for Innate Immunity and Infectious Disease, Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Tomas Mustelin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center for Innate Immunity and Infectious Disease, Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Dang DD, Rosenblum JS, Shah AH, Zhuang Z, Doucet-O’Hare TT. Epigenetic Regulation in Primary CNS Tumors: An Opportunity to Bridge Old and New WHO Classifications. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2511. [PMID: 37173979 PMCID: PMC10177493 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092511] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Originally approved in 1979, a specific grading classification for central nervous system (CNS) tumors was devised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in an effort to guide cancer treatment and better understand prognosis. These "blue books" have since undergone several iterations based on tumor location, advancements in histopathology, and most recently, diagnostic molecular pathology in its fifth edition. As new research methods have evolved to elucidate complex molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, a need to update and integrate these findings into the WHO grading scheme has become apparent. Epigenetic tools represent an area of burgeoning interest that encompasses all non-Mendelian inherited genetic features affecting gene expression, including but not limited to chromatin remodeling complexes, DNA methylation, and histone regulating enzymes. The SWItch/Sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex is the largest mammalian family of chromatin remodeling proteins and is estimated to be altered in 20-25% of all human malignancies; however, the ways in which it contributes to tumorigenesis are not fully understood. We recently discovered that CNS tumors with SWI/SNF mutations have revealed an oncogenic role for endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), remnants of exogenous retroviruses that integrated into the germline and are inherited like Mendelian genes, several of which retain open reading frames for proteins whose expression putatively contributes to tumor formation. Herein, we analyzed the latest WHO classification scheme for all CNS tumors with documented SWI/SNF mutations and/or aberrant ERV expression, and we summarize this information to highlight potential research opportunities that could be integrated into the grading scheme to better delineate diagnostic criteria and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle D. Dang
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jared S. Rosenblum
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Zhengping Zhuang
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Tara T. Doucet-O’Hare
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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10
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Wang D, Gomes MT, Mo Y, Prohaska CC, Zhang L, Chelvanambi S, Clauss MA, Zhang D, Machado RF, Gao M, Bai Y. Human Endogenous Retrovirus, SARS-CoV-2, and HIV Promote PAH via Inflammation and Growth Stimulation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:7472. [PMID: 37108634 PMCID: PMC10138839 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pulmonary vascular disease characterized by the progressive elevation of pulmonary arterial pressures. It is becoming increasingly apparent that inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of PAH. Several viruses are known to cause PAH, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), human endogenous retrovirus K(HERV-K), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in part due to acute and chronic inflammation. In this review, we discuss the connections between HERV-K, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and PAH, to stimulate research regarding new therapeutic options and provide new targets for the treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desheng Wang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Marta T. Gomes
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Yanfei Mo
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Clare C. Prohaska
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Sarvesh Chelvanambi
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthias A. Clauss
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Dongfang Zhang
- Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Roberto F. Machado
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Mingqi Gao
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Yang Bai
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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11
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Daradoumis J, Ragonnaud E, Skandorff I, Nielsen KN, Bermejo AV, Andersson AM, Schroedel S, Thirion C, Neukirch L, Holst PJ. An Endogenous Retrovirus Vaccine Encoding an Envelope with a Mutated Immunosuppressive Domain in Combination with Anti-PD1 Treatment Eradicates Established Tumours in Mice. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040926. [PMID: 37112906 PMCID: PMC10141008 DOI: 10.3390/v15040926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) account for 8% of our genome, and, although they are usually silent in healthy tissues, they become reactivated and expressed in pathological conditions such as cancer. Several studies support a functional role of ERVs in tumour development and progression, specifically through their envelope (Env) protein, which contains a region described as an immunosuppressive domain (ISD). We have previously shown that targeting of the murine ERV (MelARV) Env using virus-like vaccine (VLV) technology, consisting of an adenoviral vector encoding virus-like particles (VLPs), induces protection against small tumours in mice. Here, we investigate the potency and efficacy of a novel MelARV VLV with a mutated ISD (ISDmut) that can modify the properties of the adenoviral vaccine-encoded Env protein. We show that the modification of the vaccine's ISD significantly enhanced T-cell immunogenicity in both prime and prime-boost vaccination regimens. The modified VLV in combination with an α-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) exhibited excellent curative efficacy against large established colorectal CT26 tumours in mice. Furthermore, only ISDmut-vaccinated mice that survived CT26 challenge were additionally protected against rechallenge with a triple-negative breast cancer cell line (4T1), showing that our modified VLV provides cross-protection against different tumour types expressing ERV-derived antigens. We envision that translating these findings and technology into human ERVs (HERVs) could provide new treatment opportunities for cancer patients with unmet medical needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Daradoumis
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Emeline Ragonnaud
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Isabella Skandorff
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Amaia Vergara Bermejo
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne-Marie Andersson
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Lasse Neukirch
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Johannes Holst
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, COBIS, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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12
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Stricker E, Peckham-Gregory EC, Scheurer ME. HERVs and Cancer-A Comprehensive Review of the Relationship of Human Endogenous Retroviruses and Human Cancers. Biomedicines 2023; 11:936. [PMID: 36979914 PMCID: PMC10046157 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic instability and genetic mutations can lead to exhibition of several cancer hallmarks in affected cells such as sustained proliferative signaling, evasion of growth suppression, activated invasion, deregulation of cellular energetics, and avoidance of immune destruction. Similar biological changes have been observed to be a result of pathogenic viruses and, in some cases, have been linked to virus-induced cancers. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), once external pathogens, now occupy more than 8% of the human genome, representing the merge of genomic and external factors. In this review, we outline all reported effects of HERVs on cancer development and discuss the HERV targets most suitable for cancer treatments as well as ongoing clinical trials for HERV-targeting drugs. We reviewed all currently available reports of the effects of HERVs on human cancers including solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemias. Our review highlights the central roles of HERV genes, such as gag, env, pol, np9, and rec in immune regulation, checkpoint blockade, cell differentiation, cell fusion, proliferation, metastasis, and cell transformation. In addition, we summarize the involvement of HERV long terminal repeat (LTR) regions in transcriptional regulation, creation of fusion proteins, expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and promotion of genome instability through recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Stricker
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
| | | | - Michael E. Scheurer
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
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13
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Liu M, Jia L, Guo X, Zhai X, Li H, Liu Y, Han J, Zhang B, Wang X, Li T, Wang Y, Li J, Yu C, Li L. Identification and Characterization of the HERV-K (HML-8) Group of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in the Genome. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2023; 39:176-194. [PMID: 36656667 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2022.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) can be vertically transmitted in a Mendelian fashion, are stably maintained in the human genome, and are estimated to constitute ∼8% of the genome. HERVs affect human physiology and pathology through their provirus-encoded protein or long terminal repeat (LTR) element effect. Characterization of the genomic distribution is an essential step to understanding the relationships between endogenous retrovirus expression and diseases. However, the poor characterization of human MMTV-like (HML)-8 prevents a detailed understanding of the regulation of the expression of this family in humans and its impact on the host genome. In light of this, the definition of an accurate and updated HERV-K HML-8 genomic map is urgently needed. In this study, we report the results of a comprehensive analysis of HERV-K HML-8 sequence presence and distribution within the human genome and hominoids, with a detailed description of the different structural and phylogenetic aspects characterizing the group. A total of 40 proviruses and 5 solo LTR elements for human were characterized, which included a detailed description of provirus structure, integration time, potentially regulated genes, transcription factor-binding sites, and primer-binding site features. Besides, 9 chimpanzee sequences, 8 gorilla sequences, and 10 orangutan sequences belonging to the HML-8 subgroup were identified. The integration time results showed that the HML-8 elements were integrated into the primate lineage around 35 and 42 million years ago (mya), during primates evolutionary speciation. Overall, the results clarified the composition of the HML-8 groups, providing an exhaustive background for subsequent functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengying Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Jia
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Guo
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiuli Zhai
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Hanping Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Yongjian Liu
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Yanglan Wang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jingyun Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
| | - Changyuan Yu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, China
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14
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Endogenous Retroviruses as Modulators of Innate Immunity. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020162. [PMID: 36839434 PMCID: PMC9963469 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), or LTR retrotransposons, are a class of transposable elements that are highly represented in mammalian genomes. Human ERVs (HERVs) make up roughly 8.3% of the genome and over the course of evolution, HERV elements underwent positive selection and accrued mutations that rendered them non-infectious; thereby, the genome could co-opt them into constructive roles with important biological functions. In the past two decades, with the help of advances in sequencing technology, ERVs are increasingly considered to be important components of the innate immune response. While typically silenced, expression of HERVs can be induced in response to traumatic, toxic, or infection-related stress, leading to a buildup of viral transcripts and under certain circumstances, proteins, including functionally active reverse transcriptase and viral envelopes. The biological activity of HERVs in the context of the innate immune response can be based on the functional effect of four major viral components: (1) HERV LTRs, (2) HERV-derived RNAs, (3) HERV-derived RNA:DNA duplexes and cDNA, and (4) HERV-derived proteins and ribonucleoprotein complexes. In this review, we will discuss the implications of HERVs in all four contexts in relation to innate immunity and their association with various pathological disease states.
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15
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Wang Y, Liu M, Guo X, Zhang B, Li H, Liu Y, Han J, Jia L, Li L. Endogenous Retrovirus Elements Are Co-Expressed with IFN Stimulation Genes in the JAK-STAT Pathway. Viruses 2022; 15:60. [PMID: 36680099 PMCID: PMC9861321 DOI: 10.3390/v15010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Endogenous retrovirus (ERV) elements can act as proximal regulatory elements in promoting interferon (IFN) responses. Previous relevant studies have mainly focused on IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). However, the role of ERV elements as cis-regulatory motifs in regulating genes of the JAK-STAT pathway remains poorly understood. In our study, we analyzed the changes in ERV elements and genes under both IFN stimulation and blockade of the signaling pathway. Methods: The effects of interferon on cells under normal conditions and knockout of the receptor were compared based on the THP1_IFNAR1_KO and THP1_IFNAR2_mutant cell lines. The correlation between differentially expressed ERVs (DHERVs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as DEHERV-G pairs was explored with construction of gene regulatory networks related to ERV and induced by proinflammatory cytokines. Results: A total of 430 DEHERV loci and 190 DEGs were identified in 842 DEHERV-G pairs that are common to the three groups. More than 87% of DEHERV-G pairs demonstrated a consistent expression pattern. ISGs such as AIM2, IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, STAT1, and IRF were activated via the JAK-STAT pathway in response to interferon stimulation. Thus, STAT1, STAT2, and IRF1 appear to play core roles in regulatory networks and are closely associated with ERVs. Conclusions: The RNA expression of ISGs and ERV elements is correlated, indicating that ERV elements are closely linked to host innate immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanglan Wang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Mengying Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xing Guo
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Hanping Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yongjian Liu
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Lei Jia
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
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16
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Chabukswar S, Grandi N, Tramontano E. Prolonged activity of HERV-K(HML2) in Old World Monkeys accounts for recent integrations and novel recombinant variants. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1040792. [PMID: 36532485 PMCID: PMC9751479 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1040792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Around 8% of the human genome comprises Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) acquired over primate evolution. Some are specific to primates such as HERV-K, consisting of 10 HML subtypes and including the most recently acquired elements. Particularly, HML2 is the youngest clade, having some human-specific integrations, and while it has been widely described in humans its presence and distribution in non-human primates remain poorly characterized. To investigate HML2 distribution in non-human primates, the present study focused on the characterization of HML2 integrations in Macaca fascicularis and Macaca mulatta which are the most evolutionarily distant species related to humans in the Catarrhini parvorder. We identified overall 208 HML2 proviruses for M. fascicularis (77) and M. mulatta (131). Among them, 46 proviruses are shared by the two species while the others are species specific. Only 12 proviruses were shared with humans, confirming that the major wave of HML2 diffusion in humans occurred after macaques' divergence. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed structural variations between HML2 macaques' species-specific proviruses, and the ones shared between macaques and humans. The HML2 loci were characterized in terms of structure, focusing on potential residual open reading frames (ORFs) for gag, pol, and env genes for the latter being reported to be expressed in human pathological conditions. The analysis identified highly conserved gag and pol genes, while the env genes had a very divergent nature. Of the 208 HML2 proviral sequences present in Macaca species, 81 sequences form a cluster having a MER11A, a characteristic HML8 LTR sequence, insertion in the env region indicating a recombination event that occurred between the HML2 env gene and the HML8 LTR. This recombination event, which was shown to be present only in a subset of macaques' shared sequences and species-specific sequences, highlights a recent viral activity leading to the emergence of an env variant specific to the Old World Monkeys (OWMs). We performed an exhaustive analysis of HML2 in two species of OWMs, in terms of its evolutionary history, structural features, and potential residual coding capacity highlighting recent activity of HML2 in macaques that occurred after its split from the Catarrhini parvorder, leading to the emergence of viral variants, hence providing a better understanding of the endogenization and diffusion of HML2 along primate evolution.
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17
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Ogunbayo AE, Mogotsi MT, Sondlane H, Nkwadipo KR, Sabiu S, Nyaga MM. Metagenomic Analysis of Respiratory RNA Virome of Children with and without Severe Acute Respiratory Infection from the Free State, South Africa during COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals Higher Diversity and Abundance in Summer Compared with Winter Period. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112516. [PMID: 36423125 PMCID: PMC9692838 DOI: 10.3390/v14112516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral respiratory infections contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in children. Currently, there are limited reports on the composition and abundance of the normal commensal respiratory virome in comparison to those in severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) state. This study characterised the respiratory RNA virome in children ≤ 5 years with (n = 149) and without (n = 139) SARI during the summer and winter of 2020/2021 seasons in South Africa. Nasopharyngeal swabs were, collected, pooled, enriched for viral RNA detection, sequenced using Illumina MiSeq, and analysed using the Genome Detective bioinformatic tool. Overall, Picornaviridae, Paramoxyviridae, Pneumoviridae, Picobirnaviridae, Totiviridae, and Retroviridae families were the most abundant viral population in both groups across both seasons. Human rhinovirus and endogenous retrovirus K113 were detected in most pools, with exclusive detection of Pneumoviridae in SARI pools. Generally, higher viral diversity/abundance was seen in children with SARI and in the summer pools. Several plant/animal viruses, eukaryotic viruses with unclear pathogenicity including a distinct rhinovirus A type, were detected. This study provides remarkable data on the respiratory RNA virome in children with and without SARI with a degree of heterogeneity of known viruses colonizing their respiratory tract. The implication of the detected viruses in the dynamics/progression of SARI requires further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayodeji E. Ogunbayo
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Milton T. Mogotsi
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Hlengiwe Sondlane
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Kelebogile R. Nkwadipo
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Saheed Sabiu
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Martin M. Nyaga
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit and Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-51-401-9158
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18
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Bevilacqua G. The Viral Origin of Human Breast Cancer: From the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) to the Human Betaretrovirus (HBRV). Viruses 2022; 14:v14081704. [PMID: 36016325 PMCID: PMC9412291 DOI: 10.3390/v14081704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A Human Betaretrovirus (HBRV) has been identified in humans, dating as far back as about 4500 years ago, with a high probability of it being acquired by our species around 10,000 years ago, following a species jump from mice to humans. HBRV is the human homolog of the MMTV (mouse mammary tumor virus), which is the etiological agent of murine mammary tumors. The hypothesis of a HMTV (human mammary tumor virus) was proposed about 50 years ago, and has acquired a solid scientific basis during the last 30 years, with the demonstration of a robust link with breast cancer and with PBC, primary biliary cholangitis. This article summarizes most of what is known about MMTV/HMTV/HBRV since the discovery of MMTV at the beginning of last century, to make evident both the quantity and the quality of the research supporting the existence of HBRV and its pathogenic role. Here, it is sufficient to mention that scientific evidence includes that viral sequences have been identified in breast-cancer samples in a worldwide distribution, that the complete proviral genome has been cloned from breast cancer and patients with PBC, and that saliva contains HBRV, as a possible route of inter-human infection. Controversies that have arisen concerning results obtained from human tissues, many of them outdated by new scientific evidence, are critically discussed and confuted.
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19
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Jia L, Liu M, Yang C, Li H, Liu Y, Han J, Zhai X, Wang X, Li T, Li J, Zhang B, Yu C, Li L. Comprehensive identification and characterization of the HERV-K (HML-9) group in the human genome. Retrovirology 2022; 19:11. [PMID: 35676699 PMCID: PMC9178832 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-022-00596-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) result from ancestral infections caused by exogenous retroviruses that became incorporated into the germline DNA and evolutionarily fixed in the human genome. HERVs can be transmitted vertically in a Mendelian fashion and be stably maintained in the human genome, of which they are estimated to comprise approximately 8%. HERV-K (HML1-10) transcription has been confirmed to be associated with a variety of diseases, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the poor characterization of HML-9 prevents a detailed understanding of the regulation of the expression of this family in humans and its impact on the host genome. In light of this, a precise and updated HERV-K HML-9 genomic map is urgently needed to better evaluate the role of these elements in human health. Results We report a comprehensive analysis of the presence and distribution of HERV-K HML-9 elements within the human genome, with a detailed characterization of the structural and phylogenetic properties of the group. A total of 23 proviruses and 47 solo LTR elements were characterized, with a detailed description of the provirus structure, integration time, potential regulated genes, transcription factor binding sites (TFBS), and primer binding site (PBS) features. The integration time results showed that the HML-9 elements found in the human genome integrated into the primate lineage between 17.5 and 48.5 million years ago (mya). Conclusion The results provide a clear characterization of HML-9 and a comprehensive background for subsequent functional studies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12977-022-00596-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jia
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Mengying Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Caiqin Yang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Hanping Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yongjian Liu
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Xiuli Zhai
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Tianyi Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jingyun Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Changyuan Yu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Virology, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, 100071, China.
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20
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Sacco MA, Lau J, Godinez-Vidal D, Kaloshian I. Non-canonical nematode endogenous retroviruses resulting from RNA virus glycoprotein gene capture by a metavirus. J Gen Virol 2022; 103. [PMID: 35550022 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001739] [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] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reverse-transcribing retroviruses exist as horizontally transmitted infectious agents or vertically transmitted endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) resident in eukaryotic genomes, and they are phylogenetically related to the long terminal repeat (LTR) class of retrotransposons. ERVs and retrotransposons are often distinguished only by the presence or absence of a gene encoding the envelope glycoprotein (env). Endogenous elements of the virus family Metaviridae include the insect-restricted Errantivirus genus of ERVs, for which some members possess env, and the pan-eukaryotic Metavirus genus that lacks an envelope glycoprotein gene. Here we report a novel Nematoda endogenous retrovirus (NERV) clade with core retroviral genes arranged uniquely as a continuous gag-env-pro-pol ORF. Reverse transcriptase sequences were phylogenetically related to metaviruses, but envelope glycoprotein sequences resembled those of the Nyamiviridae and Chrysoviridae RNA virus families, suggesting env gene capture during host cell infection by an RNA virus. NERVs were monophyletic, restricted to the nematode subclass Chromadoria, and included additional ORFs for a small hypothetical protein or a large Upf1-like RNA-dependent AAA-ATPase/helicase indicative of viral transduction of a host gene. Provirus LTR identity, low copy number, ORF integrity and segregation of three loci in Meloidogyne incognita, taken together with detection of NERV transcriptional activity, support potential infectivity of NERVs, along with their recent emergence and integration. Altogether, NERVs constitute a new and distinct Metaviridae lineage demonstrating retroviral evolution through sequential heterologous gene capture events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Ann Sacco
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834-6850, USA
| | - Jonathan Lau
- Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834-6850, USA
| | - Damaris Godinez-Vidal
- Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, Department of Nematology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Isgouhi Kaloshian
- Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, Department of Nematology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
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21
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Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) occupy approximately 8% of the human genome. HERVs, transcribed in early embryos, are epigenetically silenced in somatic cells, except under pathological conditions. HERV-K is thought to protect embryos from exogenous viral infection. However, uncontrolled HERV-K expression in somatic cells has been implicated in several diseases. Here, we show that SOX2, which plays a key role in maintaining the pluripotency of stem cells, is critical for HERV-K LTR5Hs. HERV-K undergoes retrotransposition within producer cells in the absence of Env expression. Furthermore, we identified new HERV-K integration sites in long-term culture of induced pluripotent stem cells that express SOX2. These results suggest that the strict dependence of HERV-K on SOX2 has allowed HERV-K to protect early embryos during evolution while limiting the potentially harmful effects of HERV-K retrotransposition on host genome integrity in these early embryos. IMPORTANCE Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) account for approximately 8% of the human genome; however, the physiological role of HERV-K remains unknown. This study found that HERV-K LTR5Hs and LTR5B were transactivated by SOX2, which is essential for maintaining and reestablishing pluripotency. HERV-K can undergo retrotransposition within producer cells without env expression, and new integration sites may affect cell proliferation. In induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), genomic impairment due to HERV-K retrotransposition has been identified, but it is a rare event. Considering the retention of SOX2-responsive elements in the HERV-K long terminal repeat (LTR) for over 20 million years, we conclude that HERV-K may play important physiological roles in SOX2-expressing cells.
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22
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Latifi T, Zebardast A, Marashi SM. The role of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in Multiple Sclerosis and the plausible interplay between HERVs, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and vitamin D. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022; 57:103318. [PMID: 35158423 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the chronic inflammatory diseases with neurological disability in the central nervous system (CNS). Although the exact cause of MS is still largely unknown, both genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role in disease risk. Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are endogenous viral elements of the human genome whose expression is associated with MS. HERVs are normally silenced or expressed at low levels, although their expression is higher in MS than in the healthy population. Several studies highlighted the plausible interaction between HERVs and other MS risk factors, including viral infection like Epstein-Barr viruses and vitamin D deficiency which may lead to high expression of HERVs in these patients. Understanding how HERVs act in this scenario can improve our understanding towards MS etiology and may lead to the development of antiretroviral therapies in these patients. Here in this review, we try to examine the different HERVs expression implicated in MS and their association with EBV infection and vitamin D status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayebeh Latifi
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arghavan Zebardast
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sayed Mahdi Marashi
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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23
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Bowles H, Kabiljo R, Al Khleifat A, Jones A, Quinn JP, Dobson RJB, Swanson CM, Al-Chalabi A, Iacoangeli A. An assessment of bioinformatics tools for the detection of human endogenous retroviral insertions in short-read genome sequencing data. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2022; 2:1062328. [PMID: 36845320 PMCID: PMC9945273 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2022.1062328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a growing interest in the study of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) given the substantial body of evidence that implicates them in many human diseases. Although their genomic characterization presents numerous technical challenges, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has shown potential to detect HERV insertions and their polymorphisms in humans. Currently, a number of computational tools to detect them in short-read NGS data exist. In order to design optimal analysis pipelines, an independent evaluation of the available tools is required. We evaluated the performance of a set of such tools using a variety of experimental designs and datasets. These included 50 human short-read whole-genome sequencing samples, matching long and short-read sequencing data, and simulated short-read NGS data. Our results highlight a great performance variability of the tools across the datasets and suggest that different tools might be suitable for different study designs. However, specialized tools designed to detect exclusively human endogenous retroviruses consistently outperformed generalist tools that detect a wider range of transposable elements. We suggest that, if sufficient computing resources are available, using multiple HERV detection tools to obtain a consensus set of insertion loci may be ideal. Furthermore, given that the false positive discovery rate of the tools varied between 8% and 55% across tools and datasets, we recommend the wet lab validation of predicted insertions if DNA samples are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Bowles
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - Renata Kabiljo
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad Al Khleifat
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ashley Jones
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - John P. Quinn
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J. B. Dobson
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chad M. Swanson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ammar Al-Chalabi
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, King’s College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo Iacoangeli
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Alfredo Iacoangeli,
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24
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Wang X, Hefton A, Ni K, Ukadike KC, Bowen MA, Eckert M, Stevens A, Lood C, Mustelin T. Autoantibodies Against Unmodified and Citrullinated Human Endogenous Retrovirus K Envelope Protein in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis. J Rheumatol Suppl 2022; 49:26-35. [PMID: 34334364 PMCID: PMC8963793 DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.201492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Autoantibodies against proteins encoded by human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) have been reported in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but their relevance, if any, has remained unresolved. We revisited this question and tested if such autoantibodies may react with citrullinated epitopes on the envelope (Env) protein of HERV-K. METHODS Immunoblotting and ELISAs were conducted with unmodified Env protein and with Env citrullinated by protein arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4). Sera from 100 patients with RA, plasma from 32 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and healthy adult and pediatric controls were included. Antibody reactivity was evaluated for correlations with clinical and laboratory variables of the patients. RESULTS We replicated and expanded upon published data suggesting that patients with RA or JIA have autoantibodies against HERV-K Env, some with high titers. Anti-HERV-K antibodies correlated with cigarette smoking and with circulating myeloperoxidase-DNA complexes indicative of nonapoptotic neutrophil cell death. Further, most of the patients with RA, but not those with JIA, had autoantibodies that reacted more strongly with Env that was citrullinated by PAD4. These anticitrullinated Env autoantibodies correlated with seropositivity and tended to be higher in patients with erosive disease. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that anti-HERV-K immunity is elevated in RA and JIA and may have a connection with pathogenic protein citrullination in RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxing Wang
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Amanda Hefton
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kathryn Ni
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kennedy C. Ukadike
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Michael A. Bowen
- M.A. Bowen, PhD, Product and Process Development, Allogene Therapeutics, San Francisco, California
| | - Mary Eckert
- M. Eckert, BS, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Anne Stevens
- A. Stevens, MD, Professor, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, and Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christian Lood
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Tomas Mustelin
- X. Wang, PhD, A. Hefton, K. Ni, BS, K.C. Ukadike, MD, Acting Instructor, C. Lood, PhD, Associate Professor, T. Mustelin, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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25
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Marongiu L, Landry JJM, Rausch T, Abba ML, Delecluse S, Delecluse H, Allgayer H. Metagenomic analysis of primary colorectal carcinomas and their metastases identifies potential microbial risk factors. Mol Oncol 2021; 15:3363-3384. [PMID: 34328665 PMCID: PMC8637581 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The paucity of microbiome studies at intestinal tissues has contributed to a yet limited understanding of potential viral and bacterial cofactors of colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis or progression. We analysed whole-genome sequences of CRC primary tumours, their corresponding metastases and matched normal tissue for sequences of viral, phage and bacterial species. Bacteriome analysis showed Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus sanguinis, F. Hwasookii, Anaerococcus mediterraneensis and further species enriched in primary CRCs. The primary CRC of one patient was enriched for F. alocis, S. anginosus, Parvimonas micra and Gemella sp. 948. Enrichment of Escherichia coli strains IAI1, SE11, K-12 and M8 was observed in metastases together with coliphages enterobacteria phage φ80 and Escherichia phage VT2φ_272. Virome analysis showed that phages were the most preponderant viral species (46%), the main families being Myoviridae, Siphoviridae and Podoviridae. Primary CRCs were enriched for bacteriophages, showing five phages (Enterobacteria, Bacillus, Proteus, Streptococcus phages) together with their pathogenic hosts in contrast to normal tissues. The most frequently detected, and Blast-confirmed, viruses included human endogenous retrovirus K113, human herpesviruses 7 and 6B, Megavirus chilensis, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), with one patient showing EBV enrichment in primary tumour and metastases. EBV was PCR-validated in 80 pairs of CRC primary tumour and their corresponding normal tissues; in 21 of these pairs (26.3%), it was detectable in primary tumours only. The number of viral species was increased and bacterial species decreased in CRCs compared with normal tissues, and we could discriminate primary CRCs from metastases and normal tissues by applying the Hutcheson t-test on the Shannon indices based on viral and bacterial species. Taken together, our results descriptively support hypotheses on microorganisms as potential (co)risk factors of CRC and extend putative suggestions on critical microbiome species in CRC metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Marongiu
- Department of Experimental Surgery – Cancer MetastasisMedical Faculty MannheimRuprecht‐Karls University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
| | | | - Tobias Rausch
- Genomics Core FacilityEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Mohammed L. Abba
- Department of Experimental Surgery – Cancer MetastasisMedical Faculty MannheimRuprecht‐Karls University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
| | | | | | - Heike Allgayer
- Department of Experimental Surgery – Cancer MetastasisMedical Faculty MannheimRuprecht‐Karls University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
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26
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A Comprehensive Analysis of Human Endogenous Retroviruses HERV-K (HML.2) from Teratocarcinoma Cell Lines and Detection of Viral Cargo in Microvesicles. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212398. [PMID: 34830279 PMCID: PMC8619701 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
About 8% of our genome is composed of sequences from Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs). The HERV-K (HML.2) family, here abbreviated HML.2, is able to produce virus particles that were detected in cell lines, malignant tumors and in autoimmune diseases. Parameters and properties of HML.2 released from teratocarcinoma cell lines GH and Tera-1 were investigated in detail. In most experiments, analyzed viruses were purified by density gradient centrifugation. HML.2 structural proteins, reverse transcriptase (RT) activity, viral RNA (vRNA) and particle morphology were analyzed. The HML.2 markers were predominantly detected in fractions with a buoyant density of 1.16 g/cm3. Deglycosylation of TM revealed truncated forms of transmembrane (TM) protein. Free virions and extracellular vesicles (presumably microvesicles—MVs) with HML.2 elements, including budding intermediates, were detected by electron microscopy. Viral elements and assembled virions captured and exported by MVs can boost specific immune responses and trigger immunomodulation in recipient cells. Sequencing of cDNA clones demonstrated exclusive presence of HERV-K108 env in HML.2 from Tera-1 cells. Not counting two recombinant variants, four known env sequences were found in HML.2 from GH cells. Obtained results shed light on parameters and morphology of HML.2. A possible mechanism of HML.2-induced diseases is discussed.
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27
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Abstract
Bats are infamous reservoirs of deadly human viruses. While retroviruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are among the most significant of virus families that have jumped from animals into humans, whether bat retroviruses have the potential to infect and cause disease in humans remains unknown. Recent reports of retroviruses circulating in bat populations builds on two decades of research describing the fossil records of retroviral sequences in bat genomes and of viral metagenomes extracted from bat samples. The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic demands that we pay closer attention to viruses hosted by bats and their potential as a zoonotic threat. Here we review current knowledge of bat retroviruses and explore the question of whether they represent a threat to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Hayward
- Health Security Program, Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Gilda Tachedjian
- Health Security Program, Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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28
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Maung MT, Carlson A, Olea-Flores M, Elkhadragy L, Schachtschneider KM, Navarro-Tito N, Padilla-Benavides T. The molecular and cellular basis of copper dysregulation and its relationship with human pathologies. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21810. [PMID: 34390520 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100273rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient required for the activity of redox-active enzymes involved in critical metabolic reactions, signaling pathways, and biological functions. Transporters and chaperones control Cu ion levels and bioavailability to ensure proper subcellular and systemic Cu distribution. Intensive research has focused on understanding how mammalian cells maintain Cu homeostasis, and how molecular signals coordinate Cu acquisition and storage within organs. In humans, mutations of genes that regulate Cu homeostasis or facilitate interactions with Cu ions lead to numerous pathologic conditions. Malfunctions of the Cu+ -transporting ATPases ATP7A and ATP7B cause Menkes disease and Wilson disease, respectively. Additionally, defects in the mitochondrial and cellular distributions and homeostasis of Cu lead to severe neurodegenerative conditions, mitochondrial myopathies, and metabolic diseases. Cu has a dual nature in carcinogenesis as a promotor of tumor growth and an inducer of redox stress in cancer cells. Cu also plays role in cancer treatment as a component of drugs and a regulator of drug sensitivity and uptake. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of Cu metabolism and transport and its relation to various human pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- May T Maung
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
| | - Alyssa Carlson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
| | - Monserrat Olea-Flores
- Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Lobna Elkhadragy
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kyle M Schachtschneider
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Napoleon Navarro-Tito
- Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Guerrero, Mexico
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29
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Human Endogenous Retrovirus as Therapeutic Targets in Neurologic Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14060495. [PMID: 34073730 PMCID: PMC8225122 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ancient retroviral DNA sequences established into germline. They contain regulatory elements and encoded proteins few of which may provide benefits to hosts when co-opted as cellular genes. Their tight regulation is mainly achieved by epigenetic mechanisms, which can be altered by environmental factors, e.g., viral infections, leading to HERV activation. The aberrant expression of HERVs associates with neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), inflammatory processes and neurodegeneration. This review summarizes the recent advances on the epigenetic mechanisms controlling HERV expression and the pathogenic effects triggered by HERV de-repression. This article ends by describing new, promising therapies, targeting HERV elements, one of which, temelimab, has completed phase II trials with encouraging results in treating MS. The information gathered here may turn helpful in the design of new strategies to unveil epigenetic failures behind HERV-triggered diseases, opening new possibilities for druggable targets and/or for extending the use of temelimab to treat other associated diseases.
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30
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Shmookler Reis RJ, Atluri R, Balasubramaniam M, Johnson J, Ganne A, Ayyadevara S. "Protein aggregates" contain RNA and DNA, entrapped by misfolded proteins but largely rescued by slowing translational elongation. Aging Cell 2021; 20:e13326. [PMID: 33788386 PMCID: PMC8135009 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
All neurodegenerative diseases feature aggregates, which usually contain disease-specific diagnostic proteins; non-protein constituents, however, have rarely been explored. Aggregates from SY5Y-APPSw neuroblastoma, a cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease, were crosslinked and sequences of linked peptides identified. We constructed a normalized "contactome" comprising 11 subnetworks, centered on 24 high-connectivity hubs. Remarkably, all 24 are nucleic acid-binding proteins. This led us to isolate and sequence RNA and DNA from Alzheimer's and control aggregates. RNA fragments were mapped to the human genome by RNA-seq and DNA by ChIP-seq. Nearly all aggregate RNA sequences mapped to specific genes, whereas DNA fragments were predominantly intergenic. These nucleic acid mappings are all significantly nonrandom, making an artifactual origin extremely unlikely. RNA (mostly cytoplasmic) exceeded DNA (chiefly nuclear) by twofold to fivefold. RNA fragments recovered from AD tissue were ~1.5-to 2.5-fold more abundant than those recovered from control tissue, similar to the increase in protein. Aggregate abundances of specific RNA sequences were strikingly differential between cultured SY5Y-APPSw glioblastoma cells expressing APOE3 vs. APOE4, consistent with APOE4 competition for E-box/CLEAR motifs. We identified many G-quadruplex and viral sequences within RNA and DNA of aggregates, suggesting that sequestration of viral genomes may have driven the evolution of disordered nucleic acid-binding proteins. After RNA-interference knockdown of the translational-procession factor EEF2 to suppress translation in SY5Y-APPSw cells, the RNA content of aggregates declined by >90%, while reducing protein content by only 30% and altering DNA content by ≤10%. This implies that cotranslational misfolding of nascent proteins may ensnare polysomes into aggregates, accounting for most of their RNA content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Shmookler Reis
- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Little Rock AR USA
- Department of Geriatrics University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock AR USA
- BioInformatics Program University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock AR USA
| | - Ramani Atluri
- Department of Geriatrics University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock AR USA
| | | | - Jay Johnson
- BioInformatics Program University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock AR USA
| | - Akshatha Ganne
- BioInformatics Program University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock AR USA
| | - Srinivas Ayyadevara
- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Little Rock AR USA
- Department of Geriatrics University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock AR USA
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31
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Ko EJ, Ock MS, Choi YH, Iovanna JL, Mun S, Han K, Kim HS, Cha HJ. Human Endogenous Retrovirus (HERV)-K env Gene Knockout Affects Tumorigenic Characteristics of nupr1 Gene in DLD-1 Colorectal Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083941. [PMID: 33920455 PMCID: PMC8070087 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are suggested to be involved in the development of certain diseases, especially cancers. To elucidate the function of HERV-K Env protein in cancers, an HERV-K env gene knockout (KO) in DLD-1 colorectal cancer cell lines was generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Transcriptome analysis of HERV-K env KO cells using next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to identify the key genes associated with the function of HERV-K Env protein. The proliferation of HERV-K env KO cells was significantly reduced in in vitro culture as well as in in vivo nude mouse model. Tumorigenic characteristics, including migration, invasion, and tumor colonization, were also significantly reduced in HERV-K env KO cells. Whereas, they were enhanced in HERV-K env over-expressing DLD-1 cells. The expression of nuclear protein-1 (NUPR1), an ER-stress response factor that plays an important role in cell proliferation, migration, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in cancer cells, significantly reduced in HERV-K env KO cells. ROS levels and ROS-related gene expression was also significantly reduced in HERV-K env KO cells. Cells transfected with NUPR1 siRNA (small interfering RNA) exhibited the same phenotype as HERV-K env KO cells. These results suggest that the HERV-K env gene affects tumorigenic characteristics, including cell proliferation, migration, and tumor colonization through NUPR1 related pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Ji Ko
- Department of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Korea; (E.-J.K.); (M.-S.O.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
| | - Mee-Sun Ock
- Department of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Korea; (E.-J.K.); (M.-S.O.)
| | - Yung-Hyun Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongeui University, Busan 47227, Korea;
| | - Juan L. Iovanna
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille, France;
| | - Seyoung Mun
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea;
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea;
| | - Kyudong Han
- Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea;
- Department of Microbiology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea
| | - Heui-Soo Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
- Correspondence: (H.-S.K.); (H.-J.C.); Tel.: +82-51-510-2259 (H.-S.K.); +82-51-990-6428 (H.-J.C.)
| | - Hee-Jae Cha
- Department of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Korea; (E.-J.K.); (M.-S.O.)
- Correspondence: (H.-S.K.); (H.-J.C.); Tel.: +82-51-510-2259 (H.-S.K.); +82-51-990-6428 (H.-J.C.)
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32
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Yuan Z, Yang Y, Zhang N, Soto C, Jiang X, An Z, Zheng WJ. Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Glioblastoma Multiforme. Microorganisms 2021; 9:764. [PMID: 33917421 PMCID: PMC8067472 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and deadly brain tumor. It is primarily diagnosed in the elderly and has a 5-year survival rate of less than 6% even with the most aggressive therapies. The lack of biomarkers has made the development of immunotherapy for GBM challenging. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are a group of viruses with long terminal repeat (LTR) elements, which are believed to be relics from ancient viral infections. Recent studies have found that those repetitive elements play important roles in regulating various biological processes. The differentially expressed LTR elements from HERVs are potential biomarkers for immunotherapy to treat GBM. However, the understanding of the LTR element expression in GBM is greatly lacking. METHODS We obtained 1077.4 GB of sequencing data from public databases. These data were generated from 111 GBM tissue studies, 30 GBM cell lines studies, and 45 normal brain tissues studies. We analyzed repetitive elements that were differentially expressed in GBM and normal brain samples. RESULTS We found that 48 LTR elements were differentially expressed (p-value < 0.05) between GBM and normal brain tissues, of which 46 were HERV elements. Among these 46 elements, 34 significantly changed HERVs belong to the ERV1 superfamily. Furthermore, 43 out of the 46 differentially expressed HERV elements were upregulated. CONCLUSION Our results indicate significant differential expression of many HERV LTR elements in GBM and normal brain tissues. Expression levels of these elements could be developed as biomarkers for GBM treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihao Yuan
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Z.Y.); (Y.Y.); (X.J.)
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Yuntao Yang
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Z.Y.); (Y.Y.); (X.J.)
| | - Ningyan Zhang
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Claudio Soto
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Xiaoqian Jiang
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Z.Y.); (Y.Y.); (X.J.)
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Wenjin Jim Zheng
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Z.Y.); (Y.Y.); (X.J.)
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33
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Ukadike KC, Mustelin T. Implications of Endogenous Retroelements in the Etiopathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. J Clin Med 2021; 10:856. [PMID: 33669709 PMCID: PMC7922054 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10040856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease. While its etiology remains elusive, current understanding suggests a multifactorial process with contributions by genetic, immunologic, hormonal, and environmental factors. A hypothesis that combines several of these factors proposes that genomic elements, the L1 retrotransposons, are instrumental in SLE pathogenesis. L1 retroelements are transcriptionally activated in SLE and produce two proteins, ORF1p and ORF2p, which are immunogenic and can drive type I interferon (IFN) production by producing DNA species that activate cytosolic DNA sensors. In addition, these two proteins reside in RNA-rich macromolecular assemblies that also contain well-known SLE autoantigens like Ro60. We surmise that cells expressing L1 will exhibit all the hallmarks of cells infected by a virus, resulting in a cellular and humoral immune response similar to those in chronic viral infections. However, unlike exogenous viruses, L1 retroelements cannot be eliminated from the host genome. Hence, dysregulated L1 will cause a chronic, but perhaps episodic, challenge for the immune system. The clinical and immunological features of SLE can be at least partly explained by this model. Here we review the support for, and the gaps in, this hypothesis of SLE and its potential for new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic options in SLE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tomas Mustelin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, 750 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98109, USA;
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34
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Wu B, Gan Y, Xu Y, Wu Z, Xu G, Wang P, Wang C, Meng Z, Li M, Zhang J, Zhuang H, Zhang X, Yang L, Li J, Gan X, Yu X, Huang W, Gu Y, Xu R. Identification of the novel Np17 oncogene in human leukemia. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:23647-23667. [PMID: 33226963 PMCID: PMC7762455 DOI: 10.18632/aging.103808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We previously defined the HERV-K Np9 as a viral oncogene. Here we report the discovery of a novel oncogene, Np17, which is homologous to the viral Np9 gene and predominantly present in Hominoidea. Np17 is located on chromosome 8, consists of 7 exons, and encodes a 16.8kDa nuclear protein with149 amino-acid residue. Functionally, knockdown of Np17 induced growth inhibition of leukemia cells, whereas enforced expression of Np17 promoted growth of leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. In human leukemia, Np17 was detected in 59.65% (34/57) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients examined and associated with refractory/relapsed AML. Mechanistically, Np17 decreased p53 levels and its mechanism might be involved in recruiting nuclear MDM2 to p53 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. These findings reveal that Np17 is a novel oncogene associated with refractory/relapsed leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Wu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Yichao Gan
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Zhaoxing Wu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Ganyu Xu
- College of Letters and Sciences, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Zhipeng Meng
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Mengyuan Li
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Jiawei Zhang
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Haifeng Zhuang
- Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Xuzhao Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Linlin Yang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Jinfan Li
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoxian Gan
- Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Xiaofang Yu
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Wendong Huang
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ying Gu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Rongzhen Xu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
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35
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Yegin Z, Avsar C, Sarisoy G. Frequency of retrotransposon human endogenous retrovirus-K113 and a preliminary analysis of some microbial clues in bipolar disorder. Future Microbiol 2020; 15:1621-1629. [PMID: 33215524 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2020-0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate whether the retrotransposon human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-K113 could be related with bipolar disorder or not. As a second and a preliminary aim, we also conducted bacterial screening in whole blood in a limited number of samples. Patients & methods: Three separate PCR reactions including the preintegration sites and sites within the viral sequences were performed for HERV-K113 detection. Bacterial screening was performed with SSCP/sequencing analysis. Results & conclusion: No difference was observed in terms of the frequency of retrotransposon HERV-K113 in Turkish bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls. SSCP/sequencing and alignment analysis for bacterial screening reflected the possible presence of different bacteria. We strongly recommend the broadened retrotransposon and microbial diversity analyses in bipolar disorder for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep Yegin
- Medical Laboratory Techniques Program, Vocational School of Health Services, Sinop University, Sinop, Turkey
| | - Cumhur Avsar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Sinop University, Sinop, Turkey
| | - Gokhan Sarisoy
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey
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36
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Mustelin T, Ukadike KC. How Retroviruses and Retrotransposons in Our Genome May Contribute to Autoimmunity in Rheumatological Conditions. Front Immunol 2020; 11:593891. [PMID: 33281822 PMCID: PMC7691656 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.593891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 200 human disorders include various manifestations of autoimmunity. The molecular events that lead to these diseases are still incompletely understood and their causes remain largely unknown. Numerous potential triggers of autoimmunity have been proposed over the years, but very few of them have been conclusively confirmed or firmly refuted. Viruses have topped the lists of suspects for decades, and it seems that many viruses, including those of the Herpesviridae family, indeed can influence disease initiation and/or promote exacerbations by a number of mechanisms that include prolonged anti-viral immunity, immune subverting factors, and mechanisms, and perhaps “molecular mimicry”. However, no specific virus has yet been established as being truly causative. Here, we discuss a different, but perhaps mechanistically related possibility, namely that retrotransposons or retroviruses that infected us in the past and left a lasting copy of themselves in our genome still can provoke an escalating immune response that leads to autoimmune disease. Many of these loci still encode for retroviral proteins that have retained some, or all, of their original functions. Importantly, these endogenous proviruses cannot be eliminated by the immune system the way it can eliminate exogenous viruses. Hence, if not properly controlled, they may drive a frustrated and escalating chronic, or episodic, immune response to the point of a frank autoimmune disorder. Here, we discuss the evidence and the proposed mechanisms, and assess the therapeutic options that emerge from the current understanding of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Mustelin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kennedy C Ukadike
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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37
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Salavatiha Z, Soleimani-Jelodar R, Jalilvand S. The role of endogenous retroviruses-K in human cancer. Rev Med Virol 2020; 30:1-13. [PMID: 32734655 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
It is known that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) constitute almost 8% of the human genome. Although the expression of HERVs from the human genome is tightly regulated, different exogenous and endogenous factors could trigger HERV activation. Aberrant expression of different HERVs may potentially cause a variety of diseases such as neurological and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer. It is suggested that HERV-K can induce cancer through different mechanisms that are discussed. The interplay between some tumor viruses and HERV-K seems to be a key player in progression of viral-associated cancers because elevated levels of Rec and Np9 proteins are observed in several cancers. The frequent over expression of HERV proteins and some specific antibodies in cancer cells could be considered as suitable prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The expression of HERV proteins in cancers and development of immune responses against them may also be used as targets for cancer immunotherapy. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of HERVs in cancer formation and use of different HERV proteins in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Salavatiha
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Soleimani-Jelodar
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Jalilvand
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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38
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Vergara Bermejo A, Ragonnaud E, Daradoumis J, Holst P. Cancer Associated Endogenous Retroviruses: Ideal Immune Targets for Adenovirus-Based Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21144843. [PMID: 32650622 PMCID: PMC7402293 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major challenge in our societies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 1/6 deaths were cancer related in 2018 and it is considered the second leading cause of death globally. Immunotherapies have changed the paradigm of oncologic treatment for several cancers where the field had fallen short in providing competent therapies. Despite the improvement, broadly acting and highly effective therapies capable of eliminating or preventing human cancers with insufficient mutated antigens are still missing. Adenoviral vector-based vaccines are a successful tool in the treatment of various diseases including cancer; however, their success has been limited. In this review we discuss the potential of adenovirus as therapeutic tools and the current developments to use them against cancer. More specifically, we examine how to use them to target endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). ERVs, comprising 8% of the human genome, have been detected in several cancers, while they remain silent in healthy tissues. Their low immunogenicity together with their immunosuppressive capacity aid cancer to escape immunosurveillance. In that regard, virus-like-vaccine (VLV) technology, combining adenoviral vectors and virus-like-particles (VLPs), can be ideal to target ERVs and elicit B-cell responses, as well as CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaia Vergara Bermejo
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Correspondence: (A.V.B.); (P.H.)
| | - Emeline Ragonnaud
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
| | - Joana Daradoumis
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Holst
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence: (A.V.B.); (P.H.)
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39
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Dembny P, Newman AG, Singh M, Hinz M, Szczepek M, Krüger C, Adalbert R, Dzaye O, Trimbuch T, Wallach T, Kleinau G, Derkow K, Richard BC, Schipke C, Scheidereit C, Stachelscheid H, Golenbock D, Peters O, Coleman M, Heppner FL, Scheerer P, Tarabykin V, Ruprecht K, Izsvák Z, Mayer J, Lehnardt S. Human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K(HML-2) RNA causes neurodegeneration through Toll-like receptors. JCI Insight 2020; 5:131093. [PMID: 32271161 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.131093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Although human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent a substantial proportion of the human genome and some HERVs, such as HERV-K(HML-2), are reported to be involved in neurological disorders, little is known about their biological function. We report that RNA from an HERV-K(HML-2) envelope gene region binds to and activates human Toll-like receptor (TLR) 8, as well as murine Tlr7, expressed in neurons and microglia, thereby causing neurodegeneration. HERV-K(HML-2) RNA introduced into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of either C57BL/6 wild-type mice or APPPS1 mice, a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulted in neurodegeneration and microglia accumulation. Tlr7-deficient mice were protected against neurodegenerative effects but were resensitized toward HERV-K(HML-2) RNA when neurons ectopically expressed murine Tlr7 or human TLR8. Transcriptome data sets of human AD brain samples revealed a distinct correlation of upregulated HERV-K(HML-2) and TLR8 RNA expression. HERV-K(HML-2) RNA was detectable more frequently in CSF from individuals with AD compared with controls. Our data establish HERV-K(HML-2) RNA as an endogenous ligand for species-specific TLRs 7/8 and imply a functional contribution of human endogenous retroviral transcripts to neurodegenerative processes, such as AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Dembny
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew G Newman
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Manvendra Singh
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Hinz
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michal Szczepek
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christina Krüger
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Omar Dzaye
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Radiology.,Department of Neuroradiology
| | | | - Thomas Wallach
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Gunnar Kleinau
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Derkow
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Carola Schipke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, and.,Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claus Scheidereit
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harald Stachelscheid
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, BIH, Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, Germany
| | - Douglas Golenbock
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oliver Peters
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, and.,Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Coleman
- Babraham Institute and John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Frank L Heppner
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence.,Department of Neuropathology.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrick Scheerer
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH, Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Victor Tarabykin
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Klemens Ruprecht
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Zsuzsanna Izsvák
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jens Mayer
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universität des Saarlandes, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Seija Lehnardt
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and BIH, Berlin, Germany
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40
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Kaplan MH, Contreras-Galindo R, Jiagge E, Merajver SD, Newman L, Bigman G, Dosik MH, Palapattu GS, Siddiqui J, Chinnaiyan AM, Adebamowo S, Adebamowo C. Is the HERV-K HML-2 Xq21.33, an endogenous retrovirus mutated by gene conversion of chromosome X in a subset of African populations, associated with human breast cancer? Infect Agent Cancer 2020; 15:19. [PMID: 32165916 PMCID: PMC7060579 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-020-00284-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The human endogenous retroviruses HERV-K HML-2 have been considered a possible cause of human breast cancer (BrC). A HERV-K HML-2 fully intact provirus Xq21.33 was recently identified in some West African people. We used PCR technology to search for the Xq21.33 provirus in DNA from Nigerian women with BrC and controls. to see if Xq21.33 plays any role in predisposing to BrC. This provirus was detected in 27 of 216 (12.5%) women with BrC and in 22 of 219 (10.0%) controls. These results were not statistically significant. The prevalence of provirus in premenopausal control women 44 years or younger [18/157 (11.46%)} vs women with BrC [12/117 (10.26%)] showed no statistical difference. The prevalence of virus in postmenopausal control women > 45 yrs. was 7.4% (4/54) vs 15.31% (15/98) in postmenopausal women with BrC. These changes were not statistically significant at <.05, but the actual p value of <.0.079, suggests that Xq21.33 might play some role in predisposing to BrC in postmenopausal women. Provirus was present in Ghanaian women (6/87), in 1/6 Pygmy populations and in African American men (4/45) and women (6/68), but not in any Caucasian women (0/109). Two BrC cell lines (HCC 70 and DT22) from African American women had Xq21.33. Env regions of the virus which differed by 2-3 SNPs did not alter the protein sequence of the virus. SNP at 5730 and 8529 were seen in all persons with provirus, while 54% had an additional SNP at 7596.Two Nigerian women and 2 Ghanaian women had additional unusual SNPs. Homozygosity was seen in (5/27) BrC and (2/22) control women. The genetic variation and homozygosity patterns suggested that there was gene conversion of this X chromosome associated virus. The suggestive finding in this preliminary data of possible increased prevalence of Xq21.33 provirus in post-menopausal Nigerian women with BrC should be clarified by a more statistically powered study sample to see if postmenopausal African and/or African American women carriers of Xq21.33 might show increased risk of BrC. The implication of finding such a link would be the development of antiretroviral drugs that might aid in preventing BrC in Xq21.33+ women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark H. Kaplan
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | | | - Evelyn Jiagge
- Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Mi USA
| | - Sofia D. Merajver
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Lisa Newman
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021 USA
| | - Galya Bigman
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Michael H. Dosik
- Department of Internal Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook Medical, Stony Brook, NY 11794 USA
| | | | - Javed Siddiqui
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
- Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Arul M. Chinnaiyan
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
- Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Sally Adebamowo
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Clement Adebamowo
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
- Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
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41
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Smith CC, Selitsky SR, Chai S, Armistead PM, Vincent BG, Serody JS. Alternative tumour-specific antigens. Nat Rev Cancer 2019; 19:465-478. [PMID: 31278396 PMCID: PMC6874891 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-019-0162-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The study of tumour-specific antigens (TSAs) as targets for antitumour therapies has accelerated within the past decade. The most commonly studied class of TSAs are those derived from non-synonymous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), or SNV neoantigens. However, to increase the repertoire of available therapeutic TSA targets, 'alternative TSAs', defined here as high-specificity tumour antigens arising from non-SNV genomic sources, have recently been evaluated. Among these alternative TSAs are antigens derived from mutational frameshifts, splice variants, gene fusions, endogenous retroelements and other processes. Unlike the patient-specific nature of SNV neoantigens, some alternative TSAs may have the advantage of being widely shared by multiple tumours, allowing for universal, off-the-shelf therapies. In this Opinion article, we will outline the biology, available computational tools, preclinical and/or clinical studies and relevant cancers for each alternative TSA class, as well as discuss both current challenges preventing the therapeutic application of alternative TSAs and potential solutions to aid in their clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof C Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Marsico Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sara R Selitsky
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Bioinformatics Core, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Marsico Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shengjie Chai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Marsico Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Paul M Armistead
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin G Vincent
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Marsico Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Program in Computational Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Jonathan S Serody
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Marsico Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Program in Computational Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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42
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Kaplan MH, Kaminski M, Estes JM, Gitlin SD, Zahn J, Elder JT, Tejasvi T, Gensterblum E, Sawalha AH, McGowan JP, Dosik MH, Direskeneli H, Direskeneli GS, Adebamowo SN, Adebamowo CA, Sajadi M, Contreras-Galindo R. Structural variation of centromeric endogenous retroviruses in human populations and their impact on cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Sézary syndrome, and HIV infection. BMC Med Genomics 2019; 12:58. [PMID: 31046767 PMCID: PMC6498702 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-019-0505-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human Endogenous Retroviruses type K HML-2 (HK2) are integrated into 117 or more areas of human chromosomal arms while two newly discovered HK2 proviruses, K111 and K222, spread extensively in pericentromeric regions, are the first retroviruses discovered in these areas of our genome. Methods We use PCR and sequencing analysis to characterize pericentromeric K111 proviruses in DNA from individuals of diverse ethnicities and patients with different diseases. Results We found that the 5′ LTR-gag region of K111 proviruses is missing in certain individuals, creating pericentromeric instability. K111 deletion (−/− K111) is seen in about 15% of Caucasian, Asian, and Middle Eastern populations; it is missing in 2.36% of African individuals, suggesting that the −/− K111 genotype originated out of Africa. As we identified the −/−K111 genotype in Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) cell lines, we studied whether the −/−K111 genotype is associated with CTCL. We found a significant increase in the frequency of detection of the −/−K111 genotype in Caucasian patients with severe CTCL and/or Sézary syndrome (n = 35, 37.14%), compared to healthy controls (n = 160, 15.6%) [p = 0.011]. The −/−K111 genotype was also found to vary in HIV-1 infection. Although Caucasian healthy individuals have a similar frequency of detection of the −/− K111 genotype, Caucasian HIV Long-Term Non-Progressors (LTNPs) and/or elite controllers, have significantly higher detection of the −/−K111 genotype (30.55%; n = 36) than patients who rapidly progress to AIDS (8.5%; n = 47) [p = 0.0097]. Conclusion Our data indicate that pericentromeric instability is associated with more severe CTCL and/or Sézary syndrome in Caucasians, and appears to allow T-cells to survive lysis by HIV infection. These findings also provide new understanding of human evolution, as the −/−K111 genotype appears to have arisen out of Africa and is distributed unevenly throughout the world, possibly affecting the severity of HIV in different geographic areas. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12920-019-0505-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark H Kaplan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Mark Kaminski
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Judith M Estes
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Scott D Gitlin
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA
| | - Joseph Zahn
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - James T Elder
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA
| | - Trilokraj Tejasvi
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA
| | - Elizabeth Gensterblum
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Amr H Sawalha
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Joseph Patrick McGowan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Feinstein Institute for Medical research, Manhasset, NY, 11030, USA
| | | | - Haner Direskeneli
- Division of Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Sally N Adebamowo
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.,Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Clement A Adebamowo
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.,Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.,Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Mohammad Sajadi
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Rafael Contreras-Galindo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. .,Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, 55912, USA.
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43
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Smith CC, Beckermann KE, Bortone DS, De Cubas AA, Bixby LM, Lee SJ, Panda A, Ganesan S, Bhanot G, Wallen EM, Milowsky MI, Kim WY, Rathmell WK, Swanstrom R, Parker JS, Serody JS, Selitsky SR, Vincent BG. Endogenous retroviral signatures predict immunotherapy response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:4804-4820. [PMID: 30137025 PMCID: PMC6205406 DOI: 10.1172/jci121476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (hERVs) are remnants of exogenous retroviruses that have integrated into the genome throughout evolution. We developed a computational workflow, hervQuant, which identified more than 3,000 transcriptionally active hERVs within The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pan-cancer RNA-Seq database. hERV expression was associated with clinical prognosis in several tumor types, most significantly clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We explored two mechanisms by which hERV expression may influence the tumor immune microenvironment in ccRCC: (i) RIG-I-like signaling and (ii) retroviral antigen activation of adaptive immunity. We demonstrated the ability of hERV signatures associated with these immune mechanisms to predict patient survival in ccRCC, independent of clinical staging and molecular subtyping. We identified potential tumor-specific hERV epitopes with evidence of translational activity through the use of a ccRCC ribosome profiling (Ribo-Seq) dataset, validated their ability to bind HLA in vitro, and identified the presence of MHC tetramer-positive T cells against predicted epitopes. hERV sequences identified through this screening approach were significantly more highly expressed in ccRCC tumors responsive to treatment with programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) inhibition. hervQuant provides insights into the role of hERVs within the tumor immune microenvironment, as well as evidence that hERV expression could serve as a biomarker for patient prognosis and response to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof C. Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kathryn E. Beckermann
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dante S. Bortone
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Bioinformatics Group, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aguirre A. De Cubas
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lisa M. Bixby
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Samuel J. Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anshuman Panda
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; and Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Shridar Ganesan
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; and Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gyan Bhanot
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; and Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Eric M. Wallen
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Urology
| | - Matthew I. Milowsky
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine
| | - William Y. Kim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Urology,,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine,,Department of Genetics
| | - W. Kimryn Rathmell
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ronald Swanstrom
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and
| | - Joel S. Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Bioinformatics Group, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Genetics
| | - Jonathan S. Serody
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine
| | - Sara R. Selitsky
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Bioinformatics Group, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Benjamin G. Vincent
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine,,Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Wallace AD, Wendt GA, Barcellos LF, de Smith AJ, Walsh KM, Metayer C, Costello JF, Wiemels JL, Francis SS. To ERV Is Human: A Phenotype-Wide Scan Linking Polymorphic Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K Insertions to Complex Phenotypes. Front Genet 2018; 9:298. [PMID: 30154825 PMCID: PMC6102640 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 8% of the human genome is comprised of endogenous retroviral insertions (ERVs) originating from historic retroviral integration into germ cells. The function of ERVs as regulators of gene expression is well established. Less well studied are insertional polymorphisms of ERVs and their contribution to the heritability of complex phenotypes. The most recent integration of ERV, HERV-K, is expressed in a range of complex human conditions from cancer to neurologic diseases. Using an in-house computational pipeline and whole-genome sequencing data from the diverse 1,000 Genomes Phase 3 population (n = 2,504), we identified 46 polymorphic HERV-K insertions that are tagged by adjacent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To test the potential role of polymorphic HERV-K in the heritability of complex diseases, existing databases were queried for enrichment of established relationships between the HERV-K insertion-associated SNPs (hiSNPs), and tissue specific gene expression and disease phenotypes. Overall, hiSNPs for the 46 polymorphic HERV-K sites were statistically enriched (p < 1.0E-16) for eQTLs across 44 human tissues. Fifteen of the 46 HERV-K insertions had hiSNPs annotated in the EMBL-EBI GWAS Catalog and cumulatively associated with >100 phenotypes. Experimental factor ontology enrichment analysis suggests that polymorphic HERV-K specifically contribute to neurologic and immunologic disease phenotypes, including traits related to intra cranial volume (FDR 2.00E-09), Parkinson's disease (FDR 1.80E-09), and autoimmune diseases (FDR 1.80E-09). These results provide strong candidates for context-specific study of polymorphic HERV-K insertions in disease-related traits, serving as a roadmap for future studies of the heritability of complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia D Wallace
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - George A Wendt
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Lisa F Barcellos
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Kyle M Walsh
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Catherine Metayer
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Joseph F Costello
- Department of Neurosurgery, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Stephen S Francis
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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45
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Turnbull MG, Douville RN. Related Endogenous Retrovirus-K Elements Harbor Distinct Protease Active Site Motifs. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1577. [PMID: 30072963 PMCID: PMC6058741 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Endogenous retrovirus-K is a group of related genomic elements descending from retroviral infections in human ancestors. HML2 is the clade of these viruses which contains the most intact provirus copies. These elements can be transcribed and translated in healthy and diseased tissues, and some of them produce active retroviral enzymes, such as protease. Retroviral gene products, including protease, contribute to illness in exogenous retroviral infections. There are ongoing efforts to test anti-retroviral regimens against endogenous retroviruses. Herein, we examine the potential activity and diversity of human endogenous retrovirus-K proteases, and their potential for impact on immunity and human disease. Results: Sequences similar to the endogenous retrovirus-K HML2 protease and reverse transcriptase were identified in the human genome, classified by phylogenetic inference and compared to Repbase reference sequences. The topologies of trees inferred from protease and reverse transcriptase sequences were similar and agreed with the classification using reference sequences. Surprisingly, only 62/480 protease sequences identified by BLAST were classified as HML2; the remainder were classified as other HML groups, with the majority (216) classified as HML3. Variation in functionally significant protease motifs was explored, and two major active site variants were identified – the DTGAD variant is common in all groups, but the DTGVD motif appears limited to HML3, HML5, and HML6. Furthermore, distinct RNA expression patterns of protease variants are seen in disease states, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Conclusion: Transcribed ERVK proteases exhibit a diversity which could impact immunity and inhibitor-based treatments, and these facets should be considered when designing therapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Renée N Douville
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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46
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Mueller T, Hantsch C, Volkmer I, Staege MS. Differentiation-Dependent Regulation of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K Sequences and Neighboring Genes in Germ Cell Tumor Cells. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1253. [PMID: 29963023 PMCID: PMC6013571 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Under physiological conditions, most human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are transcriptionally silent. However, re-activation of HERVs is observed under pathological conditions like inflammation or cancer. In addition to expression of HERV sequences, an impact of HERV-loci on expression of adjacent genes has been suggested as probably important patho-physiological mechanism. A candidate for such a gene is PRODH (proline dehydrogenase 1), which is located on chromosome 22 adjacent to HERVK-24. Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are known to express high level of HERVK sequences. In addition, non-seminomatous GCT are useful models to study HERV expression in the context of differentiation since they reflect aspects of cellular development during embryogenesis and usually contain different cell types. This is due to the embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, which are the stem cell component of GCT. They are pluripotent, show high expression of pluripotency markers like OCT4 and LIN28A and can differentiate into either somatic derivatives (teratoma cells) or choriocarcinoma or yolk-sac tumor cells reflecting extra-embryonal differentiation. OCT4 is lost upon differentiation. We used GCT derived cell lines of varying differentiation stages to analyze expression of HERVK and PRODH. Differentiation status and cellular relationship of GCT cells was determined using microarray analysis and western blotting of the embryonic pluripotency markers OCT4 and LIN28A. The highest expression of HERVK was found in undifferentiated EC cells, which retain a stem cell phenotype and express both OCT4 and LIN28. In contrast, the lowest expression of HERVK was observed in somatic differentiated GCT cells which also lack OCT4 and LIN28A whereas GCT cells with differentiation characteristics of yolk-sac tumor expressed LIN28A but not OCT4 and showed intermediate level of HERVK. A similar pattern was found for PRODH. Differentiation of EC cells by siRNA mediated knock-down of OCT4 or treatment with differentiation inducing medium decreased expression of HERVK and PRODH. Treatment of differentiated GCT cells with 5′-azacytidine and trichostatin A increased expression of HERVK and PRODH, indicating that epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for altered expression of these genes. Our data suggest that HERVK expression is dependent on cellular differentiation stages regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, which can also affect expression of neighboring genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Mueller
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, Haematology/Oncology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Claudia Hantsch
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Ines Volkmer
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Martin S Staege
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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Bhuvaneshwar K, Song L, Madhavan S, Gusev Y. viGEN: An Open Source Pipeline for the Detection and Quantification of Viral RNA in Human Tumors. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1172. [PMID: 29922260 PMCID: PMC5996193 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
An estimated 17% of cancers worldwide are associated with infectious causes. The extent and biological significance of viral presence/infection in actual tumor samples is generally unknown but could be measured using human transcriptome (RNA-seq) data from tumor samples. We present an open source bioinformatics pipeline viGEN, which allows for not only the detection and quantification of viral RNA, but also variants in the viral transcripts. The pipeline includes 4 major modules: The first module aligns and filter out human RNA sequences; the second module maps and count (remaining un-aligned) reads against reference genomes of all known and sequenced human viruses; the third module quantifies read counts at the individual viral-gene level thus allowing for downstream differential expression analysis of viral genes between case and controls groups. The fourth module calls variants in these viruses. To the best of our knowledge, there are no publicly available pipelines or packages that would provide this type of complete analysis in one open source package. In this paper, we applied the viGEN pipeline to two case studies. We first demonstrate the working of our pipeline on a large public dataset, the TCGA cervical cancer cohort. In the second case study, we performed an in-depth analysis on a small focused study of TCGA liver cancer patients. In the latter cohort, we performed viral-gene quantification, viral-variant extraction and survival analysis. This allowed us to find differentially expressed viral-transcripts and viral-variants between the groups of patients, and connect them to clinical outcome. From our analyses, we show that we were able to successfully detect the human papilloma virus among the TCGA cervical cancer patients. We compared the viGEN pipeline with two metagenomics tools and demonstrate similar sensitivity/specificity. We were also able to quantify viral-transcripts and extract viral-variants using the liver cancer dataset. The results presented corresponded with published literature in terms of rate of detection, and impact of several known variants of HBV genome. This pipeline is generalizable, and can be used to provide novel biological insights into microbial infections in complex diseases and tumorigeneses. Our viral pipeline could be used in conjunction with additional type of immuno-oncology analysis based on RNA-seq data of host RNA for cancer immunology applications. The source code, with example data and tutorial is available at: https://github.com/ICBI/viGEN/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Bhuvaneshwar
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Lei Song
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Subha Madhavan
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Yuriy Gusev
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
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HIV-1 Infection of Primary CD4 + T Cells Regulates the Expression of Specific Human Endogenous Retrovirus HERV-K (HML-2) Elements. J Virol 2017; 92:JVI.01507-17. [PMID: 29046457 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01507-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) occupy extensive regions of the human genome. Although many of these retroviral elements have lost their ability to replicate, those whose insertion took place more recently, such as the HML-2 group of HERV-K elements, still retain intact open reading frames and the capacity to produce certain viral RNA and/or proteins. Transcription of these ERVs is, however, tightly regulated by dedicated epigenetic control mechanisms. Nonetheless, it has been reported that some pathological states, such as viral infections and certain cancers, coincide with ERV expression, suggesting that transcriptional reawakening is possible. HML-2 elements are reportedly induced during HIV-1 infection, but the conserved nature of these elements has, until recently, rendered their expression profiling problematic. Here, we provide comprehensive HERV-K HML-2 expression profiles specific for productively HIV-1-infected primary human CD4+ T cells. We combined enrichment of HIV-1 infected cells using a reporter virus expressing a surface reporter for gentle and efficient purification with long-read single-molecule real-time sequencing. We show that three HML-2 proviruses-6q25.1, 8q24.3, and 19q13.42-are upregulated on average between 3- and 5-fold in HIV-1-infected CD4+ T cells. One provirus, HML-2 12q24.33, in contrast, was repressed in the presence of active HIV replication. In conclusion, this report identifies the HERV-K HML-2 loci whose expression profiles differ upon HIV-1 infection in primary human CD4+ T cells. These data will help pave the way for further studies on the influence of endogenous retroviruses on HIV-1 replication.IMPORTANCE Endogenous retroviruses inhabit big portions of our genome. Moreover, although they are mainly inert, some of the evolutionarily younger members maintain the ability to express both RNA and proteins. We have developed an approach using long-read single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing that produces long reads that allow us to obtain detailed and accurate HERV-K HML-2 expression profiles. We applied this approach to study HERV-K expression in the presence or absence of productive HIV-1 infection of primary human CD4+ T cells. In addition to using SMRT sequencing, our strategy also includes the magnetic selection of the infected cells so that levels of background expression due to uninfected cells are kept at a minimum. The results presented here provide a blueprint for in-depth studies of the interactions of the authentic upregulated HERV-K HML-2 elements and HIV-1.
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Rascovan N, Duraisamy R, Desnues C. Metagenomics and the Human Virome in Asymptomatic Individuals. Annu Rev Microbiol 2017; 70:125-41. [PMID: 27607550 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-102215-095431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing technologies have revolutionized how we think about viruses. Investigators can now go beyond pathogenic viruses and have access to the thousands of viruses that inhabit our bodies without causing clinical symptoms. By studying their interactions with each other, with other microbes, and with host genetics and immune systems, we can learn how they affect health and disease. This article reviews current knowledge of the composition and diversity of the human virome in physiologically healthy individuals. It focuses on recent results from metagenomics studies and discusses the contribution of bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Rascovan
- Faculté de Médecine, Aix Marseille Université, 13385 Marseille, France.,URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, 13385 Marseille, France;
| | - Raja Duraisamy
- Faculté de Médecine, Aix Marseille Université, 13385 Marseille, France.,URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, 13385 Marseille, France;
| | - Christelle Desnues
- Faculté de Médecine, Aix Marseille Université, 13385 Marseille, France.,URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, 13385 Marseille, France;
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50
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Monde K, Terasawa H, Nakano Y, Soheilian F, Nagashima K, Maeda Y, Ono A. Molecular mechanisms by which HERV-K Gag interferes with HIV-1 Gag assembly and particle infectivity. Retrovirology 2017; 14:27. [PMID: 28446240 PMCID: PMC5406883 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-017-0351-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), the remnants of ancient retroviral infections, constitute approximately 8% of human genomic DNA. Since HERV-K Gag expression is induced by HIV-1 Tat in T cells, induced HERV-K proteins could affect HIV-1 replication. Indeed, previously we showed that HERV-K Gag and HIV-1 Gag coassemble and that this appears to correlate with the effect of HERV-K Gag expression on HIV-1 particle release and its infectivity. We further showed that coassembly requires both MA and NC domains, which presumably serve as scaffolding for Gag via their abilities to bind membrane and RNA, respectively. Notably, however, despite possessing these abilities, MLV Gag failed to coassemble with HIV-1 Gag and did not affect assembly and infectivity of HIV-1 particles. It is unclear how the specificity of coassembly is determined. Results Here, we showed that coexpression of HERV-K Gag with HIV-1 Gag changed size and morphology of progeny HIV-1 particles and severely diminished infectivity of such progeny viruses. We further compared HERV-K-MLV chimeric constructs to identify molecular determinants for coassembly specificity and for inhibition of HIV-1 release efficiency and infectivity. We found that the CA N-terminal domain (NTD) of HERV-K Gag is important for the reduction of the HIV-1 release efficiency, whereas both CA-NTD and major homology region of HERV-K Gag contribute to colocalization with HIV-1 Gag. Interestingly, these regions of HERV-K Gag were not required for reduction of progeny HIV-1 infectivity. Conclusions Our results showed that HERV-K Gag CA is important for reduction of HIV-1 release and infectivity but the different regions within CA are involved in the effects on the HIV-1 release and infectivity. Altogether, these findings revealed that HERV-K Gag interferes the HIV-1 replication by two distinct molecular mechanisms. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12977-017-0351-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuaki Monde
- Department of Medical Virology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. .,Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
| | - Hiromi Terasawa
- Department of Medical Virology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Yusuke Nakano
- Department of Medical Virology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ferri Soheilian
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Kunio Nagashima
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Yosuke Maeda
- Department of Medical Virology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Akira Ono
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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